Tassie and Her Random Thoughts

I'm Feeling Old and This is the Proof....

2012-01-22T15:37:00.003-06:00

Hello faithful followers....

I hope this finds you all well....Me? Not so much...... Here's how I know-

I just bought a Medical Alert bracelet.

Yes, you read that correctly. If you haven't followed me on Facebook or in any recent blog postings (and if this is you, why wouldn't you want to???) I was diagnosed with Diabetes this past Thanksgiving. Honestly, I think I knew for awhile that it was a possibility, but I didn't really let myself believe that it could really happen.

You see, my parents are both diabetics. My paternal grandmother was a diabetic...all of them type 2 and all of them (seemingly to me) older when they received their diagnosis. My grandmother died when I was 13 from complications of a stroke. As far as I know, she never took insulin. I laugh because I can remember her telling me that she'd drink the sweet tea from the TOP of the container since it had "less sugar." I'm thinking she probably ate what she wanted, when she wanted.

My parents both take insulin and have for years. My mother is quite the cook and can make anything sweet taste good and be sugar free. I just never thought I'd be diabetic and would have to eat sugar free.

Earlier in the fall, I noticed that I had to urinate a lot more than normal. On a side note, I take a diuretic pill for other things (high blood pressure and Meniere's disease) so in the back of my mind, I attributed it to that. So I did a little experiment and stopped taking it. My frequent urination urges decreased a little, but not enough to have the answer as to why I was having to go so often. Also, I've been a light drinker...meaning that I don't require much to drink during the day. During this period, I found that I could drink close to two liters of water in one sitting without a second thought. Then, I noticed the weight loss. It seemed that in a matter of a few weeks, I dropped close to 25 pounds.

So I did what anyone would do in that situation: I made a doctor's appointment to find out what was going on. Of course they wanted me to fast to get some blood work, so I did. I wasn't happy about that at all. They took my blood glucose sugar reading and it turned out to be 285. If you don't know what that means, well, a normal blood reading after fasting is under 100. Given my other symptoms and that blood sugar reading, my doctor told me that what I feared was true: I was indeed a diabetic.

My doctor wanted to start me off on insulin, but I asked him to wait until our appointment to go over the blood tests later that week. At that appointment, my doctor told me that my A1C number was a 13. For those of you that don't know what that is, it's a 3 month reading of your average blood glucose levels that is converted to a number scale. Most normal people's A1C is a 6 or under. Someone at a 7 or 8 is considered borderline diabetic. A high score for a diabetic is a 12. Did I mention that I WAS A 13???? That would explain why I started taking insulin that day.

So what does that mean? It means that I have had a drastic life change in regards to diet and exercise. I eat very few carbs....I know...sad, right? No bread, no rice, no pasta, no potatoes, no corn, no peas, no fruit, no sugar......so sad. I exercise more than I did before, and hope to make it a regular part of my daily life.

The only good news in all of this, is that I've maintained my weight loss. Also, for awhile, my vision was very blurry, but now that I'm getting the blood sugar levels under control, my eyesight has returned to normal. I'm hoping that I'll be able to become more healthy and lose a few more pounds.

The bad part of weight loss is that your wrinkles become more prominent. But that comes with old age, right? All I need now is to contract gout or arthritis....and now that I have a medical alert bracelet, I can add those ailments. I left plenty of room, just in case.

Until next time, friends.....

Toodles!

The Niftiness of a Caboodle

2012-01-04T20:06:00.003-06:00

I am moving forward through this post assuming you know what Caboodles are. It's only the most amazing makeup container EVER. If you don't have any idea what I'm talking about, take a second and do a Google search and learn some stuff. Then come back and finish reading this.

I have to stop for a second and give my usual apologies and excuses for not blogging. For starters, I live in the STICKS. There is no high speed Internet here of any kind. I know because I've checked. You can not get Internet through cable or phone lines. For the longest time we had dial-up and it was TORTURE. We got rid of our land lines a year ago and went completely cellular. Our connection to the Internet at that point was through "tethering" using a cell phone. It was minimally faster. Then, back in August of 2011, David and I upgraded our old flip phones for smart phones. We like these so much better, but we're still relegated to tethering. And only with David's phone. So this means that if David isn't home or is using his phone, I can't get online to blog. Not convenient. So, that's part of the issue. I am, as always, incredibly busy. But I think everyone is busy, so that's not a valid excuse. You just don't meet people who talk about how much free time they have. At least I never have. And in case you've thought, "What about Hugh's Net? Can't you get Internet through them?" My parents (who live about 1/2 mile down my road) have Hugh's Net and if anything, their Internet service is slower and worse than ours.

But I digress....back to our topic..........

I love blogging and don't do it nearly as much as I'd like. At one point, I was debating about whether I should keep a written list of interesting blog topics. I never did get around to it. Over the last month or two, one topic has been reoccurring and since I had a dream about blogging on this topic last night, I'm taking it as an omen that I should proceed.

Many, many years ago, my mom bought me a green Caboodles makeup case for Christmas. At least I think it was for Christmas. My parents let me start wearing makeup around 8th or 9th grade so it was probably about that time. What is amazing to me is that after all these years (close to maybe 30 years or so) I still use the same case. It hasn't broken or let me down in any way. There aren't many items that you use on a daily basis that you can say that about. Over the years, my makeup collection has increased and I've tried to use my Caboodles case as best I can. I've filled it and the extra stuff I've acquired to put on my face ended up in assorted baskets and stuff. Not as organized as I should be and given the time of day that I put my makeup on, I need all the help I can get.

Somewhere about 10 years ago, I started using glitter as an accessory to my makeup on Fridays. If you are my Facebook friend, you'll know from my Friday Get Ups album that I go all out on Fridays. I consider it part of my public service. As I've gotten older (and of course more wrinkly), I've decided to use glitter on a more regular basis. I'm talking glitter eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, blush, lip gloss....the whole 9 yards. I think that somewhere I thought that the glitter would reflect light OFF of my wrinkles. Maybe it does, maybe not....but it makes me happy so I'm going with it.

My glitter collection has grown and a few weeks ago, I found another Caboodles case that was purple! I transferred all of my everyday makeup to the new purple case and put all my glitter in the green one. I'm very happy with both. I'm also more organized in the mornings now, so that's a plus too.

Just so you know.........I took a long time trying to load pictures of my two Caboodle cases. My connection is so slow it wouldn't load. Oh well.....maybe next time!

Until next time.....toodles!

Branson: Days 4 and 5

2011-11-23T20:50:00.002-06:00

So we've been so busy that I wasn't able to post yesterday. That's a good thing when you are on vacation. My brain is fuzzy (and I'm going to blame the diabetes and not me getting old)...so here goes...

Yesterday I woke up at my usual 8:30 or so. My mom was already up and went about making breakfast. She took extra good care of me by making a special sausage patty while she was making her sausage gravy with biscuits. It was good. After breakfast, my sisters-in-law Melissa and Susan, my mom, and I went shopping around town. We went to Michael's craft store (I was disappointed), Dress Barn, TJ Max, and Target. I bought some great stuff there. I got a movie I've been looking for "What About Bob?" for $5 (score!!!) and some new holiday hats that I didn't already have. I also got some great Christmas lights that I'm going to put around my computer.

We came back to the room and relaxed for awhile and we all decided to go to a place called Lambert's Cafe, which is outside of Branson. Their claim to fame is that they throw rolls at your table. Yes, you read that correctly. They serve country style food in a rustic atmosphere. They started throwing rolls at guests many years ago because they couldn't get to the table and it stuck. I bought a shirt and a very large insulated mug that I will be using at work because the Circle K cup I bought about 10 years ago looks ugly. (I also got a magnet for my growing collection.)

After dinner, we divided up and went shopping. The guys went to the Bass Pro Shop and the girls went to the Battleship Mall. It was awesome!!!! It had a great Charming Charlies and I got some great stuff. By far, it was the best one that I've been too so far. (I've been to 4 now.) Then I found they had a Sephora, which is another of my favorites. I found some glittery powder by Tarina Taratino. Love it. Next, I stumbled on to a Bath and Body Works, where I've been told there was a glittery lotion that I had to have. They were right. It's this great lotion that has a dial, so you can control your lotion to glitter ratio. As if I'd need to scale down the glitter....right. I was real happy with my haul and we basically closed the mall down and we drove back to Branson. Very shortly after arriving, I showered and went to bed.

This morning, I woke up around the same time and Mom made egg sandwiches. I only had half of one because I'm trying to watch my carbs. I hung out around the condo for a little while and then went with David in search of a Verizon store. We found one and David got his question answered. While he was doing that, I was playing phone tag with the doctor's office trying to get my insulin prescription taken care of . Still trying to work that out. If the doctor had not given me a sample insulin pen, I'd still be without. But that's another post for another time.

We came back to the room, ate a sandwich and then walked over to the Titanic museum. It was very expensive but I'm happy to say that it was the ONLY thing on the "strip" that wasn't cheesy. We spent a long time there, reading everything and looking at all the artifacts. This was of particular interest to me since I've done a Titanic unit with my students in the past. We left early to come back to go to dinner with my family. Today is my parents' 50th wedding anniversary and we all went to a real nice restaurant called the Candlestick Inn Restaurant. It had a great view of the river and the downtown area. We had stuff that I've only read about.....for appetizers, we all shared several: escargot, calamari, a cheese and fruit plate, and wild boar sausage. We all got a starter course....(we didn't share this course) we ordered sea bass and salmon bisque, french onion soup, dinner salad, and Caesar salad. (Side note here...my brother's Caesar salad romaine lettuce came in a stack that was wrapped with a leek and sat upright in his bowl. It was an interesting sight.) For dinner, we all had different things....I ordered chicken cordon bleu, David had some chicken tortellini dish (my parents had that too), there was an order of beef wellington or two and a vegetable dish that had artichokes and eggplant. Sadly, their dessert menu didn't have any sugar free items but that didn't stop others from ordering. David had tiramasu and Sable had some chocolate mousse cake.

Now, I'm sitting amongst family drinking some cafe con leche and updating everyone via my blog. Tomorrow, mom will make her famous breakfast casserole that we'll eat while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. We will eat and enjoy some great food and family fellowship.

Until tomorrow....

Toodles

Branson: Day 3

2011-11-21T20:45:00.002-06:00

Howdy friends!

I know....complete shocker...me posting three days in a row...once you pick yourself up off the floor, feel free to continue reading.

So, the day started with me sleeping in until 8:30. For many of you, this would not seem like a big deal, except that I get up every work day morning at 5. On the weekends I manage to sleep until 7...so it was a nice surprise to have a little extra shut eye. (On a side note here...when I was a teenager, I would list eating, sleeping, and taking a bath as my hobbies. I've been told that as a child, I never had any trouble doing these things. Apparently, nothing has changed.)

I took my blood sugar reading and it was below 200 for the first time in over a week. Note that this is still high, but things are slowly improving. I'm on insulin now, so hopefully I will get the hang of all of this soon and the numbers will all pan out. My mom was up too and she made a nice breakfast of eggs, bacon, and biscuits. Very yummy.

After breakfast, my mom and I went to Walgreens around the corner. She needed a new battery for her blood glucose monitor (both of my parents are diabetic.) Once we walked around a bit, she realized that she had picked up my dad's talking meter (he went blind a year ago) instead of hers, so she left me at Walgreens to go back and get the other meter. While I was in Walgreens, I picked up some nifty light up Christmas earrings, some glittery eyeshadow, and a Branson magnet for my fridge. Score. It turns out that we had forgotten to pack the electric griddle at my mom's so we decided to go by Walmart to get another.

Branson has two Walmarts. The old one (it has no groceries) is closest to the condo so we went there. Mom got her battery and found an electric griddle for $18. I bought a butcher knife since the condo only has steak knives and it was a chore to chop onions with it last night. The cashier at Walmart gave me a strange look. I'm guessing that it was weird to just buy a big honking knife, and when I assured her I wasn't crazy or angry with anyone her expression did not change. Oh well.....

Next to Walmart was a Jubilee grocery store. My mom and I walked around picking up items for Thanksgiving. Mom usually does the cooking (and completely loves it I might add) but this year we are splitting up the work. My job is to make deviled eggs (I created the world's best recipe...everyone says so) and mashed potatoes. I found an easy and great recipe for the potatoes from an episode of Rachel Ray, so now I can contribute that as well. After the grocery store, we came back to the condo.

I took my sugar reading again, and it was lower than the morning but still pretty high. My lunch consisted of radishes, bell pepper, carrots, and celery with spinach/artichoke hummus for dip. After lunch, I took a nap. I love to nap. And napping on vacation is the best.

After my nap, I went and had a massage and facial. That was David's present to me. We are celebrating our sixteen wedding anniversary on Thursday. His sisters, Susan and Melissa, also got massages...for their birthdays. It was very lovely and now I feel much less stressed. But since I'm on vacation, I wasn't too stressed to begin with.

My brother made his famous cafe con leche and I had a cup of that after my niece Sable made a very tasty chicken enchilada casserole. I've now showered and will grade a few papers before I go to sleep. I have no idea what we are planning on doing tomorrow but since I'm on vacation, it doesn't matter. There aren't many times that I can do a whole lot of nothin.....this week, I'm hoping to become better at that.

Until tomorrow my friends....

Toodles!

Branson: Day 2

2011-11-20T21:17:00.002-06:00

Hello faithful followers! (All 2 of you!)

So, here we are in Branson, Missouri. As I mentioned yesterday, my parents are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this week. They wanted some time with all the family together, so my brother and his family drove from Denver, and we met in the middle. All together, there are 12 of us. We are staying at a real nice condo, and since our party is so large, some are staying at another condo a mile or two away.

Our breakdown today....

First and foremost, breakfast. (I know it sounds like all I do is talk about food, but you have to admit that food, and good food, is awesome.) Since we didn't have any groceries here, we went out to eat. I suggested Cracker Barrel. I love that place. I ate two eggs over medium, 2 pieces of turkey sausage, a biscuit, and some hashbrown casserole. My blood sugar reading this morning was high, so I'm guessing that the Subway sandwich bread last night may not have been the best idea. After breakfast, the Denver crew came in from driving all night. We met at my mom's condo and made a list for the store.

My mom and I drove across town to this super huge Walmart. Our cashier told me that when it was built (and it looks pretty new) that it was the second largest Walmart in the country. I found some healthy snacks and much money later, we came back to the condo. David, Raelynn, and I walked over to a 50's diner and I had a chef's salad. We walked back to the condo and I managed to grade a set of papers. Yes, I brought papers to grade on vacation. They just don't grade themselves, you know. While I graded papers, my brother made me a cafe con leche. It almost made it painless.

Anyway, for dinner, my mom made chili which we used in a taco salad to cut down on the carbs. There was also rice to put the chili over but I resisted. I love rice and that was difficult. After supper, my niece Sable wanted to go to a place called Cakes and Cream. It's this great dessert parlor. David and I were going to walk while everyone else drove but after checking the weather, we decided to drive. I ended up getting a sugar free strawberry sundae. It was pretty good, but it didn't look nearly as tasty as David's funnel cake.

I'm really tired, but I wanted to update everyone on the exciting happenings. I know, doesn't sound too exciting, but when you live from stressful moment to stressful moment....calm and quiet days are a welcome surprise!!!!

Toodles!

Branson: Day 1

2011-11-19T21:20:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone!

It's been so long since I've blogged that it's completely possible that most of you don't know that I EVEN have a blog. The sad truth is that since we killed our land line, I've been relegated to posting from work. I'm not able to post on my phone. I know....this makes me sad too. But, I'm currently sitting in our condo in Branson with a full week off of work, so I'm at a "real" computer with no school work to distract me.

So....this coming week is my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, my brother, his wife, their daughter, her husband, their two boys, and David's sister (they all live in Denver) are meeting us in Branson. It's sort of a halfway point. It will be nice to see everyone. David and I are celebrating our 16th anniversary

Day one was basically us in the car all day. We stopped at a McDonald's for breakfast (I had a sausage McMuffin), Taco Bell for lunch (I had a #1 combo), and had Subway for dinner (six inch black forest ham on wheat.) Now.....David is teaching Raelynn how to play Scrabble, Dad is "watching" football on TV (he's blind so he really just listens), and Mom is taking her shower. So far a successful day.

For purposes of continuity, I'm not going to go off on a major tangent (I'm sure I have many blog posts just hovering near the surface) but I will tell you this.....

I was diagnosed with diabetes this week and the doctor has put me on insulin. No bueno. I'm sure I'll be sharing all those ups and downs as I figure this all out. Just saying I have diabetes makes me feel old. All I need now is a diagnosis of gout.

Anyway, I'm back. At least temporarily. And a little of me is better than no me so be happy.....

Toodles!

Sniff, Sniff....Hooray!

2011-08-18T19:33:00.004-05:00

The little things in life matter. And really, isn't most of life "little things?" For some reason, lately I've been enamored with the scent of Gain laundry detergent. I've always been a fan and have recently used the fabric softener and dryer sheets with the same scent in conjunction with the Gain detergent. It's a good thing....and a good smell. And with all things good, isn't the concept of "more" better? (I tend to lean towards yes on this one....)

So you can imagine my excitement when perusing the evil empire, Walmart, I see that Gain also has dish detergent and has teamed up with Febreeze to make air fresheners (plug-in, spray, and an oil based one that diffuses)!!!!!! So of course I purchased them all and surrounded myself with all things Gain.

Since I spend most of my time as school, I took the plug-in air freshener to school. The oil based diffuser is in my kitchen and the spray is for the bathroom. For the rest of the day, I smiled at odd moments. Those joyous moments seemed to happen each time I passed by the plug-in, so I think I ended up walking fast circles around my classroom just to inhale the Gain freshness that I love. It was a good day....and it smelled good too. I find that a day is always better when the day smells good too.

Now I'm wondering if there are other small and inexpensive changes out there that can be significant enough to impact me in such a way. I'm sure there are and I know that I'll find them someday. I hope that it's someday soon and that I'll be sniffing Gain the whole time.

PS-On a lesser side note, I apologize again for my lack of blogging. We have gotten rid of our land line and are now completely cellular. I can read my blog from my phone, I just can't do the actual blogging from it. Getting the desktop computer ready to go online involves several steps so that's why I've been away. That...and my lack of time. But that's a different post for a different time.

Toodles!

Got Coupons? I Wish I Did.....

2011-06-08T22:00:00.005-05:00

Hi Friends-

I'm back! It's been a day or two and I haven't blogged. Sorry about that. Sometimes life gets in the way. My family and I are preparing to go on a vacation early next week, so I'm letting you know now that I probably won't be blogging during that time. Hopefully, I will have lots of things to blog about once I get home.

So on to tonight's blog topic: extreme couponing. Have you ever seen the show Extreme Couponing on TLC? It's one of my new favorites. It comes on Wednesday nights at 8 central time in case you want to check it out. The premise is pretty straight forward. Each show highlights two individuals and follows them through a shopping excursion. During this time, they interview the person in their home, show them clipping coupons, and them showing off their stockpiles of stuff. Let's not confuse these people with hoarders. That's a completely different show. Just as engaging but totally different. I find the idea of extreme couponing very interesting.

Who doesn't like to save money, right? As a kid, I can remember my mom clipping coupons and using them at the store. I hated going to the grocery store. My daughter....she loves it. This could be due to the fact that I'm a bigger push-over than my mom was and Raelynn gets to pick out stuff to put in the cart. That fact aside, I don't mind going to the store. I usually go once a week. My church has it's large, weekly service on Saturday nights so I try to go grocery shopping on Sunday mornings when everyone else is at church. (Side note: When I bump into people that I know at the store during these Sunday morning trips, I start to feel guilty. Like maybe they think that I don't go to church. I always try to work this into the conversation. It never occurs to me that they aren't in church either so I shouldn't worry about it.) On occasion, I use coupons when I shop, but find that I can't always coordinate using the coupon before it expires. Most coupons that I see are for things I wouldn't use anyway. Of course, this was all before I saw the show on extreme couponing.

These people are DEDICATED. Most of them go to stores that double coupons, have member bonus cards, and take advantage of all the sale prices. Most of these people don't work for a living, but spend over 40 hours a week searching for coupons, printing coupons, clipping coupons, organizing coupons, and scouting the stores for sales and whatnot. This is where my problem starts. I do have a store that double coupons up to sixty cents (no it isn't the evil Walmart that I shop at) and has member cards that give you some discounts. I think I could even look through all the sales fliers and do multiple sweeps of the store to record sales that aren't listed. My major problem is getting the coupons to begin with.

I don't subscribe to the newspaper. My mother does. I could always get her inserts but these people on the show have a TON of coupons. Multiple inserts and from different papers. On the show I saw tonight, some woman bought an insane number of yogurt cups. Like over 500. I think she may have gotten them free using her coupons in conjunction with the sale going on in the store. Where does she get all those coupons? It boggles the mind.

David says another problem we'd have if I took up this hobby is storage space. I don't have a garage or basement, so we'd probably have to build on to our house in order to store everything. According to these people, they save enough money each year that they could probably build on to their house without paying much. Somehow I don't see myself this fortunate.

It really looks like these people spend a huge amount of time planning and organizing everything. They have these huge binders with special pages inside to hold all their coupons where you can see them all. I think I remember one of those shows where they said that the lady's coupon binder weighed like 20 pounds or something. I don't know about you, but the thought of organizing all that sounds like fun. I like organizing stuff. (For those of you that know me in real life may argue with that fact, but I find that when I'm not working I enjoy cleaning and organizing stuff.) Knowing myself though, I can tell you that I'd end up going all OCD on that stuff. That's just how I roll. Go big or go home.

So....I'm preparing to leave for my trip and will have to do more research on extreme couponing when I get home. If you have any advice, tips, or inserts you'd like to share, let me know. I'm already anticipating all the fun I'm going to have clipping and organizing during this endeavor...because hey...who doesn't love buying 500 cups of yogurt, right? Doesn't that sound like fun to you?

Until tomorrow (hopefully)....Toodles!

Pajama Jeans.....It's So Fun To Say!

2011-06-06T21:41:00.002-05:00

OPENING DISCLAIMER: The post you are about to read is about the ever popular "Pajama Jeans." I don't own a pair and know of no one who owns a pair, so if you are wearing a pair while reading this, please leave me a comment letting me know your feelings on the subject!

Hi Friends-

As I promised, I am blogging today. You'd think that with summers off, I'd have more time to blog and do things I like such as eating ice cream and watching TV. Well, that's not really true. I have found time this summer to eat ice cream and watch TV. Blogging...well....I'm working on doing that more often too.

So today's topic is a strange one: Pajama Jeans. Have you seen these things advertised on TV? They have their own infomercial that plays all hours of the day and night. Do I own a pair of these magic pants? Heck no! For those of you that haven't seen this infomercial, I'm sure you can find it on You Tube. I'm guessing you have other things worth your time, so if you're not aware of these wonder pants, let me break it down for you.

These pants are supposed to be as comfortable as pajama pants while looking like high-end blue jeans. And if you listen to the infomercial and believe what they tell you, every women looks great in these pants. Really? Then how come there aren't any fat chicks in the commercials? The people they have pimping out these pants would look good wearing a burlap sack. I'm betting we'll be seeing an ad for these soon...."Burlap pajama pants! Look rustic while you sleep and since you'll be asleep it won't matter that the burlap itches!"

But really, I got a look at the box the other day at Walmart. There's this shelf next to one of the registers that has stuff you can find advertised only on TV. I get really skeptical of anything said to be only found on TV. These people must not have heard of the Internet. But it must work, because I feel confident that someone, somewhere ordered them and it was popular enough to find its way to Walmart.

Now the fine people at Walmart don't like it when you open packages, so I didn't get to pull a pair out and look at them. They did have a hole on the front of the box where they encourage you to feel how soft the material is. Feeling how soft something is isn't enough reason for me to buy it. If it's something I will be wearing, I'll need to try it on. And I'm not about to go up to the crabby lady at the fitting rooms and ask her to open the package for me so I can try them on. That just ain't happenin'. I guess I'm pretty skeptical about stuff like this that you see on TV, especially stuff that you wear. You'll never find me wearing the Kymaro Body Shaper. (It's basically the TV version of Spanx.) Again, you won't sell me something that supposed to look good on everybody until I see it on EVERY BODY type out there. Get some real women on there to show how goofy their product looks.

So why even waste my time (and yours) by blogging about something that I obviously don't like? It's because the name "Pajama Jeans" just rolls off the tongue and sounds fun to say. Try saying it a few times really quickly---- I'm sure you don't believe me, but it'll be like when someone sings an odd song and it gets stuck in your head. I'm happy to report that I was able to do just that with to some co-workers in regards to Rebecca Black's song "Friday." It's just so bad that it's good. Be aware of yourself after reading this post....I'm betting you'll find yourself saying "Pajama Jeans" "Pajama Jeans" "Pajama Jeans" and smiling. I know it makes me smile to say it. And I'd smile even bigger if I actually saw someone wearing them.....either that or the above mentioned burlap pajama pants. I think both would be a pretty funny sight....Don't you think so too?

Until tomorrow (hopefully)....Toodles!

Older Than Dirt and Born Before Rocks

2011-06-05T19:12:00.002-05:00

Howdy friends!

As requested by my friend Martha M., I am blogging about today. Today is my birthday. I wish I could say that it's been an exciting day, but if I did, I'd be lying. It's been pretty quiet. Which for me, if there's not going to be a big throw-down party, then quiet is welcomed. Here's been my day:

I woke up around 9ish, which is late for me. I went to bed late last night. I've been reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer. (She wrote the Twilight series.) Originally I went to the library to see if I could find a copy of The Help. I couldn't find one. I did find The Host and thought I'd give it a try. Anyway, I woke up, warmed up some breakfast and then proceeded to clean out my closet. I spent some time this morning going through all my t-shirts. I refolded them and restacked them on the shelves. I categorized them into groups: 1) shirts to wear while working outside 2) Twilight shirts -yes, I have enough of those to be a separate group 3) Disney shirts and 4) other shirts to wear. After that, I reorganized my shoes. I didn't have to get rid of much- I had spent some time a few weeks ago going through those things. Today all I did was straighten and organize.

When that was done, I washed a few dishes and organized some in the kitchen. After that, I spent some time finishing The Host. I'll return that book tomorrow to the library. When the book was done, I washed the car so that tomorrow I can wax it. Somewhere in there I made lunch for myself and Raelynn.

Just a little bit ago, I went to my parents' house for supper. On your birthday, my mom will cook whatever you request (provided you're family.) She's such a good cook so it's hard to choose. I settled on meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese, and cheesecake for dessert. It was yummy and Mom sent home leftovers. My parents gave me a nice card, some bracelets, and some money for our upcoming trip to Florida. This was very appreciated. We sat around and talked some after dinner and I assisted David in jumping off one of my parents' cars that had a dead battery. Now I'm home blogging. In a bit, I'll go to my friend Wendy's house to go swimming. I'll meet our other friend, Kathy, there.

And that's it folks. Like I said, it was quiet. There have been other birthdays that were much louder, busier, or exciting. I'm trying to pace myself though....we leave for Florida in a week and I'm sure we'll have some fun there.

Final Note: Thank goodness for Facebook. I can't tell anyone how much it has meant to me to read all the birthday wishes. Facebook has been a wonderful way to keep in touch with many people from my past. Thanks for remembering my birthday. It's meant a lot.

Until tomorrow (hopefully).........Toodles!

There Is No Medical Name for the Fear of Automatic Car Washes.

2011-06-03T15:01:00.005-05:00

Hi Faithful Readers! (all 2 of you!)

Happy summer! I've been out of school now for about a week and a half and I'm in my "decompressing" mode. Teaching takes a lot of you, and there's a reason that we get summers off. It takes that long to "reset" the buttons and prepare for the next school year.

So, given this....you might be asking what I've been doing for the last week or so since I've not been blogging? (This is for you, Jess) Answer: A whole lot of nothing! It's amazing how quickly a day can go by with very little accomplished. I'm enjoying that immensely. But I haven't been a total vegetable.....

My family is going on a summer trip in a little over a week. We'll be heading down to Key West for a week and then meet David's sister, Susan, in Orlando and we'll do Disney World for a week. After that, all of us will head over to Cocoa Beach for a couple of days and then we'll head back home. For our family, this is major. We go places and stuff, but it always seems that we go to see family as our trip. I'm not saying this is bad, but in the fifteen years we've been married, I don't remember us taking a family trip somewhere that didn't involve a birth, death, graduation, wedding, etc. of a family member. This will be new for us and we are so excited!!!

Part of the preparation for this trip is to get the car ready. My husband is a great driver and does just about all of the driving, all of the time. And I'm totally okay with this. I'm not so fond of driving. David is real good about keeping his vehicle clean on a regular basis. Me...not as much. We decided to take the car I drive, a Saturn, because it gets better gas mileage. To make the trip better, David has had the speakers replaced and personally replaced lots of sensors and gadgets on the car. My job has been the cleaning process.

I don't mind washing, waxing, and cleaning out the car. And given that we'll be spending close to three weeks in the car, I'm motivated to clean it and clean it well. I have literally scrubbed all the of seats, carpets, and floor mats, as well as completely cleaned out every inch of the interior and then gone over it with Armor All. I've also added a a visor cover since the original one was in bad shape. I bought some plastic buffering compound and spent quite a long time getting rid of the oxidation on the headlights. I replaced all the seat covers. I will be applying Rain-X on the windows and some anti-fog stuff made by Rain-X on the inside of the windows. When it gets a little closer, I will hand wash and wax the car as well.

The one thing I DIDN'T want to do was to take the car to one of the local automatic car washes in town. I've gone many times with David. He's a frequent flyer. I enjoy going with other people to the car wash but have never been by myself. And I've never wanted to go alone either. I think it may be because while the soap is on your car, you can't see anything and I'm all nervous about accidentally pressing the brake or accelerator and crashing. David encouraged me to take the car in town to the car wash to get rid of some of the dirt on it and to take advantage of the free, untimed car vacuum. I was nervous, but I forged ahead.

So, I went. It was destined to be because I found a $2 off coupon for the car wash in my purse- (It was on the back of a grocery store receipt.) I pulled up into Mr. Bubbles and some teenager takes my money and scrubs the headlights (already expertly cleaned by moi) and gave me instructions for the car wash. Let me stop here and say that the other car washes that I've been to have you pull up and stop inside the wash and the brushes or water jets or weird hanging down strips do all the moving. A light or something goes off inside the car wash when it's over and you pull out. That's not like this one.....In this one, you pull your car onto a little one wheeled holder on a track, put your car in neutral, and then your car is pulled through the entire car wash. The whole time you aren't supposed to touch the brake, the accelerator, or the steering wheel. It took some deep breaths to get through this. It was loud, the car was moving without me in control, and I couldn't see what was going on. I'm happy to report though that I made it through and my car is nice and clean both inside and outside. (Yes, I took full advantage of the vacuums!)

So now all I have left to do is wash and wax the car. I'm waiting until it gets a little closer to our departure and hopefully, it won't be 180 degrees outside. The weather people on the news have been saying that it's hotter now than it should be for this time of the year. I don't think a cold front it happening any time soon. While we're waiting for it to cool off, let me know if you need your car washed. I've completely mastered my fears of the automatic car wash and can talk you through it if you need me to.

Ummmm...God? What's With The Weather Lately?

2011-04-29T19:41:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone-

For those of you who don't live near me, we've experienced some pretty severe weather lately. The picture you see above was an ACTUAL storm cell cloud that came through Starkville about a week ago. This happened around noon on a school day so we spent several hours at school in tornado mode. (At most schools this is in the hallway with your head down against the wall and your butt in the air.) As far as I know, there was no damage here locally, although a tornado was spotted in town.

The past three weeks or so has seen more tornado sirens and watches and stuff then I can remember in the eight years I've been here put together. The day before yesterday, a really big storm system with some horrific tornadoes came through Mississippi and Alabama and leveled some towns. We were blessed. Our electricity was off from 4 PM until around 2 AM, which stunk. Coming from the Florida Keys, I'm used to not having electricity. It happens all the time. When I say all the time, I literally mean ALL the time. But here, we've lost power about 5 times in the whole time we've lived here (8 years.) The power went out because some bad storms knocked out some TVA power stations. I'm thankful that the men and women responsible for getting us all back online did such a good job. I'm ready to put those people up there with the heroes of the police and fire departments. It makes you appreciate the hardships that our ancestors had to endure without electricity.

I've said before that I'm happier here than I was in Key West from a severe weather standpoint. In Key West, it was hot all the time and there was no differentiation of seasons. Then, six months out of the year, you waited on pins and needles to see if the next hurricane was going to come and wipe you out. Here, there are tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, but you don't have long to worry about it and it's usually over pretty quickly. The amount of damage from either disaster seems about the same. But.....

To have so many of them over the past three weeks has not been fun. During this period, I'm betting there were at least 4 or 5 different times/days where we had tornado watches and warnings. I've had enough. And I'm one of those people who hasn't suffered any damage. All I had to endure was several hours with no power. Around 300 people have lost their lives due to this series of tornadoes two days ago. I'm not complaining, I'm just sayin' is all.....

My dad said that those who got hit and survived had better get some religion if they haven't already. I agree. I thought about this wonderful song called "Blessings" by Laura Story that basically says "What if the trials of this life, are your mercies in disguise? What if you need a thousand sleepless nights to know that God is near?" I know He's there. He's in large and in charge...all the time.

I wanted to touch base with everyone because some have asked how I've been doing and if we got hit. Also, I wanted people to know that although the news channels are showing lots of footage of tornado damage in Alabama....we here in Mississippi had our share as well. We are never represented well, and don't draw much attention. We're not big news to anyone but ourselves. Bottom line folks....I'm fine.

Please be in prayer for those that lost loved ones and everything they own. I can't imagine how any of that feels. But through it all, I know that God is there and some day, the situations we're going through now will make sense in the future.

Bless you all!

It's All in the Collar Bone

2011-04-26T19:49:00.003-05:00

Hi Loyal Readers (All 2 of you!)--

I'm back! Sorry to say that my life hasn't gotten any more interesting since you last read one of my posts, it's just that I'm staying busier. Unfortunately, I'm not being given any more time to get all of the stuff done. That's pretty typical, so what's keeping me going is the thought that summer will be here soon and I'll have more time to blog!

Also this summer, I will be taking a much needed (and desired) trip to Florida. I moved here to Mississippi 8 years ago and have only been back to the homeland twice. Both of those times were to go to Disney World. (Side note here...I ADORE Disney World.) I was born and raised in Key West, and lived there my whole life with the exception of the two years I spent at Mississippi State. I haven't been back to Key West since I moved and I'm looking forward to it. So we plan on going to Key West for a week and while we're in the neighborhood, go to Disney World. Afterwards, we will spend a couple of days at Cocoa Beach. I'm looking forward to it. It'll be great to see lots of old friends!

In preparation, I'm trying to get in better shape. Standing in the hot, Florida sun for hours while waiting in line for an 8 minute ride can take a toll on you. Losing some weight would help me deal with the Florida heat and and help me feel better about seeing people that remember me eight years younger. I can't control getting older, but I do have some control over looking and feeling better.

So far, so good. I've rejoined Weight Watchers and have lost 20 pounds. I'm a lifetime member of this particular cult. Before Raelynn, I lost 50 pounds in about 3 months and maintained that weight for awhile. Then, I got pregnant and well.....I'm still trying lose the baby weight from 10 years ago. Back then, I was a maniac. I ran 2 to 3 miles a day and was religious in writing down what I ate. A few years ago, I got back on the wagon and lost some weight because I was in my friend Jessica's wedding. She's totally gorgeous, young, and thin so I didn't want to embarrass her or myself by being the old, fat lady in the wedding. But I digress....

I've rejoined and learned the new program and I'm doing okay. I'm not able to run like I did before...I blame that on my age. My bones can't take it anymore. I do try to run, but it's not nearly as often as I'd like. And as for religious food journaling....I try to keep up with it. I find that the older I get, the more difficult it is to maintain that level of fanatical-ness. It's very tiring being that "on" all the time.

So, how do I know that I've arrived at my goal weight? Yes, I do weigh...almost everyday. This is something that I don't usually like to do. But when you are working so hard, seeing that number going down is a good motivator to keep up the work. I told someone one time that the way you know that you're skinny is that you collar bone becomes more prominent. Think about it.... when you see pictures of people that you think are "in shape" you can see their collar bone. I don't notice it as much on guys, so I'm guess I'm really talking about women here.

So then I started thinking....when was the last time I saw my collar bone? I mean, I can feel it...I know it's there. When I look in the mirror, I don't see it. It doesn't look like that area is covered in a layer of fat, but it doesn't look clear to me. Which led me to thinking.....

Have I ever been able to see my collar bone? I started looking in my old photo albums.....no collar bone. Now, this could be either due to the fact that I wore very modest clothing in my younger days or the fact that I'm not genetically inclined to having an obvious collar bone. I'm hoping that it's the first, not the latter. I don't want to be anorexic or anything, I'd just like to get down to the single digits in clothing size and be able to see a clearly define collar bone.

In looking online for pictures, I found some people posting that they couldn't believe their collar bone was showing...that they didn't think they were that thin....oh please.....don't complain about being "too thin." I have a magnet on my fridge that says, "You can never be too thin, too rich, or have too many cookies."

Enough said.....

I'm off to write down what I ate for dinner tonight and to look....again....for my missing collar bone. Wish me luck!

You're Quirky Is Just Another Name for "You're Really Weird."

2011-04-01T08:28:00.006-05:00

So...I've been away for a week or so...I apologize. Again, I blame work. I tend to spend 13 hour days at work and then come home and have about an hour to get dinner ready and help Raelynn with homework before she goes to bed. After that, I have about an hour and a half until I crash. I literally fall asleep almost every night sitting on the couch with my grading pen in my hand. This is your tax dollars at work people. But today, I'm not at school. David's aunt died and I'll be going to her funeral in just a bit. On to today's topic: quirks. Their like belly buttons and opinions....everyone has them and they're better left unshared. But not me..right? I'm an open book. I was standing in my closet picking out the clothes I'll wear to the funeral later and that's when this blog topic came to me. Here's a brief list of the quirks that I'm willing to share. There are others, but like I said.....those are better left unshared. 1) Closed Doors- At both schools I've worked at, it was required that your classroom door be closed and locked at all times for safety reasons. As a result, even when the kids aren't there and I'm working (which like I stated earlier, is ALL the time) I can't have the door open. It makes me feel vulnerable. This works to my detriment because since the door is locked, I have to get up and answer the door each time someone comes by. Some days, that's a lot. (I'm not complaining....I enjoy the company!) Another time it's not so great is when the air conditioning isn't working and I'm sweltering, I have a hard time keeping the door open to let in the cooler air. This may not seem quirky, but I'm the opposite at home. I don't like doors closed at home. (The exception here is the bathroom, of course. If you have kids then you know that the door doesn't stay shut long. Those kids will find you and not leave you alone.) Everyday, Mr. Riley, the custodian in my building, will sweep my floor and ask as he leaves, "Do you want the door shut, Mrs. Rosamond?" My daily answer: "Yes....I've got issues." 2) Barefoot- I like going barefoot. Except for when my feet will get dirty. And it doesn't matter if you try hard to keep your floor clean, after you've walked around for just a moment, your feet will start to feel dirty. So, what I do is get comfy on the couch, bed, chair ,etc....take off my shoes and then put them back on as soon as I get up. Right now, that's what I'm doing as I type this. 3) Closed-in Shoes- Maybe this one is related to #2. Coming from the Florida Keys and its constant hot weather, I wore sandals most of the time. When I moved to Mississippi I had quite the collection of Birkenstocks and Tevas. The weather here is a little cooler at times, but I have a problem wearing traditional flats. I can wear sneakers and stuff....I mean dressy shoes that you'd wear with a skirt or something. I don't like how my feet feel in closed in shoes. My solution is to wear mules. Closed in shoes in the front and open in the back. Which leads to the next quirk. 4) Wearing Mules with Dresses or Skirts- I think wearing mules with a skirt or dress looks ridiculous on me. I think it's something to do with going barefoot with these shoes. When I wear mules with slacks, I wear trouser socks. I don't do hose so that becomes a problem as to what to wear with the dress or skirt in cooler weather. My solution: Don't wear skirts or dresses in cooler weather. 5) Tomatoes- As a kid, I didn't like tomatoes raw or cooked. I would pick out stewed tomatoes from soup and stuff. I would, however, eat pasta with tomato sauce. As an adult, my taste buds have changed. I like tomatoes. But....I don't like regular tomato soup. I prefer a creamy tomato soup. I don't like tomato juice. (Don't get me wrong, I'll eat or drink either but I'm talking about my preferences here...) I do enjoy spicy tomato juice, such as Bloody Mary mix. I take the mix and add Tabasco, celery salt, and worcestershire sauce. The same goes for V8. I don't care for the regular kind, I like the spicy kind. 6) Accessories- As soon as I come home from being somewhere, I take off my watch and wedding ring and put them in a fish-shaped dish on my kitchen counter. It feels weird to wear them around. As soon as I leave the house, I put them both on. It feels weird to not have them on when I'm outside of my house. 7) Clocks- There is a clock in each room in my house including the bathroom and my closet. I need to know what time it is. It bothers me to see adults that don't wear watches, especially at work. My father-in-law doesn't wear a watch. Ever. I'm not even sure he has one. I'm guessing he uses his cell phone to tell time, but that's another thing that bugs me about people. 8) Pencils- I don't like mechanical pencils or the ones that have the leads on plastic tips that you take out and reload at the top. I like a good wooden pencil that is sharp. Really sharp. I don't like blunt pencils. And I don't like writing in pen. And when writing in pencil, I like there to be a nice eraser on top. 9) Scratchy Elbows-I don't like the feeling of having my elbows be scratchy, so I apply Neutrogena Hand Cream on them nightly. This is the best concentrated lotion in the world. It even says so on the bottle. 10) Long Sleeve Shirts- I am hot-natured. I always get hot when I wear long sleeves. As a result, I don't own very many long sleeve shirts and I won't wear a sweatshirt unless it is very cold and I'm going to be outside for a considerable amount of time. I figure that if it's cold enough outside for long sleeves and you work indoors, won't the inside be heated? And if it is, why would you need long sleeves? 11) Paperclips- I like the jumbo sized paperclips, not the small ones. I think this stems from the fact that I'm a teacher with a ton of papers and the small clips don't hold the papers. I also don't like paperclips that are coated in plastic or the ones that aren't traditionally shaped. I'm all about cute stuff, but paperclips shouldn't be swirl shaped. That's just wrong. 12) Clean Hands- I'm not one of those OCD types that washes their hands obsessively, but I don't like having dirty hands, very similar to dirty feet. My classroom in Florida had a sink in the room and it was great for this quirk. The room I'm in now doesn't have a sink. This bothers me. I know about GermX and all, but we all know that it's not the same feeling as washing your hands. 13) Safeguard Soap- My favorite soap scent is Safeguard. Kroger keeps it in their bathrooms. They also sell it in hand pump sizes. I have not found Safeguard in body wash size. I'm not even sure they make it. I think it's an antibacterial soap meant for hand washing. Until I find it, I'm enjoying how that soap smells after I wash my hands. 14) Ice- I don't know if this is considered a quirk or not, but I like to know that I have access to ice if I'm going to be somewhere for an extended amount of time. I have this ginormous insulated cup that I fill with ice every day and take to school. Drinks don't taste good just from the fridge. I like my cold drinks over ice. 15) Milk on Ice- I don't like milk on ice, nor do I like iced coffee. 16) Coffee- I don't like regular coffee. I like the expensive caramel coffee drinks that I can't spell correctly (I think it's "maccihito??") that cost $5 a pop. I also like the same coffee frozen. Just not over ice. 17) Getting My Teeth Cleaned- So going to the dentist is scarier than getting a mammogram. Up until the last year or so, I've always considered myself as one of those people with pretty good teeth. I must admit that I don't floss as much as I should, but I do believe in regular visits to the dentist. My teeth are a little sensitive as I've gotten older (who knew that you could brush your teeth TOO hard and it would wear away your gums? Really?) so when I go to the dentist I'm pretty uptight. One of the things they do when you get a cleaning is they use this sandy paste stuff to buff your teeth. What's quirky is that when the hygienist stops to refill her instrument or to use the oral vacuum cleaner to get rid of your spit, I take advantage of the down time. I crunch ithe paste between my teeth. I imagine that it's the closest thing I'll get to eating sand. Not that I want to eat sand or anything. I just like the feeling of the grit crunching between my teeth. 18) The Fan and The Blanket- When I go to sleep, I like to be cool. I'm not a person that deals with heat so well. As luck would have it, my bedroom is in the coolest part of the house. In the winter time this isn't so great. But.....I've gotten very used to sleeping with the ceiling fan on. There's something about the sound of the fan and the constant moving of air that I need to sleep. In the winter, I will put extra blankets on my bed because it will be cold so I'll be warm, and then I'll crank up the fan in case I get too hot from the blankets. Like somehow the combination of these two things will cancel each other out and I'll have the perfect sleeping temperature. 19) Lip Balm- I don't know why, but I have to put on a layer of lip balm every night before I go to bed, regardless of the temperature or the condition of my lips. I don't do this during the day. 20) Vibrate AND Ring- My phone is always set to vibrate and ring. What's weird is that if it doesn't vibrate I can't hear it and if it doesn't ring I can't feel it so I'll never know when people are calling. It doesn't help that I'm hard of hearing..... 21) Captions and Subtitles- Since I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease several years ago and lost a significant amount of hearing in my left ear, I have to watch movies with the subtitles on. It really bugs me that some movies on DVD don't have this option and that it's not available in the movie theater. I also don't have it on my TV but I think that if I did, I'd be irritated because it seems that when I have seen it on TV, the captions and the person speaking aren't in sync. I almost can't understand what is being said on TV unless it's on. This is just the tip of the iceberg of my quirks. I figure most of these are harmless enough. I may dig deeper and share some more another time. You can bet that when I do, I won't be wearing shoes or a watch, and there will be an iced drink (not coffee or milk) in front of me with my clock right next to it. Toodles!

Everything But the Kitchen Sink.....Literally

2011-03-22T21:23:00.003-05:00

So I'm back and sad to say that I'm focusing this post on food. I tend to think of random topics throughout the day and today as I passed Waffle House on the way to work, I thought of their delish hashbrowns. Let me 'splain more....

Growing up, I was not a fan of breakfast. I didn't (and still don't) like cereal. Wait, let me clarify that...I don't like cereal for breakfast. When I eat it in the morning, I am hungry like 30 minutes later. I do enjoy the occasional baggie of dry cereal for a snack (Cracklin Oat Bran is pretty tasty). When I was a kid, I ate breakfast and for the first 10 years or so it was cereal. At some point in my teens, my mother figured out that I'd prefer to eat "dinner" food for breakfast, which I did, and I was happy. I'd raid the fridge with whatever we had leftover from the previous evening and would resort to hot dogs if the fridge was bare.

I also wasn't a fan of traditional breakfast foods: eggs, bacon, toast, grits, sausage, waffles, pancakes, or hashbrowns. What's weird is that I still don't enjoy cereal but have totally switched sides on my opinions of traditional breakfast food. Somewhere in there I started eating scrambled eggs and bacon. From there, my breakfast choices transitioned to eggs over medium with sausage and toast to sop up the yolk. Yummy....and I'd also take hashbrowns if they were offered. (Another thing I enjoy is eggs benedict, but since it's hard to find, I'll stick with the eggs over medium.)

But plain ole hashbrowns won't cut it. Waffle House (and Huddle House) offer their hashbrowns with all sorts of bells and whistles. Given that I like hashbrowns and other "regular" foods for dinner, it only made sense for me to become a fan of the hashbrowns from Waffle House.

As a kid, we didn't have a Waffle House in Key West. We didn't go out to eat much either, so I only got to experience the Waffle House breakfast when we traveled. I can remember ordering an omlet and having them put chili on top and enjoying it. So, it only made sense to take it a step further. Let me lay it out for you.....

At Waffle House their hashbrowns can be ordered with the following toppings:

*Scattered (this means they throw them on the grill...I think this is standard)

*Smothered (covered with onions)

*Covered (cheese)

*Chunked (diced ham)

*Diced (chopped tomatoes)

*Peppered (jalapenos)

*Capped (mushrooms)

*Topped (chili)

* Country (white sausage gravy)

I have to admit that I have the above mentioned items (except for the mushrooms) put on my hashbrowns. It's a wonderful thing. This would probably be enough but I usually add two eggs over medium, sausage (I love sausage), grits, and toast to my order. And I wash it all down with a Diet Coke. The good news is that I don't feel hungry for a LONG time afterward. Thankfully, I don't get to treat myself to this heart attack on a plate very often.

Side Note: The reason I don't add mushrooms to my hashbrowns is because mushrooms are a fungus. A fungus, people. That's just wrong. I also don't eat fried mushrooms, raw mushrooms with dip.....If I order a supreme pizza with the works, I usually don't take the 'shrooms off. Don't know why..... My family argues that I like bleu cheese crumbles and dressing and that's also a form of fungus, but since it's in cheese, I don't count it. I could eat my weight in cheese. I love it. There's no such thing as "bad" cheese. When I order a sandwich and I have a choice of cheese, I just tell them to pick any of them, because I'm a fan of all cheeses and love them equally. I wouldn't want them to get jealous or get hurt feelings.

So why the focus on food, and food that's bad for me? I don't know....I just know that I had those hashbrowns on my mind all day and I wanted to encourage you to try them if you haven't yet. And as for the mushrooms....well....put them on your hashbrowns if you want, but don't say I didn't warn you about the fungus part.

A Potpourri of Topics-By Request

2011-03-21T21:01:00.002-05:00

So I've not been blogging as frequently as I should. I blame the fact that I have to work on that. It seems I go into work earlier, get out later, and make less money than I did in Florida. The good news is that I feel like I'm a better teacher. But that still doesn't give me the time I need to blog and put my thoughts out there.

A few days ago, I asked my Facebook friends if they had any blog topic requests via my status. I got several responses, and I'm going to try my best to hit all of them, albeit briefly. In just a bit, I'll need to get ready to start the insanity again tomorrow.

The Big Picture
My friend Barbara V. said I should write about "the big picture." She said I should write about forgetting the small stuff and focus on the big picture. Jeez, if only I could. I tend to run high stress or full-throttle....all the time. David says that if I learned to let stuff go, I'd be stressed about that. I think he's right. Having said that, I realize that I don't get uptight about everything. There are some things I have to just go with....when a co-worker seems "snippy" I don't always take that personally. I try to think of the baggage that person is carrying around so I can see where they are coming from. So far, I think I'm doing an okay job with that. When things get hairy at school, I try to remind myself that "This isn't my life." But the truth is, from 7:15-3:30 it IS my life. Thankfully, I have an understanding husband to vent to, so I can step back and see the big picture. This is something I continually work on....I was reminded of this as I saw a magnet that a friend gave me a couple of years ago that says, "If stress burned calories, I'd be a supermodel." That pretty much says it all.

Sonic
My friend Martha M. suggested I write about the joys of Sonic. Being raised in Key West, I did not experience the bliss that is Sonic. Once I moved here, I got what it was about. The first thing I love about Sonic is the fact that you can order ANYTHING on the menu at any time of the day. So, if for instance, I feel like having a cheeseburger at 6:30 AM, I can get one. Another thing that's fabulous about Sonic is the ice. I'm a HUGE fan of ice and believe me, I've checked out everyone's ice. In Starkville, Sonic ranks in my top 3. I love the small pellet ice cubes. If you add the fact that they serve their drinks in Styrofoam cups (sorry that's not "green") and they are the only restaurant in town that serves Diet Sprite, well....that explains why I'm a fan. Also, in case you didn't know....everyday from 2-4 Sonic puts all their drinks on sale for Happy Hour. I'm all about that.

Taco Bell
My friend Brandi H. suggested I write about Taco Bell consequences. I have this to say....outside of a enlarged waistline, I have no Taco Bell consequences. I know many people that love the taste of TB but feel sick afterwards. Not me. I could eat there everyday and not get sick of it. The service at the local TB isn't the best, but that's about par for any fast food place around here. If you can stand dealing with that, you're in....no problems. I really enjoy their Volcano menu items. And once a long time ago...they offered a Black Jack taco that had a black taco shell (I heard on the radio that they got the black ink is from our friend, the octopus) and had pepper jack cheese and special sauce, YUM-O. Of course, they don't carry it anymore. The Taco Bell in Key West, as well as the one in our neighboring town of Columbus, have gone under. How is that possible? There's no competition! I must say though....I've never seen so many Mexican restaurants. In Key West I think there was one in old town (I never went to it) and Chico's on Stock Island. I went there a couple of times, but the places here are far superior. Bottom line here....I love Taco Bell and I have no "consequences" from visiting there.

Sock Monkey
My friend Kellie A. suggested I tell about a sock monkey story. A little background here....I attended the Mississippi Writing for Thinking Summer Institute a couple of summers ago as part of my masters degree. My work with them has led me to be a part of the Rural Voices Radio selection team. Basically, past institute fellows have their students write pieces that then get recorded for radio. Several times a year, the team meets to go over and choose the pieces for recording. This past Saturday, that's where I was. There was a story written by an eighth grader that got me tickled. This student wrote about a trip to the zoo where he went to monkey cages and saw this monkey that was playing with a sock. The monkey was tossing it up and playing with it, when the monkey threw it and it landed out of the monkey's reach in between the bars of the cage. The student wrote that he was going to be nice and get the sock and toss it back into the cage since the monkey didn't seem to be able to reach it. Wrong. The monkey ended up smacking this kid right in the forehead, grabbed the sock, and continued playing with it. The student ended the piece with "And then I wondered, how did the monkey even get the sock?" It was a cute story and I got tickled when I read it. Too cute.

An Update on Dad
My friend Monica H. asked about how my dad was doing. Back in January, my father was taken to the hospital in Jackson because he suspected that he had a heart attack. My dad has had a couple of heart attacks, a stint, and quadruple by-pass surgery. It's taken a couple of months to figure it all out. He's been to see several doctors and they've run many tests on different body parts. (For those of you not aware, my dad suffered an optic stroke back around Labor Day and is now blind.) The heart doctors have given him a clean bill of health, so he's in the process or reapplying to go to Blind School in Jackson. He still is busy as ever, he just relies on my mother to be his eyes now. I'm so blessed to have them as parents.

So there you have it.....topics by request. I hope this finds everyone well and if like what you read, leave a message. I get excited thinking that people read my blog and ever more excited when people like what they read. If you don't like it....lie.....like me and potpourri. I can't stand the stuff, but I'd never tell you that.

Toodles!

Rhinestone Bangle Bracelets Do Not Dress Up an Outfit...They Just Make It More Tacky.

2011-03-18T19:47:00.005-05:00

I've never fooled myself into believing for a moment that I have anything even close to fashion sense or style. For the most part, I get dressed in what is clean and comfortable. I'd be a perfect candidate for "What Not to Wear." At my old school in Florida, dress was real casual. When you live on an island and everything is laid back, you get very comfortable in your style. Having lived there most of my life, "casual" is how I viewed everything. I guess I fit in around Key West. If someone saw me out and about, they probably thought I was on my way to work in the yard. Not so. I detest yard work. But I digress...... So I would wear skirts and such to church and shorts or capris to work. The dress code was very casual pretty much everywhere.

So fast forward to moving to Mississippi. In my mind, most people here were more conservative and not as nearly as casual as I was. To some degree, this is true. My dress code at work is more strict than I'm used to (no jeans or shorts) and the weather changes actually required that I get some closed in shoes. (When I moved here, I mostly had Teva sandals or Birkenstocks.) I've adapted, I guess, although I still go for what is clean and comfortable. I've watched enough "What Not to Wear" episodes to know this isn't what I'm supposed to be doing. I hope that I haven't gotten stuck in some decade of distasteful fashion and no one has told me. No one from "What Not to Wear" has shown up at my door, so I'm taking it as a good sign.

I started wearing glitter makeup on Fridays as a way to celebrate the end of another week I'm made it through. This didn't help me overcome my fashion woes, but more or less said I wa ready for Halloween...year round. Somewhere since I moved to Mississippi, I've added rhinestone bangle bracelets to my wardrobe. I realize, of course, that the bracelets don't really dress up the outfit that I wear, but it makes me feel better. To the point that if I go to work and I'm not wearing one, it feels weird. Like not having a watch weird. I'm not sure how I got started or where I found my first bracelet. The bracelets have made an appearance in my daily wardrobe to work, in addition to the glitter makeup which has spread from Friday to days ending in "y." I'm all about shiny and sparkly.

I've acquired many of them over the years, and I'm always keeping my eye out for them. So far, I've not bought any online and I don't do Ebay anymore. (I was a victim of stolen identity several years ago.) I've managed to acquire them in most every color and sadly....I get excited when I find new ones. Excited like I need to call someone and tell them excited. Excited like I want to make it my Facebook status....."I found some new bracelets! Yay!" I don't do those things because no one seems as excited as I am buying these bracelets. Go figure.

This week, Raelynn and I went to Columbus to go to the book store in the mall and I stopped over at Accessory Corner. They have bags, jewelry, belts.....basically they carry accessories...hence the name. Anyway, I found some bracelets with matching rings and was so happy that I wanted to call someone....anyone.....but I didn't. Have you ever gotten excited over something small like that and wanted to share it but didn't? But....I'm blogging about it so I guess I am fulfilling the need to share. Just pretend to care, please. After all, my current total of bracelets is up to 35 and I'm looking to add to this total. If I do, I promise not to post it to facebook or call you....but blogging about it....well...there's no guarantee there.

Toodles!

Pinching, Leprechaun Traps, and Reuben Sandwiches--My Convoluted St. Paddy's Day Traditions

2011-03-17T09:40:00.005-05:00

Top of the mornin' to ya! Today is St. Patrick's Day. I'm a fan of holidays, as anyone who knows me will attest to. At one point in my career (before the stress of state testing), I had started to develop a comprehensive curriculum based solely on holidays. Not just the big ones like Christmas and Halloween, but the other ones that most are not aware of. (Did you know that October 15 is National Grouch Day?) But since I've moved to Mississippi and the evolution of high stakes state testing, my celebrations of all things holiday related has sadly been diminished. On an interesting side note....since I've moved to Mississippi, I've not celebrated St. Patrick's Day at school. It has fallen during our spring vacation each year. It seems that when I lived in Florida, our spring break was around Easter. Oh well, to each his own......

Which brings me to today's post. My family does the normal St. Patrick's Day stuff: we wear green and eat a special St. Patrick's dinner at my mom's consisting of corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes and carrots. I'm not a huge fan of any of those items together, so Mom is making Reuben sandwiches, which I love. Interestingly, I don't like sauerkraut or corn beef, but put them on a sandwich and I'm in.

So....checking facebook this morning, I saw that a friend posted the question, "Does anyone know why we pinch people who aren't wearing green on St. Patrick's Day?" Thanks to the Internet, I have an idea. (What did we do before the Internet?) According to several sites, the pinching may have started in the 1700's in the Massachusetts colony as a reminder that people that wore green were invisible to leprechauns (who pinch by the way). That "tradition" has filtered down and turned into the current day "Get pinched if you don't wear green" tradition that is carried out by elementary aged students. As a teacher, that's one holiday tradition that you don't look forward to. I teach fourth grade, which is just old enough for them to know EXACTLY what they are doing. So I'd always be prepared by cutting out some construction paper shamrocks in advance for those that forgot to wear green.

But this makes me think of the St. Patrick's Day holidays of my youth. I can remember picking out my most green shirt in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day so I wouldn't get pinched. Then, as a middle schooler, I purposely DIDN'T wear green so I WOULD get pinched. Apparently I don't put out the "Hey, check me out vibe" because no one pinched me. Which was probably a good thing since I'm not sure what I would have done if I had gotten pinched. My experiences with boys was sadly lacking.

I also saw during my Internet search that people in Ireland think that Americans are nuts for the way they celebrate St. Patrick's Day. It seems that they don't celebrate the holiday nearly as much as we do. As best I can tell, the highlight of most adults on this holiday is an excuse to drink beer. For kids, it's fun to talk about leprechauns and lucky four leaf clovers. Back in the day, I had my students construct leprechaun traps using what we had learned about them in class. In case you weren't aware, leprechauns are related to fairies and most are pretty grumpy. They are very greedy, always looking for more gold and fiercely protecting their own pot of gold. Legend says that if you catch a leprechaun, you must keep your eye on him or he will escape. It was neat seeing students incorporate an eye into their traps. Of course, during special class when they were out of the room, I'd sprinkle gold glitter around their traps that we had set outside. They loved it. And no one pinched each other.

In observation of St. Patrick's Day today, I'll wear a green shirt and some shorts (the high today is supposed to be 74-yuck) and if I'm feeling festive...I'll don my green glitter eyeliner. I'm not sure I'll venture into town today but either way, I'll be festive.....and no one will pinch me

Shucks.

Tik Tok- On the Clock, But the Party Don't Stop...No.....whoa whoa whoa

2011-03-16T17:32:00.004-05:00

That's some catchy title, right? Let me explain.....

I have to start by tooting my own horn for a moment.(indulge me please) I have skills. Dancing skills to be exact. For those of you reading this that are familiar with Key West High School (and what...that's like two of you, right?) you've heard of the Conchettes. For those of you not fortunate enough to be familiar with this organization, it's the dance team for Key West High. Back in the day, it was an elite group of girls that performed at the half time football games in a variety of dance styles: line routines, jazz, hip hop, etc..... I am proud to say that I was a member of this organization for three years. I've danced my whole life. My mom told me that I needed to learn to be more "graceful" as a kid so I took ballet, tap, and jazz dance lessons for many years. In a weak moment or two, I wanted to be a dancer, but I realistic enough not to pursue that career path. But I digress......

I say all this so you'll know that I can dance. I was never one to go "clubbing" in my single days but it wasn't because of the dancing element. I just have this thing against being approached by drunk people in the middle of dancing with my friends. There were a few times in my single days that I did go dancing and even then, I did okay. Like I said, I'm skilled.

But.....I miss dancing. There comes a point in your life when you start dancing and people stare at you, not because you look so great dancing but because you look OLD and you're dancing. For whatever reason, old people aren't supposed to dance. I think that's retarded. I say if someone's granny can get out there and cut a rug, you should let her. She'll reap the health benefits and you'll probably learn something new.

So, I'm married now. I love my husband and I love my life. Having said this, you know what I'm about to say....David doesn't dance. He and I danced at our wedding reception, and he did fine. I can't say that I've seen him dance hip hop before, but he does so many other things so well, that it doesn't matter to me much. Here's something else to ponder....I live in a college town but there doesn't seem to be any decent dance places. I'm guessing there are some places, but like I said, I'm married now and a little past the clubbing scene. But dancing.....well.....I still like to and I miss it.

Fast forward to a month or so ago...my friend Wendy's daughter, Katie, was having her 12th birthday party and she invited me. Wendy is one of my best friends and Katie was one of my students for both fourth and fifth grades, so of course I went. I knew all of the kids there and my other best friends Kathy and Kamille were there. The kids were entertaining themselves with the Wii game "So You Think You Can Dance 2." I've never played any Wii games before. I've seen the video game "Dance, Dance Revolution" at the local bowling alley but never had the nerve to play it. The kids asked if I wanted to play so of course I said yes. They played the song "Tik Tok" and I loved it! I played it several times and beat at least one of the 12 year old birthday party guests. This was great, but it made me miss dancing...so.......

I found out that my teacher friends Stephanie, Julie, and Beth also had a Wii game system and the "So You Think You Can Dance 2" game. (Side note here....all of them are in their 20's and I delude myself that I'm as young as they are) I arranged a dance night at Julie's place one night and we had a blast dancing. Of course, I made everyone dance to "Tik Tok." I rocked it and beat them all! It was a fun night.....but I still miss dancing.....

Another thing to note....I'm cheap. I just can't bring myself to buy a Wii game system for this one game. David doesn't play video games and Raelynn has a Nintendo DS that she plays sometimes, so it would be up to me to get my money's worth. So that idea was out. I considered joining a gym so I could do some Zumba classes, but again, to me...I can't pay someone else to let me exercise. It will be wasted money. So, that leaves me at an impasse.

I tried to creatively solve this problem by buying a DVD called "Ten Minute Hip Hop Dance Mix" a couple of weeks ago. I tried it today for the first time. The introduction "Hip Hop Basics" was all I got to try......in my defense I've already run 1.6 miles today and done some weight resistence training at home. But please know that the introduction was not bad and I was able to keep up with the hip hop moves. I told you I was good. So, for the moment, I don't miss dancing so much.

I danced to "Tik Tok" so much on the Wii game those two nights that I downloaded the song to my iPod and now I do the dance (which I memorized) in my kitchen. It's not as much fun as dancing with my friends but it'll do in a pinch. No one in my house stares at me....they already know I'm weird.

So, yes....skills.....I've got 'em. Another thing I'm skilled at is roller skating...but that's another post for another day.

Toodles!

Sleep 'Til It Hurts

2011-03-15T10:39:00.002-05:00

Good Morning Faithful Blog Readers!

Yes, it's me again....pick yourself up off the floor. I gotta tell ya....it's been so long since I've regularly blogged, that I had a hard time remembering my user name and password combination for blogger.com. That's pitiful. I did persevere through it and here I am.

So I'm currently on spring break. For all of you "haters" out there...let me explain something....there is a reason that teachers get two weeks off at Christmas, a week off at spring break, and two months off in the summer. It literally takes that long for to "reset" yourself. I've had regular jobs before and believe me, there's no comparison. I'm not saying that I'd like to dig ditches or anything, because I recognize that's a hard job, but I don't think the ditch digger brings his work home, nor does he ponder endlessly about how to be a more effective ditch digger. This is what teachers do. They work at home (many times to the neglect and detriment of their families), spend their own money for items in the classroom, go to training they pay for themselves in order to improve their craft, and think endlessly about how to do their job better. All of this on top of massive amounts of papers to grade, parents to contact, lessons to plan, and various things to cut, trace, or organize. I'm not complaining here...I'm simply laying the ground work for why spring break is so valuable and necessary.

Now don't misunderstand me....Since school got out on Friday afternoon, I've spent all day Saturday at school working (9 AM - 4 PM), and many hours on Sunday and Monday organizing and grading a mountain of papers. I say all this for you to understand that although I'm enjoying my time off, I am by no means "off" of work. I told the bank teller the other day that I work 365 days a year. That's a true statement if I ever heard one. Which brings me to the title of this post.......

When I was a kid, I remember not really wanting to go to sleep. I can remember sneaking out of bed and laying on the floor just outside of the hallway to my bedroom and if I situated myself just right, I could watch TV. Some people say that little kids fight going to sleep because they don't want to miss anything. I'm not sure if that was me or not. But I do remember being a teenager and listing my hobbies as sleeping and eating. So, somewhere between my childhood and being a teenager, I started liking to sleep.

As a grown-up, I've continued to enjoy sleeping. David likes to sleep too, but he's a different bird. He tends to stay up late and tries to sleep in the next morning. I can't do that. I remember when we first were married, we'd wake up and I'd immediately get out of bed to start my day. Lingering in the bed made no sense to me. David, on the other hand, had no problem dozing on and off and lingering in bed until late morning. Of course, this was before we had Raelynn. But looking back to that time in my life, I'd have to attribute my early rising to being raised by my parents. They were the type that felt that if you slept past 8 on a Saturday morning, you had wasted the whole day. I'm happy to say now that the urge I felt to jump out of bed and get started on my day has slowly dissipated. Now that Raelynn is old enough to get up and entertain herself (thank goodness for TV and video games!), I can "relax."

I say "relax" because it's not truly sleeping/relaxing. During the work week, I wake up at 5 AM and am walking out of the door for work at around 6:15. Doing this for a number of years has trained my body to wake up early. On Saturday and Sunday, I'll wake up around 6 on my own, go to the bathroom, check on Raelynn, and then go back to bed. There, I'll doze off and on until 8 or 9 or until David wakes up. When we were first married, David could sleep until noon. I can't do that. Now that he's "seasoned" (I don't call it old) he's up and moving around 8 or 9 on the weekends too. But I was proud of my sleeping hours Saturday, the first official day of spring break.

My usual bedtime is 10 PM during the week. For whatever reason (probably because there was nothing decent on TV), I went to bed Friday night at my regular time. I did the whole get up at 6, use the restroom, check on Raelynn thing, and then returned to bed where I slept until 10 AM. That's right people, I slept for 12 hours. What's awful about that is the fact that the more "seasoned" you get, the more sleeping in like that starts to hurt. I can't explain it, but there's something about lingering around in the bed after a certain time that makes my back and legs hurt. Maybe it's because I sleep with about 4 pillows at different heights and my back isn't aligned, or perhaps it's a sign that I'm supposed to get up....I don't know. But suffice it to say, that when I got up on Saturday, I was both pleased with my 12 hour sleep record and stiff from staying in bed so long.

But really, if I have to suffer some stiffness and soreness to sleep that long, I'll take it. After all, my hobbies are sleeping and eating. And how am I supposed to get better unless I practice? Anyway, enjoy your day today whether you are working or not. Some of us are in the process of "resetting" so we'll more effective next week. If you get tired, take a nap. I hope you sleep 'til it hurts!!!

Toodles!

I'm so so so sorry.........Forgive me?

2011-03-14T14:58:00.003-05:00

Hi....It's me again. For those of you new to this blog (and those that aren't don't remember me because it's been so long since I blogged....) Welcome. This is a place where I like to unload all of my random thoughts about this and that. I like to think that I'm humorous, so if you don't agree, please lie to me.

Here's a quick recap of important facts:

* I am a teacher. I've been doing this for about 19 years. When I think about that number, it floors me. In my mind, I look and act like I'm about 27. It's hard to believe that I'm working with college students that were born when I was leaving college. Don't get me started..... I mostly enjoy my job, although as of late, it seems to have gotten so much more stressful. I think it's a combination of factors that is leading to this stress: the expectations of what I'm supposed to do (I call it "making miracles happen") is always increasing and I'm basically the stress out type. I think that it wouldn't matter what job I'd have....I still would be stressed out. I really care about what I do and that the pressure I put on myself never ends. But enough of the heavy.......

*I live in Mississippi....and yes out of choice. My parents and my husband are natives so when my parents decided to move, we moved too. I've been here 8 years. It doesn't seem that long. I don't regret moving here. That's something I thought I'd never say.

* I am a mother and a wife. My husband, David, is incredible. We've been married for 15 years. We have a daughter, Raelynn, that just turned 10. I love them both and am so thankful for them everyday.

* I'm what you'd call a "fan" of the Twilight series. I've seen the movies (all at midnight showings prior to release), read the books (and refuse to loan them), been to an official Twilight convention.....you name it...I've been there, done that, and got the t-shirt. (literally and figuratively!)

That pretty much covers the basics.......so on to the main event.

I'm currently enjoying the bliss of spring break. I'm not going anywhere interesting. I'm staying home. There's something to be said for home. I went to bed on Saturday night at 10 PM and got up on Sunday morning at 10 AM. And I loved it. I never get to do that. Today, I went to Columbus with Raelynn to Books-A-Million to see if we could find Disney World travel guides, which we did. We are planning a trip to Florida this summer that will include Key West, Disney World in Orlando, and Cocoa Beach. I was born and raised in Key West, and this will be the first time I've been back since we moved here. I'm hoping to see some old friends and enjoy some Cuban coffee!

Being the OCD person that I am, I am sitting on my couch surrounded by all the papers that need to be graded. That's a snowball that never stops rolling down the mountain and getting larger. I spent Saturday at school, working on things from 9 AM until around 4 PM. That time didn't even put a dent in all I have to do. I'll get around to it, I'm sure, but since I'm watching "Eclipse" for the millionth time, it'll have to wait.

I'm so sorry for that length of time that has lapsed since I last posted. I'm thinking now about what to write about and I'm coming up blank. I think that I've gotten out of the habit of blogging, so I'll have to blog more regularly until things flow again. I'm sure my distraction has nothing to do with the fact that "Eclipse" is on.

Hopefully, I'll be able to blog some more this week and have something witty to share. In the meantime, keep checking back in. And if you have a request for a blog topic, let me know. I'm currently out of ideas.

toodles!

Hey.....It's Another New Post and It's Only Been a Month Since the Last One!

2010-07-16T15:20:00.003-05:00

Have you missed me? (Please lie and say you did.)

I've not forgotten about my blog, nor have I had a change of heart about my love of blogging but there have been some technical issues at my house recently. A few weeks ago, David had the land line cancelled. It feels so weird to not have a phone that has a cord!!!! As you may know already, we have dial up at home. We tried to find a simple solution. We bought an iPhone that had tethering capabilities. Don't ask me what that means, but after over a week of working on the computers at home, David was able to get it to work. I've found that I end up checking facebook and email on the iPhone instead of cranking up the computer. As for blogging, I've tried it on the iPhone with little success. I can still blog on my desktop computer but even with the tethering it still runs slow and there are some things that I'm still not able to do/see on the Internet. By the time I get situated, I'm tired. So there you go.....

I've been working a lot in my classroom, getting ready for the new school year. No, I'm not getting paid for all this time that I've invested but if you've been following my blog even a little, you know that I had over 135 boxes of stuff that I packed and inventoried when I moved rooms in May. I had to unpack all of it and find it new homes in the new room. So far, so good. I'm feeling pretty good about the progress that I've made. There's still more to do and I'm going to tackle that on Monday.

Well, as per my usual, I'm tired. Tired of working, tired of thinking. I'm going to go but hopefully you won't have to wait so long for my next post. I appreciate all of you for staying in there with me!

Toodles!

The Movie Theater's Most Recent Scam--3D Movies

2010-06-26T10:21:00.005-05:00

Okay, what is the deal with all the movies coming out in 3D? I think that there a few movies that do benefit from the 3D experience....Avatar being the most recent. But please tell me....what purpose does it serve to have Shrek 4 or Toy Story 3 be in 3D? Are you telling me that there are action sequences between Donkey and Shrek or Woody and Buzz that can only be understood and/or appreciated with 3D? I think not.

I have a theory.....I think that the movie industry is just trying to fleece us for two more dollars per ticket. And then...the audacity!!!! They ask you to recycle to your glasses as you leave the theater. I'm thinking....um..hello? Didn't I just pay $2 for my glasses and $2 for Raelynn's glasses? You want me to recycle them? I don't think so! I refuse to think that they need the extra money to make the movie. If you want to earn my trust, Mr. Big and Mighty Movie Companies, offer a reduced rate for those who come to the movies with their glasses from the last 3D movie we got fleeced at. That's what's I call recycling....not wearing a pair of glasses that someone else has already worn before me. That's not recycling....that's just gross.

Does anyone else get a headache from the 3D stuff? I can remember going to see "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" (another worthless 3D movie) with Raelynn and wishing I could leave the theater because my head hurt so badly. I think that a 3D movie with lots of action could also make me feel sick to my stomach (motion sickness) but so far they haven't made any movies like that, so we'll never know. To me, I feel like I'm already paying an arm and a leg to go to the movies, I don't want the expensive experience leaving me feeling sick. Who pays to feel sick? Stupid question....I guess I do....since I can't seem to not go to the movies.

You know, if the movie companies want to impress me, they could make movies that include scents. I'm thinking that if I could experience that during a movie, I'd pay the extra few dollars. For example, "Eclipse" is being released next week. The book talks about how Edward (he's a vampire) smells so unique to Bella (she's a human.) And as you may know, Bella's scent drives Edward crazy and he has to keep himself from killing her everyday. That's a scent that I think would enhance my movie experience. If they can do all this fancy stuff with animation and special effects and 3D stuff, surely they can make a movie that smells. I'm just saying.......

So having said all that, I'm debating whether I should take Raelynn to go see Toy Story 3. I heard it was really good. Fortunately for me, the theater here offers the movie in 2D and 3D. Guess which one I'm going to see? That's right....the 2D one....I'm going to stand up for my principles....and use the extra money to buy popcorn. At least the popcorn will smell good and that's worth the extra money.

Over the hill? What hill? I don't remember any hill!

2010-06-05T17:38:00.002-05:00

Hello dear and faithful readers (all 2 of you)-

It's been a little while since I've updated my blog. There are many reasons and excuses for this. Instead of giving you the sorry excuses, I'll just tell you that I've spent my time since school got out packing my classroom and enjoying summer. For those of you that are faithful readers, you'll be shocked to know that I ended up having 135 boxes o'crap from my classroom. That's right readers....I keep everything. And most often, I can find it if I need it. The problem seems to be remembering what I have. But that's another blog for another day.

Over the past week or two, I'd be out doing this or that and I'd think to myself, "That would be a great topic for a blog post." And then, of course, I get home and I'm doing a million other necessary things and I forget the brilliant idea I had earlier. So, just know that this post may include lots of tidbits about stuff, but it's not because I'm ADD, it's because I'm sure you're dying to get caught up on all the exciting events of my life.

Topic 1-Classroom packing

As I've said earlier, I packed 135 boxes of stuff. The last month of so, I've enjoyed a little game I like to call "Find the liquor store boxes before anyone else does." This game takes lots of talent and lots of cargo room in your vehicle. I have a moderate amount of both. I ended up getting lots of boxes and have lots of them left over. The teachers at my school are scheduled to start moving their stuff at the end of this month. I figure that if it took my two weeks to pack up, it'll take the rest of the summer to sort through it all and put it away. You'll be happy to know that while I was packing, I numbered and inventoried all the boxes so I would know what is in each one. We'll see if this helps me. Unless I packed a bunch of moving company workers, I'm thinking it'll be slow going. And of course, I'm assuming that I'll be the one that has to move all the boxes. I could be wrong on this, but again, that'll be something I'll find out later. I'm tired of packing and I'm glad that's over.

Topic 2- Extreme Logger

David's dad hauls logs and cuts and sells firewood for a living. Not an easy job by any stretch of the imagination. David asked me to go and help him and his dad awhile back but each time we tried, things got in the way. This past Tuesday, I saw that there was no getting away from it. So I went. I lived to tell about it....but barely. I don't think there's any way that I could express how hot and tired I was when it was all over. Probably the worst part was that I got hit a couple of times with logs, as well as dropping them on my foot, etc. I wasn't feeling so great when I left, but I can wear my scars with pride. David likes to watch this show about extreme loggers on the Discovery Channel, and I felt like I was in my own personal episode. Let's just say that if I ever wondered if a job outside was a calling I missed, I now know for sure that it isn't. Education is the name of the game people. Unless you want to work hard and get hot and sweaty, you should go to school and get as much education as you can. This gives you many more options. That's all I'm going to say about that.

Topic 3 My New Toy

Starting in May, every two weeks we have a celebration in our house. First there's Mother's Day and then two weeks later is David's birthday, followed by my birthday two weeks later, and then followed by Father's Day a week later. David is very low key and practical. He doesn't like a big fuss made over him and doesn't want any presents. Really. Me.....I'm not that great of a person. I like a little attention and a gift is nice. David always asks me what I want and I never know what to tell him. This year I was ready. What I've been wanting is an iPod. In my mind, I'm going to start walking/running and it would be nice to have some music. David asked if I wanted one that plays video. Video? I hadn't thought of that. I ended up getting an iTouch. I love it. My friend Wendy gave me an iTunes gift card and helped me get it set up. I'm enjoying it.

Topic 4 Getting Older

So today is my birthday. Lots of people have wished me a happy birthday on facebook....that's always nice. You want to think that people think of you...and with facebook that's possible. I'm not happy about getting older. In my mind, I'm not that old. I don't feel old.....mentally. Physically it all depends on what I'm doing and how long I'm doing it for. A friend on facebook said to not be sad that I'm aging, but to think of it as getting better. And that's what I'm going to do....I'm going to get better.

You know really....many people die everyday. I've been fortunate in that my parents are both alive, my husband and daughter are doing well, and my brother and his family are great. But someday that won't be so. I should cherish and relish the fact that God has given me another year on Earth. Another year to spread His love. Another year to learn more about myself. Another year to love others. Another year to speak life to those around me.

And that's what I plan to do....after all, I'm not getting older, I'm getting better.

Have a great one......life your life with passion....this moment won't come again!!!!! (And tell your friends about my blog....I'd love to expand my readers...)

87 is a magical number

2010-05-25T20:24:00.002-05:00

Today's marathon of box packing was productive. I took many trips to the dumpster, so for those of you that think I'm a hoarder, think again. I know 87 is a lot of boxes. All I can say is that many of the boxes were small. I'm packing boxes as if I'm going to be the one that is carrying them. And in all reality, I will be moving them with the help of my husband. There were things that surprised me today....I have about 20 boxes of construction paper, card stock, and copy paper. That's a lot.

There were some things that I threw out. Yes, I threw them out. Curious about some of those items? Here are some of them, in no particular order.

*green cherry tomato baskets
*colored art sand
*colored stones
*beads
*markers
*pencils
*cotton balls
*vinegar
*vegetable oil
*calculator that looks like a bar of chocolate
*notebooks
*Christmas decorations
*felt
*faux fur
*paper cups
*broken plastic baskets
*paint
*folders
*toothpicks
*chalk
*magazines
*plastic shoe boxes
*paper bags
*fold down sandwich bags
*aluminum foil
*wax paper
*plastic wrap
*soda bottles

Yes, that's quite a list. And that's just part of it. More work to do tomorrow. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

Blah

2010-05-24T20:28:00.003-05:00

I'm tired of packing boxes. It's starting to make me feel overwhelmed. The end of the year is always bittersweet. I'm so glad to not have the everyday pressure of teaching, grading, test scores, etc. but my social connection to my teacher friends is hard to maintain outside of school. One of my dearest friends is moving to Kentucky. She was the first person that I met at school and the first person I ran into at Walmart that knew me. That's how I knew I was becoming a part of the community. When she told me she was moving a couple of weeks ago, I felt like I had been sucker punched in the stomach. I still can't believe she's leaving. It's very hard to say good-bye to someone that is instrumental in my day to day saneness.Anyway, I'm feeling sorta blah.....I'm hoping that tomorrow's marathon box packing adventures snaps me out of it. I'm afraid to say that things couldn't get worse. As some of you know, things can always get worse. In the meantime, I'm going to keep packing.

If MacGyver Was a School Teacher, He'd Look A Lot Like Me

2010-05-23T14:17:00.002-05:00

Does anyone remember the TV show, "MacGyver?" I think it was from the 80's. I don't remember it, but looking at this guy's mullet hairdo, I'm thinking I got the decade correct. Anyway, for those of you that may not know about this show, it was an action-type show and the star, MacGyver, could get out of any jam he was in with simple household items. Crazy stuff like he could build a bomb out of paperclips, glue, and a hairnet. Now that takes talent.

I mention this show because I am the self-proclaimed MacGyver of my school. See, I'm moving classrooms this summer and I've started packing up all my stuff. I've been teaching for 17 years at a total of two schools and a total of 3 classrooms. I've not had many opportunities to weed out my stuff. And I have a lot of it. I joke that I'm like MacGyver, because if you need something...no matter how odd it may be, I'm sure I have it. And I'm usually really good about loaning my stuff.

Please don't confuse the amount of stuff I have with the qualities of being a "hoarder." This is now a show on TV and I've watched it in horror. It's one of those shows you can't stop watching. I don't live in filth and I can throw things out. I'd say that I'm not a hoarder, but I keep more things than the average person and/or teacher. It's not a sickness worthy of an intervention...yet.

If you aren't a teacher, you may not know what kind of stuff can accumulate. Yes, I have the regular stuff like markers, glue, and scissors, but I also have some more rare and unusual items as well. What kind of things, you ask? Let me lay it out for you.....

Here are some things that I've found as I've started cleaning out my room: (Note that I have a hard time parting with any of this stuff so I guess that means I'll have lots of boxes to move.)

*glue: bottles of white glue, rubber cement, and glue sticks. Lots of glue sticks.

*scissors: kid scissors (at least a class set), fancy pinking shear-type scissors, large handled grown up scissors (at least 5 pair)

*string type things that bind: fishing line, twine, pink string, white string, clothes line, yarn in 18 different colors

*green cherry tomato baskets you get at the grocery department

*35mm film cannisters-many of these

*glitter: big bottles, little bottles, in pen form, in glue form

*measuring cups: at least 3 different types (including cups and individual plastic cups with the marks on them showing the different measurements

*vinegar

*vegetable oil

*wax paper

*aluminum foil

*plastic wrap

*rulers: clear and wooden (I have a class set of each) as well as a class set of Master Rulers, and laminated paper rulers that have the different measurements marked on the lines

*dice: white, red, green, as well as blank number cubes with the stickers you put on them. I also have overhead dice and large foam dice. I have a large container that holds all them.

*dried beans-about three different kinds stored in gallon size baggies

*baggies: snack size, quart size, sandwich size, gallon size, two gallon size, and the kind that don't have a zipper (which I hate)

*several large wooden dowels

*yard sticks and meter sticks-there are several of both in both wood and metal

*9 different sets of playing cards

*scales: balance, gram, spring

*folders: a multitue (and I'm talking MANY) in various colors: red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, orange in both paper and plastic...also with and without clips and/or pockets

*magnets

*pH paper

*food coloring

*funnels-about 8

*stopwatches-about 9

*rubber bands-many in various sizes and colors

*empty soda/water bottles: 2 liter, 1 liter, pint, quart, gallon

*fabric scraps

*ribbons

*blank Christmas greeting cards

*calculators-a class set

*overhead clock/calculator

*overhead manipulatives: money, place value pieces, fraction tiles, ruler, spinners, thermometer

*dominos

*paper: construction, tissue, tracing, handwriting, lined notebook, copy, colored, drawing paper, card stock

*Tennis balls

*tape: masking, packing, painters, duct

*extension cords-about 9

*guinea pig stuff: empty cage, tubs of food, play castle, treats, play yard fence, food bowl, water bottles (2)--note that there is no guinea pig in my classroom or at my house

*cotton balls

*popsicle sticks

*Q-tips

*toothpicks

*pattern blocks (plastic and wood)

*clocks: wall, plastic Judy clock, class set of wooden mini-Judy clocks

*straws-about 800

*envelopes

*pens, markers, pencils (more than I can count of each)

*books, books, books

*file folders

*dividers

*plastic sheet protectors

*paperclips in various sizes

And all of this emcompasses about 3 shelves in one of my cabinets.....get the picture? If you need it, I've probably got it. But....can I find it? That, my friends, is the question....I don't have the answer for you but I can tell you that MacGyver (me) will keep looking.

Box Hunting Adventures

2010-05-21T20:03:00.002-05:00

So today I introduced some of my friends to my most recent obsession. For those of you just joining us, the obsession I'm referring to is the acquisition of boxes. See....I'm moving classrooms. I'm also a pack rat. If you take the fact that I've been teaching for 17 years and I don't throw anything out, you can imagine how much stuff I have to pack. I'm trying to clean stuff out as I pack, but so far, I've mostly packed books. Throwing out a book is very hard for me. I think most teachers feel the same way. I haven't gotten to the other stuff like film canisters and fishing line. Those things will be easier to chunk. (I have plenty of those items that need chunking.)

Let's just put it this way....I've currently got 34 boxes packed and it doesn't look like I've even started packing. So you can imagine how many boxes I'm going to need. Which leads me to explain my extended drives to and from work.

If you've ever moved, you know that liquor boxes are great. They aren't too big, so that means that you won't pack them so full that you can't pick it up later, and the boxes are pretty thick since most of them hold multiple glass bottles. Our town, as best I can figure, has 5 liquor stores that I know of. Note that I said know of ....not, know. Three of them are on the main highway through town, and the other two are off the main drag. I've found myself driving the long way past as many of these stores as possible in the hopes that I'll come across some boxes. There was one time this week that I was going to swing through Krystal's for some breakfast, but I thought that instead I'd use some of that time looking for boxes, since I've never looked for them in the morning. I ended up being thrilled because I scored 13 boxes that morning!!!!

Just so you know, this new obsession means that I've got lots of boxes stacked up in my classroom. If you add to this that I've got a dear friend that owns two businesses and receives shipments daily and she's saving those boxes for me, then it's no surprise to know that I'm not "box poor." So my compulsion to look for liquor boxes hasn't been as keen over the last few days.

So imagine my thrill today when I'm going to lunch with some teacher friends and all three of them started complaining that they needed more boxes. I suggested that we swing by the liquor stores on the way back and maybe we'd get lucky. The only thing better than finding boxes for myself is finding boxes for others. So we swung by four of the stores and got 18 boxes. Score!!!! The only thing to dampen my spirits is that it was totally pouring rain and we all got soaked as we ran around getting the boxes in the car. We filled her trunk and each of us had two or three boxes in our laps. It ended up great though...each of my friends got 6 boxes and I got to indulge in my latest obsession once more. It was fun.

Don't think for a moment that I won't indulge my obsession again soon....after all, I still have about 1,006 more boxes to pack..... That means I still have many liquor store trips to make. You'll know it's me....I'll be driving around, slowly looking for the perfect box....which in this case means that it's cardboard. The rest is negotiable.

Chum is to Sharks as Boxes are to Teachers That Are Moving

2010-05-15T20:10:00.002-05:00

Boxes, boxes, boxes on the brain. I hate moving. I hate packing. I hate worrying about whether I'll find enough boxes. I've driven by some of the liquor stores in the hopes that they'd have boxes....so far I've only scored three. With the help of friends and family, I have acquired some boxes and I've been packing up my classroom for about a week now. Even though I have 15 or 16 boxes packed, I now realize I will need a ton of boxes. I've been doing well with my inventory. I pack each box carefully, then inventory the contents on a master list, label and number the box, then stack them by my teacher desk. I'm hoping this will help me know if anything is missing. And with the number of boxes I know I'll have, that's a distinct possibility.

In the meantime, I'll be cruising around town, looking everywhere for boxes I can use. And if I get bored, I think I'll use them like the people in the picture on this post. Now that sounds like fun!

A Rant About State Testing

2010-05-14T15:14:00.002-05:00

It's Friday and I'm so glad. This has been a long week....state testing is done and my kids worked really hard. It's a shame that so much hinges on their performance on these tests. There's no way that a test can show the amount of confidence a child has obtained or the number of new friends they've acquired. Those are important things. The test also doesn't show how much children are hurting and the kind of situations they come from. Sometimes it feels like we're treating them all like cattle. And they're not. Each one is special...has special strengths, special weaknesses, and special home life circumstances. Those are not things that can be tested. But no one asked me what I thought when creating No Child Left Behind. Sorry if I sound so bitter.....but I have to say-This legislation has really taken the fun and creativity out of teaching. It has added stress to the students, the parents, and the teachers. But it doesn't appear to be going away any time soon. So I guess if I want to stay in the teaching field, I better find a way to live with it......

And I will.

Because each child is special to me......unlike cattle.

Everything Counts

2010-05-10T20:09:00.002-05:00

"Mrs. Rosamond, does this count?" I can't tell you how many times a week I hear this question. My standard answer to this is, "Yes....(fill in the name of the asking student) Everything counts. Even lunch." Most teachers take this question as a code for "Do I really have to try on this assignment? Can't I just "phone" it in?" A wise man (this would be my husband) is the one who really introduced me to this concept. It sounds so simple, yet it's something we don't really consider.

This past summer, I was a participating fellow of the Mississippi State Writing for Thinking Institute. A whole summer dedicated to writing and the teaching of writing. And 6 graduate hours to boot. We wrote constantly, which makes sense since it was, after all, a writing class. Each day we had journaling time and then those that wanted to could share. The first week or so was difficult for me....I had a hard time finding my place.

For those of you that know me in person, you may find this hard to believe. Outside of situations in which I feel really comfortable, I have some social insecurities. Add to this that I tend to run a little on the paranoid side, well, it makes for some awkward situations. After a little bit, when I find my footing, I loosen up. So this past summer, I was looking ahead to an entire month of 8 hour days, five days a week with people that I didn't feel I fit in with. It was overwhelming. One of the gals there wrote and shared one day the story of how she and her husband adopted their son. She was skeptical at first, given that she and her husband were 50 at the time. I don't remember all the details, but I do remember this....the catalyst was a phone call from a friend asking if she and her husband would consider adoption. I think prior to that she hadn't really given it any serious thought. Of course, the story had a great ending and my friend is this incredibly wonderful mother to Sam, who started school this year. And it got me to thinking.....

What if she hadn't been home when the phone rang? What if she had never met that person that called her about the adoption? What if she had said something during the course of their friendship that had caused tension and they drifted apart? Would my friend Linda still have found her son? I believe in destiny and that the Lord's plan for our lives is perfect....if we would have enough sense to get out of His way....but still......did that friend of Linda's even have a clue of how that one call changed her life in such a major way? Did she have any inkling that she'd play such a vital role in this little boy's life? This got me to wondering...and as most people know, this can be dangerous for me.

It led me to write a pivotal piece that summer entitled "Everything Counts." I wrote it to the ladies of the summer institute but the essence was that everything we do counts, even the small stuff. The smile you share with me today may be what helps me overcome some sadness that I feel and thus enhances my teaching efforts that day. And a good day of teaching has no limits. If I can reach or teach just one student a day, I consider that successful. Once you touched a person's life, your influence continues through their life and influences those around them. It was a profound piece for me, and I believe is what helped me find my place among those ladies that summer....but what if I'd never written that piece?

You see.....it all counts.....it matters. All of it. The crummy day you've had and the following terse comment in passing with me may cause me to question myself, my motives, or dredge up some deep issues I've yet to deal with. My students, my family, all those around me benefit or hinder from my life. Am I speaking life or death to them? Am I going to consider the weight of my words and how they could be used to lift another or tear them down? Sadly, the answer to this is that we most often are wrapped up in our little lives and don't think how it will effect others. I'm really bad about this. I'm constantly trying to "get over" myself and see the bigger picture. All I can say in that regard is that I'm still a work in progress.

I am the sum total of all my experiences. Experiences that involve others. We are in constant contact with others, and we bounce little bits of ourselves off the other person to see what returns. If it's good, we continue in the same manner, always looking for increase. If our efforts return void, we look into ourselves and alter the parts that need changing. We are like hedge clippers for those around us. We spend our days, going through our lives, and we help prune those around us. Pruning is good, even necessary for proper growth. But as we all know, if you prune too vigorously, you can quickly injure or kill what you thought you were trying to help. I see this truth everyday in those around me. I often wonder if I'm speaking life or death to each person around me. Does getting road rage at someone that cut me off in traffic make me a better person? Does it help the other person become better? Sadly, the answer to both is no. And yet we fling out those pruning shears and not always think about where or how they will land. Death or life....which will it be?

So the other end of this is true too.....will a smile and a cheery hello from me be just what you needed at that moment? Were you looking for validation or for confirmation that you are here and that you matter? Did you walk away from our exchange better for the experience? I think this is one of the eternal walks we all traverse.....how to become a better person and encourage those around us.

Here I am world. Both parts of me exposed and open to love and hurt. Part of me is looking for my echo...how parts of me are taken by those around me....looking for connections with others...The other part is looking for you and how I can minister life to you. Me walking with you down your life's journey....Me helping you find life. Everything we do, everything we say....counts. The big stuff, the little stuff. Calls to your mother, helping a co-worker, saying thank you and please and excuse me, sharing yourself with others. All of these things are important and they all count. The job you take, the person you marry, the place you live in, the words you share with others, the amount of integrity you hold....all of this counts.

I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend, a teacher. Who I am, in part, is due to our interactions. Life or death? That is the question my friends....but the answer is still the same.......

Everything counts.

Twinkle Toes

2010-05-07T20:06:00.002-05:00

Aren't these shoes great? I know what you must be thinking....how tacky, right? I'd have to agree with you there. But--- I LOVE THEM! Raelynn has recently been allowed to watch a little television on Saturday mornings and saw a commercial for these shoes. They are made by Skechers and are called "Twinkle Toes." How appropriate.

On a side note, my school district will implement a uniform policy next year. It's not been a popular thing. Right now it includes khaki and black pants and polo shirts in white, black, or goldenrod. Don't get me started about how hard it is to find a plain goldenrod shirt that is also in the polo style. You know why you can't find any? Very few people actually look good in this color.

One of the things I think we will struggle with is that she won't be able to wear the soft, fuzzy pants she wears now. Basically, if it has a button and/or zipper, she won't wear it. Guess what she loves to wear? That's right....sweat pants. And she won't be allowed to wear them next year. So, dealing with one fight at a time, I thought that I'd indulge her by getting her some shoes that show a little bit of her personality. So, a round trip to Tupelo for naught, I ended up finding some here in town. She loves them. I love them.

And guess what? They come in adult sizes!!!!!! Guess which teacher is going to have the tackiest shoes next year? That's right....this teacher!

Have a great weekend!

A Creative New Fad

2010-04-21T19:40:00.002-05:00

So there's a new fad in my classroom. No, it isn't Silly Bands. That was SO five minutes ago. No....the latest fad in my classroom is to make your own paper cell phone. Someone started this....I think with a bookmark. They had a laminated rectangular bookmark and I can remember watching a couple of students hold them up to their ears and talking during lunch. Cute and very entertaining. Somehow, this wasn't enough to satisfy fifth graders with an appetite for communication.

The next thing I know, students are folding paper and drawing key pads on them. They customized their phones with designs on the outside and made neat display screen pictures. Most of these phones are flip-type of phones, but I did see one today that was a flip/slider phone made out of notebook paper. It's interesting to see students pretend to text on their pretend phones to students across the room that have no idea what they are trying to say. At one point this week, I had to outlaw paper phones. Students have been more concerned with spending their pretend cell phone minutes than to pay attention to important things such as learning how to compute volume of a solid shape, as well as calculating the solid's surface area. The phones didn't go away, they just went into hiding. I'd see them messing around under their desks and I can tell when they are "texting." I know this because it's the same way I look when I'm texting under the dinner table.

Today we learned about transformations in math. For those of you who may not know the lingo....this is translation (slides), reflections (flips), and rotations (turns.) Several activities and minutes later, I see that they are starting to get glazed over. In a flash of brilliance, I had students take out a piece of notebook paper and quickly sketch out their "dream cell phone." They then cut them out, and designed the back. They used this "prototype" as a model to demonstrate their transformations. They then reflected, translated, and rotated their phone and drew pictures of what it look liked. Did they get interested? Yes. Did they finish the activity? No. Will they still be working on it tomorrow? Yes. And now I realize that instead of getting these phones out of their hands, now everyone has one. A flash of brilliance? The jury's still out....I'll keep you updated.

In the meantime, you can call me on my cell phone. If you don't get me, you won't be able to leave a voicemail. My model of paper cell phone doesn't have that feature.

Having a Bad Day? Eat a Donut!

2010-04-12T17:50:00.003-05:00

So I love a good donut. Who doesn't, right? I love them so much that I can remember going into a Krispy Kreme shop and after watching the evolution of the donuts while hanging onto the glass, thinking to myself that going to a donut shop would be a great field trip. I never did take the trip, but I did enjoy the donut.

When I lived in Key West as a kid, we had one donut shop, Mr. Donut. It was great. That was back in the day when grocery stores didn't make donuts, so you had to get them fresh from the donut shop. Eventually, this place went under. In the later years of living in Key West, a Dunkin' Donuts shop came to town. Yummy. It was within walking distance of my house, so I would justify a "walk" and then end up at Dunkin' Donuts. While I was there, I HAD to support the local businesses, so I'd get a donut and eat it on the way home. I figure the calories were cancelled out by the walk. Ridiculous, I know. But really, when you are grasping at straws so you can justify something, you'll accept just about anything.

Here in Starkville, we have one donut shop, Shipley's. It's not a bad place. It's just on the other side of town, so I can't really "swing" by for a random donut. In our advanced age of technology and all, our grocery stores now make donuts but I only eat those out of desperation. I'm a fan of the "real" donut. You know...the ones from a shop, not a grocery store.

So imagine how great my day was when a student brought me a "happy" to school. She and her mother had stopped by Shipley's so mom could get donuts for her co-workers. She thought of me and I had a donut of my own with which I could start my day. When your day starts with an unexpected gift, especially a donut, you just know that things are gonna be great. I'm trying not to think about the fact that it was Monday today and that the kids were groggy and the fact that I had several students absent also had something to do with it. I'm going to attribute it all to the donut.

So, today I say.....if things are looking down for you and you aren't diabetic...you should sample a donut. Your mouth will be happy and you'll thank me for it later. Feel free to tell me how I was right, but if I'm in the middle of eating a donut, you should try again later.

Hotty Toddy? What The Mess????

2010-03-27T20:44:00.002-05:00

So today was a really nice day. And I'm surprised by that. Not that I'm in the habit of negative thinking, but a day of riding in the car and then riding bicycles isn't my idea of a good time. David suggested yesterday that we (me, him, and Raelynn) spend the day riding bikes at Sardis Lake. He sweetened the deal by saying we'd eat breakfast in Winona and then go to the Cracker Barrel in Batesville for lunch. Well, it worked. I hate to say that I'm a sucker for Cracker Barrel. But more about that later.

We left bright and early this morning and got on the road at a decent time. We made it to Winona in pretty good time and David decided to stop for breakfast at Waffle House. Yummy! We used to have a Waffle House here in Starkville, but like many eating establishments, it left, I think, in part due to bad service and management. Anyway, I got two eggs over medium, toast, sausage, and their famous hashbrowns that have everything on includeing the kitchen sink. I'm not kidding....I'm not sure of all the ingredients, but I know it did include: onions, green peppers, tomatoes, ham, cheese, jalapenos, chili, and white sausage gravy. You may think this sounds pretty gross, but for someone like me, it's joy on a plate.

We got back on the road and headed to Enid Lake. David had suggested that we check out the three lakes in the area: Enid Lake, Grenada Lake, and Sardis Lake. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice Enid Lake was. We rode our bikes around the dam and on the lower side where the spillway was. We stopped a couple of times to look at different stuff. The weather started cool that morning, but the temperature got up to seventy and it was breezy out. The wind was a little hard to ride through when it was pushing against us, but it was still pretty pleasant.

After Enid Lake, we drove over to Batesville for lunch. Cracker Barrel. Enough said. I don't know who thought of this place, but they were a genius. Good food, great atmosphere, and shopping to pass the time while you wait for a table. We were able to get right in without waiting so that was good. For lunch I had a meatloaf sandwich on sourdough bread with mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles. I also had a side of coleslaw and a side salad with buttermilk ranch dressing. Yummy. After we ate, we browsed the shop a little bit. I found a great gift for my mom for mother's day and David found something for his dad's birthday. I also found a great necklace and earring combination. I topped the shopping trip with the purchase of four peanut butter buckeyes. (Which I shared.)

After lunch we stopped by Sardis Lake. It looked sort of like Enid Lake, only bigger, older, and more crowded. We chose not to ride on the dam since it had traffic and it was really windy. Instead we took the bikes down to the lower lake. We rode around there awhile and stopped a few times. After a bit, we decided to head out to Oxford. Being that I live in Starkville, Ole Miss is our top rival. I've heard that the campus and city of Oxford were beautiful. I've never been there. We weren't too far away so we went.

David had visited the campus before and we rode around looking at stuff and found that we rode in circles a lot. MSU has a complicated road system and Ole Miss is no different there. They do have about 100 more stop signs than we do. Anyway, the campus was real pretty but it felt like everything was smushed together, so I think that MSU is nicer.

On our way back to the historic section of Oxford, we stopped at a dive called Phillip's Grocery that had a sign advertising the best hamburger in the country. It had lots of atmosphere and Raelynn enjoyed walking around the restaurant looking at all the stuff on the walls and everything. I had a cheeseburger plate with their seasoned fries. Raelynn had a burger too but she doesn't eat french fries so we got fried pickles instead. They were very yummy. (I don't think it was the best burger in the country though....) While we were there, I noticed that one of the waitresses had on a shirt that said "Hotty Toddy" on the back. I know that this is part of the fight song or something for Ole Miss but no one has been able to tell me what it means. I asked the waitress and she said she didn't know what it meant. It just was something they said when playing a team. She said she thought that it referred to a "Hot Toddy" which is a hot cocktail. Why would the name of a drink be a part of a fight song? Are the Ole Miss Rebels a bunch of drunks? I don't get it. After that, we drove through the historic section of Oxford and looked at the beautiful houses. So gorgeous. We went to the downtown area of Oxford and we walked around the town square. It was very pretty. It has a New Orleans feel to it. Lots of brick buildings with balconies and details in the iron. There were lots of restaurants and up scale boutiques. Again, very nice. A little too nice. The town was pretty, but I had the feeling it was sort of snotty and stuck up. Oxford looks like a place that thin, rich people live. I am neither, which is why I probably didn't feel comfortable there.

So after that we made our way home. Nothing exciting there, which is good. That would have meant that we broke down or something. I spent a little time reading my new People magazine that had two interesting articles: one on Sandra Bullock and her cheating husband Jesse James and one on Miley Cyrus and how she's moving past playing Hannah Montana. Both of these sadden me. One: I've always been a fan of Sandra Bullock. It's too bad that her tattooed husband had to go and mess around with that crazy looking woman. I mean....come on....you're going to have explain to me why he would ditch his gorgeous and successful wife for that freak show. I don't get it. The other story....well.....I'm almost ashamed to admit that I like the Hannah Montana show and I purchased the Hannah Montana movie. I'm glad she's branching out, but it's going to be hard to imagine her as anything else. It's like Daniel Radcliffe and Harry Potter or Robert Pattison and Edward Cullen. Don't mess with a good thing.

Anyway, we made it home and I'm tired. It's been a long and full day. One I'm sure I'll remember for a long time. And if you can shed any light on this "Hotty Toddy" thing....I'd appreciate it. That's the only thing missing from an otherwise perfect day.

Life Is Too Short To Not Wear Glitter

2010-03-20T22:22:00.002-05:00

I'm just going to start by saying that I came this close to not blogging tonight. As my regular readers (all 2 of you) know, I have STUPID DIAL UP at home. This is not out of choice, mind you. Apparently, I live in a black hole that doesn't get high speed Internet service through satellite or cable. I think we may be headed toward getting a cell phone that we can "tether" our computer to sometime soon. The incredibly slow speed at which I surf (more like limp) on the Internet keeps me from being able to download or upload anything. It's very frustrating. Anyway, I had a real good title for this post that would only work if I had the picture that I somehow managed to get at the top of this. Without it, it wouldn't work for me. And we both know, if it doesn't work for me, it doesn't work for you.

Having started like this on a tangent, let me apologize up front for this post. I have no idea where it will go. I've had lots of ideas for a post and none of them have "stuck." I just feel like blogging so I'm hoping that something will grab me and make for interesting reading. If it isn't interesting, lie to me.

I'm feeling better this week, and I ought to for all the doctors I've seen this week. Being a teacher means that you spend all of your vacation time getting to the doctor and dentist and taking care of all the business you normally can't get to because you have a classroom full of charges that can't be left alone. If you have a desk job somewhere, you can go get a cup of coffee or soda and go to the bathroom when you want. With my job, I can't do the first thing and the second thing can only be done if I take 24 people with me. So yes, I have a bladder of steel. I can hold it for hours. And it's only taken me 17 years to get there. My first year of teaching I had 5 urinary tract infections. In addition to that I also contracted strep throat five times. No lie. I now have an incredibly strong immune system. but I digress......

I've not been feeling well for the past while and over the break I went to a specialist and had some tests done. They didn't find any infection, no damage, no cancer, and no ulcers. He upped my current medication so I'm hoping that will do the trick. Next week will be the test....I tend to feel worse under stressful situations. And my job is stressful, even on a good day. So for those of you wondering, I'm good and the Lord is to be praised!

So what else have I been up to? Today, I went to a Rural Voices Radio selection committee meeting from around 10 until 2. When I came home, I checked in with David who was doing some much needed yard work at my parents' house. His dad, step-mother, and aunt had come up to visit, so I quickly went home and went to cleaning at light speed. I got lots done before they got here. When they left, I helped David sow some grass seed in our pasture and then I used the rake to smooth it all out. Talk about a workout. I came back in and cooked some supper (salad, mixed veggies, and Hamburger Helper) and then washed dishes. I hate washing dishes. I then enjoyed some of the extra special features on my new DVD, New Moon. Yes, I'm excited about that. I met a friend at Wal-Mart last night at midnight to get my copy. I was home by 12:25. If for nothing else, I'm glad I'll be able to watch the movie with subtitles. I think that movie makers should take into account that there are many movie lovers out there that have hearing disabilities. How much harder is it to provide subtitles that can be seen with special glasses? Or at the very least, provide a pair of headphones for those like me that need more assistance. It would be nice so that the people that go to the movies with me wouldn't have to answer my questions of "What did they say?" or "What? Huh?" Anyway....no one asked me, but I'm just saying is all.......

In other news, I've decided to wear glitter everyday. I used to wear it just on Fridays as a way to celebrate the end of the week, but now I'm thinking that life is too short to wait for my fun on Friday. I will still continue to wear it full out, no holds barred on Friday. For every other day, I'm going to go on the understated glitter in my eyeshadow and liquid eyeliner. I'll wear just enough to make people wonder...."Is she wearing glitter or is she just naturally sparkly?" It makes me feel good and I'm hoping that it reflects light that won't show my wrinkles. Again, if you don't like it, lie to me.

Anyway, looking back over this post, I can see that it's all over the place. Please hang in there with me while I get back into my groove of blogging. It's been awhile. I'm hoping it'll get better with time. If it doesn't, lie to me.

The Latest On Me and My Weird Conditions......

2010-03-18T10:02:00.002-05:00

So here's the latest.......

I went to the doctor yesterday morning at 6:30 AM. Yes, it was that early. To top it off, it takes about 40 minutes to get to this doctor from where I live, so I was up and out by 5:30. YAWN! My mother took Raelynn the night before since I'm sure she didn't want to woken up at the literal crack of dawn that morning.

David drove me to the doctor's office. This particular procedure is done in their outpatient facility and if I had had it done in Starkville, I would have had to go to the local hospital. And I would have had to wait. And wait. And wait.

Once inside, they had me put on the hospital gown and get into the hospital bed. There are two things that I liked....one....they let me keep on my clothes minus my shirt. Undergarments, pants, socks.....that was a relief. The second thing....the sheets and gown were soft. Really soft. Softness counts with me. They put the needle in my arm for the drip I was to get later. They gave me some really good sleep meds because the next thing I knew, David was in the recovery room with me. Outside of a sore throat, I felt fine.

According to Dr. Williams, everything looked normal. No obvious cancer, no ulcers, no damage to the esophagus. He did take a couple of biopsies of the lining to check to see if there were any infections within the folds of the lining. He said this was a normal procedure. He tends to think that some of my constant vomiting is due to sinus issues. He did find a hiatal hernia but that it wasn't bad. He increased the acid medication I am currently taking once a day to twice a day and wants me to come back in a couple of weeks.

So good news, of sorts. It still makes me think......what is causing the constant coughing and vomiting? I need some answers. And yes, I know that losing weight would help many of my conditions.....I just wish that it was something I could tackle and be successful at. Any ideas?

An Update--Of Sorts

2010-03-14T23:06:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone.

It's been too long. This I know. I hate with things get so hectic that I can't do the little things that bring me joy, like blogging and sleeping. Life has been busy, as it always is. You'd think that by now I'd be able to manage it all. But I'm thinking that's what life is all about. Learning how to manage things. Big things. Little things. Important things. The not-so-important things. I know I've been away for awhile, and I've missed blogging. I'll get you up to date on things in my life. The big things. The little things. And all the stuff in between.

1) School has been busy. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were starting this school year. This time of year is rough. Everyone is ready for the year to be over and the breaks away from school are few and far between. I know how the kids feel. I'm right in there with them. We are currently on spring break and I'm hoping to live it up. And by that I mean sleeping and getting caught up on school work.

2) David is feeling better. A few weeks ago he was in serious back pain. I've never seen anything like it before. He missed a whole week of school, which for either of us, is huge. We never miss school. I think his back is feeling a little better and he's up and moving around again. It was a long week. I love my husband and miss him when he's not around. I made sure I told him that when he came back to the land of the living.

3) Although David is feeling better, he's now behind the 8 ball with school work. He needs the computer so I haven't had much time to check facebook or blog. Someday I hope to have high speed Internet.

4) I'm going to have some medical tests done this week. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I'm not feeling well. A year or so ago, I was diagnosed with Acid Reflux disease. For anyone that doesn't know what this is, in most people it's basically regular heartburn. With me, it's been bad. For the past several months, I've had really bad acid reflux. I cough constantly and then the gag reflex catches and I end up vomiting or dry heaving. This happens several times a day. After one particularly bad school day of wretching over and over, I made an appointment with my doctor. This of course was after much research via the Internet. I'm convinced that I have a hiatal hernia. This means that part of my stomach has bulged (I hate that word) about the valve that closes things off and I have a constant flow of acid up and down my throat. For the past I don't know how long, I've sounded like I've been smoking several packs of cigarettes a day. My voice is shot. The doctor put me in touch with some specialists and suggested that I have a scope done. This is when they stick a camera down my throat and into my stomach. I'm not sure I want to know what they are looking for. After that visit, I went to my ENT doctor for a sinus infection and he was surprised at the test that was going to be done. I get the feeling they're looking for early signs of cancer. I'm not sure what the solution is since I'm already taking several acid reducing medications. There is a surgery to help this condition, but I've not met anyone yet that thinks that is a good idea. I'm putting it all in God's hands and letting Him take care of it. Your thoughts and prayers during all of this would be appreciated.

5) I've seen a movie or two lately. (This is the part of this post about the not-so-important stuff.) I hate this time of year because there are no really good movies. The main seasons for big movies are summer and Christmas. I may have mentioned this before, but I've worked a few times at a movie theater. I loved it. Best job I've had so far. This spring break I will be watching my Netflix movies and wait patiently for the DVD release of New Moon. Last year when Twilight was released on DVD, I waited for my copy at midnight of the release date at Sam Goody's. This year, Sam Goody's is out of business. I see that Wal-Mart has signs advertising the release of this movie. Do I go at midnight? I'm not sure. I can tell you that I'm looking forward to it. I'm rereading the series again to get in the mood.

6) I went grocery shopping today at the evil Wal-Mart. I was surprised to find that they are now carrying the foaming dish soap again. They had this stuff and we used it all the time and wouldn't you know....they stopped carrying it. They've also started carrying the 100 calorie packs of yogurt covered pretzels too. This made me happy. This is not the case for the fat free hot dogs, Welch's Dark Berry powder drink mix, and now my black forest ham is gone. What's with that? I get very frustrated that I can't get all the stuff I need at the same place.

7) I'm not sleeping in as much as I'd like this break. It doesn't help that we had to observe Day Light Savings (or are we returning to the correct time? I don't know which is which...) All I know is that I LOST an hour of sleep. This does not bode well with me. Of course being the break, I'm staying up later than I should so I guess that's the vicious cycle of it all.

8) I have lots of cleaning goals for the break. Clothes need hanging, folding, and then putting away. Clutter needs organizing. Sigh......this seems like one thing that I may not be able to accomplish. After all, I'll be trying to get caught up on my sleep, right?

Well, I"m sure there are other things that are going on right now, but most of them are things that I would share with you because they would bore you. Now that I think about, the above list may do that anyway.

Gee.....now that I look at it, it seems like my life isn't too busy. But trust me, it is. I'll write again soon when I have some news. And if no news comes by, I'll just make something up.

Hello, world....Remember me?

2010-03-10T20:06:00.002-06:00

Yes, I'm still alive.

Yes, lots has been going on.

Yes, my life has been crazy.

And finally......

Yes, you should hang in there with me....spring break is next week and I'll get caught up on my blogging.

Side note....please be in prayer for me...I go to have some tests run next week to see if I may have esophageal and or gastro-intestinal cancer.

Another Weird Condition

2010-02-22T17:36:00.002-06:00

I feel like blogging. I feel like sleeping. I feel like running away and then alternating blogging and sleeping. Okay, I feel better now that I've gotten that off my chest.

You've probably been wondering about what I've been up to. I'd like to say that there's something interesting going on, but now that I think about it....sometimes something interesting is also stressful. So right now....no new and interesting stresses in my life. Just the same old stresses.

This is a sign that I'm getting old, but I must complain a little about my ailments.....

As you may or may not be aware, I am currently living with Meniere's disease. Basically, I have hearing loss and continual ringing in my left ear. I went and checked a little while back to see if I'd be able to get a hearing aid. It seems that MS has this program where they will pay for your hearing aids if it helps you work. Since I can't hear the kids, I figure that I'd be the perfect candidate, right? Wrong! Apparently, it's one of those situations in that I'm not "sick" enough to require help. Great. So the solution is to just ask people to repeat themselves. I've found that smiling and nodding gets you into trouble if you don't know what people are talking about. It seems that people expect you to listen when they talk. But that's not the latest complaint....

Awhile back, my ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) doctor diagnosed me with Acid Reflux. I've been taking medication for that since then. For the most part, it worked. And then something happened sometime last fall. I started coughing with the acid coming up and vomiting several times a day. It's gotten a little better now and then, but lately things are getting too much to handle. It's a horrible thing when you have to stop teaching, grab the trash can, and run into the hall to vomit. Mostly, it's either dry heaves or mucus. (Can I just insert here that I'm not a good vomiter? It always feels like I'm choking. And when the vomiting session is over, I look like I've been choked by someone.) I spoke to a friend that had similar symptoms and she said it sounded like her diagnosis....hiatal hernia. Basically this means that part of my stomach has bulged above the sphincter that separates the stomach from the esophagus. I tried to get into the local Gastrointestinal doctor in town, but found that they wouldn't give me an appointment unless I had been referred by my regular physician.(I read this as one of the doctors needs to make a car payment....) And to top that they told me that the Gastrointestinal doctor was on vacation for three weeks. So, to get the ball rolling, I made an appointment, saw my regular doctor, and got little information that I didn't already know. (Apparently if I lost weight, it would help. My question...what won't losing weight help? And if I could lose weight, wouldn't I have already done it?) He recommended that I make an appointment in Columbus with doctors there since the procedure I'll need to have could be done there at their outpatient office. The procedure is basically where they sedate me (not totally asleep but more or less awake and comatose) and them inserting a scope down my throat to look at my stomach and esophagus. There is a surgery to correct the hernia but as it turns out, it is rarely done. I'm not sure what I'll need since they mostly treat this with medication and I'm already taking some. So in the meantime, I'm just vomiting several time a day. The good news is that I can feel when it's coming. Just know that if you see me holding a trash can nearby, you should stay away. Especially if you have a weak stomach.

Anyway, I'm sure this isn't the post you were hoping to read, but you have to take the good with the bad....and I'm sure this is a bad post. That means that the next one will be better. Thanks for sticking in there with me. In the meantime, your prayers are appreciated.

It's Like Looking in a Mirror

2010-02-16T20:42:00.003-06:00

Hi Friends....

I know, it's been awhile. I'd love to blog more so if you want me do that....send money. I guess I'm going to have to be independently wealthy before I'll have time to blog daily....Oh well...I can dream.

Today's post is about a dear friend of mine....Kamille. I met Kamille a couple of years ago at an Open House event. All I can tell you about that meeting, other than it was predestined, was that neither of us forgot that night. In the spring, our district hosts an open house for the upcoming grade(s) to see the school they will be at next year. (Side note....our district has one school for grades K-2, one for third that will join my school next year, one for fourth and fifth, one for sixth, and so on.....) Well, most teachers don't like those evenings when you feel like you're being put out on a meat market, but I find that I really enjoyed them. It always felt like I was in an E.F. Hutton commercial...I'd answer someone's question, and everyone would stop and listen to my response. This is a huge boost for those of us that like being in the center of attention. In case you didn't know....that's totally what I'm about.

Well, after it's over, some of the teachers will compare experiences to judge how things went. I relayed the questions asked of me by potential parents (especially from Kamille) and found that no one had the same questions that I had. Especially from Kamille. It's not like she asked me anything really personal, but her questions were nothing like "How much homework do you give?" or "How do you differentiate your instruction?" Those are common questions. No....Kamille was more concerned with me. What kind of person I was.....What I believed in.....I remembered her name and had a feeling that we'd be seeing each other again. And I was so right.

By God's divine wisdom, her child was placed in my fourth grade classroom. Her child is a gem...the kind you wish you had more of. The kind of kid that you look at and feel like you were the same type of kid when you were that age...... Also by God's divine wisdom...I looped with this group of students so I have this wonderful child again.

Ah....so many memories. Kamille was the first parent that I remember calling me on my cell phone. She was the first parent that I programmed in my phone. I vividly recall her calling me one day as I was shopping in Wal-Mart. I pulled over to the side and we talked for a long time. That's huge for me because being stuck in Wal-Mart when I don't have to be isn't my idea of a great time.

As I've gotten to know Kamille, I've really connected with her. She and I are so similar in many ways. We have the same sense of humor and find the same things funny. (Side note here...she introduced me to Bon Qui Qui and I'll never be the same.) She is like me in that she also has just one child. People with only one kid are different kind of parents than those that have more than one. You see....we have all of our "eggs" in one basket. We can't afford to let things get messed up. After all, we're talking about the person responsible for putting us in a home when we're older. But anyway, she gets me and I get her.

I've spent some time with her in the last few months and I thoroughly enjoy myself. We always have lots to talk about. Kamille is one of those people that is bigger than life. She lives life with such passion. I'd like to think that I'm the same way. When she loves, she does it with her whole being whether we're talking about friends, family, or food. Her laugh is infectious and beckons you in. She's just so down to earth....she's good, solid people.

I'm sort of sad though....at the end of this year, her child will move to another grade and another school. Their lives will go on and I'm sure that we won't spend nearly as much time together. I'd like to think that I'll still be in her heart....I know she'll be in mine.

I love you Kamille! Thanks for all that you do and all that you are.....I'm so blessed to know you!

The Evil Wal-Mart Strikes Again

2010-02-08T17:48:00.002-06:00

I'm really torn here....do I blog about how Wal-Mart has once again proven how evil they are or do I simply ignore the store and shop at Kroger instead? Sadly, I feel compelled to complain about Wal-Mart yet again.

I've blogged about Wal-Mart before. One post was all about how they've changed the layout of the store and now it appears that they carry LESS stock than before. I've also been known to say that Wal-Mart is part of a conspiracy to get me to buy things I don't need. They space stuff out in the store and/or put things in obscure places in the hopes that I will wander aimlessly around the store and randomly put items in my cart. And I have to admit, it works. Sometimes I go to Kroger. Both stores carries items that the other one doesn't have. I end up going to Wal-Mart simply because that's where my pharmacy is and I don't like going all over town to run errands. So I'm stuck. It looks like I'll be complaining again about the store that I feel is pure evil.

Let me illustrate. Like I just said, there are items at Wal-Mart that you can't get anywhere else. And there are items you CAN get everywhere else but I don't like to because I already said that I don't like running around town doing errands. A couple of Saturdays ago, I did my regular shopping and noted how low the store seemed on regular albeit random items. Imagine my surprise when a week later I go back to the store and find that they STILL don't have the items I require. So what's so important, right? Let me tell you....

1) Welch's Dark Berry powdered drink-This is exactly like Crystal Light but in a very yummy flavor. I don't like grape, but this drink is good. It has cranberry, grape, and blueberry. What's funny is that I don't like those flavors individually but together....well....it makes my mouth sing. That is....when I can find it. Wal-Mart doesn't have it now. And if I'm wrong (and Lord I hope I am) it looks like there isn't even a label for it on the shelf anymore. Geez Louise!

2) High fiber, whole wheat fajita sized tortillas-I found these by mistake awhile back. They are low in Weight Watcher points and taste great. Can't find them these days.

3) Nabisco 100 calorie count packages of yogurt covered pretzels. They have chocolate covered but I don't really like those. These taste great and have been my morning snack for the past couple of weeks. Now they've disappeared. I'm not sure what to do.

4) Progresso High Fiber Creamy Tomato Soup- I normally don't eat this brand, but I tried it awhile ago and it was good. (Side note: I don't like regular tomato soup. The creamy kind reminds me of Spaghetti-o's.) David really likes this so I buy it for him when I can find it. Lately, that has been too often.

5) Soup at Hand creamy tomato, basil, and parmesan soup. This is a great thing to eat when you're on the go. You don't need bowls or utensils. Again....I haven't been able to find it lately.

6) Weight Watchers yogurt-I miss this yogurt because it's a pretty big container for the low points. I'm all about getting as much food as I can when I eat. I had to settle for the Wal-Mart brand. You see? It's a conspiracy, I tell you.

7) Fat Free Hot Dogs- I found that Oscar Meyer makes a hot dog that is low in points. I usually keep a few of them on hand. Hot dogs make for easy and fast dinners on nights where I get in late. Now those hot dogs are nowhere to be found. The buns used to not be there, but they've made a comeback. What would be nice would be if I could have both of them together at the same time.

I'm sure there's a few other items that come and go on the shelves of Wal-Mart. These are the ones that directly affect me. You'd think that I'd be walking all around Wal-Mart looking for the items that have been in question today. If I did that, I'd be giving Wal-Mart exactly what it wants. Another mindless individual putting stuff in the cart. To combat this, I just put whatever is closest in my cart. That'll show them. I can't be had.

Anyway....I appreciate you taking the time to listen to my rants about the corporate superstar that we call Wal-Mart. I've tried to quit but I can't. I have a Wal-Mart problem. I just need some way to break this pull on me and start shopping somewhere else. Until then, I'm the one with the cart that is wandering around looking lost. Chances are I'm looking for some random item that will disappear soon from the store.

PS-This post is dedicated to one of my faithful readers-Audrey H. Hope you enjoyed it!

The Chaos Is Making My Eyes Hurt

2010-02-04T16:33:00.002-06:00

This is not my desk. However, it feels like it could belong to me. I'm so busy that I just don't have time to put things back. I end up with stacks of stuff everywhere. I can usually find things, but it's a stressful situation trying to locate a piece of paper in the chaos. What I need is like 3 weeks of working in my classroom with no phone calls, no kids, and lots and lots of trash bags. I've used the snowball analogy many times to describe teaching. I really think it's true. No sooner do you get something done and right behind you is another snowball rolling down the mountain. If you're not careful it will run right over you.

Today, the chaos that was my room made me physically hurt. It truly pained me to look at all the stuff I had going on. It was raining today....kids are like walking barometers. When the weather changes, they do too. Science fair boards were due at school today. In the rain. I had like 6 kids come in late so I had to start over with my announcements and teaching several times. It was well into the morning before everyone showed up. Progress reports went home today. I tried desperately to get all the grades in that I could so that they would bring up their averages. To grade and enter information in the computer takes time. When the kids are here, I'm trying to help them. They take all my time. There's no time to clean up, put stuff up, find stuff I'll need for next week.....it just never ends.

So what's the solution? Take a day or two off? I've been sick and I'm still hacking and coughing so I know I need to rest. However, I don't think people realize that to be absent means that I have to spend 2 to 3 hours writing lesson plans and getting materials ready for a substitute. And you don't know who your sub will be so it could end up being a waste of time. So...no....taking time off isn't an option. Give up? Nah....that's not what I do. I'm known for my perseverance. I'm very long suffering. Change professions? I don't think so. What else could I possibly do? I can't envision myself not being in the classroom. No...there's no big solutions right now. There are, however, some small things I CAN do. Slow down. Breathe. Prioritize. Breathe again. And yes.....I should get off the computer and get some work done. That's what I was just getting ready to do!

Until next time........

Long Time, No Blog

2010-02-02T16:26:00.002-06:00

Well, Pooey. I hate when life gets in the way of the important stuff like sleeping. And TV. And blogging. But no really.... things have been really busy. But then, when are things just quiet and dull for me? Answer? Never!

Raelynn had her ninth birthday party last weekend and I'm really glad that's over! I like parties, but I just don't feel really great about planning and executing them. I can "ride herd" and patrol behaviors at kid parties, but the rest is a little more than I've had experiences with. Anyway, Raelynn wanted to have a party with all of these "older" friends. No one at the party was her age. They were all around 2 years older than her. It's hard to plan a party for someone who loves Strawberry Shortcake when every guest wants to scream inside at the thought of My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake or some other similar character. My solution was to plan a scavenger hunt. The kids had a good time being driven all over town and getting their pictures taken and being videoed doing all sorts of embarrassing things. And Raelynn enjoyed herself too so it all ended well.

I've been sick too. It's been awhile since I got a cold or the flu but I've got a nasty case of bronchitis. The cough is about to kill me. I went to the doctor, got some meds, but as anyone who's ever had this can tell you, it's the sort of thing that keeps lingering. And so I just plow through. No sick days. Just keep going forward.

The paperwork is piling up. I spent all weekend doing Raelynn's party (and paid dearly for it later--I was exhausted) and then trying to get better on Sunday. I slept and lounged a lot. So I'm a little behind in grading. Not a good thing. When I look over my shoulder, the work is still piling up behind me. I have visions of myself being very much like a hamster in one of those exercise wheels. Run like crazy, but you never get anywhere. Do you know what I mean?

So you might be asking why I'm blogging if I have so much to do. The answer is because I want to and I miss it. A small part of me hopes that someone else misses it too. I promise, something more witty will be posted soon. I just need some time. And lots of paperclips and grading pens. Did I mention I have papers to grade?

My Friend Who Started It All

2010-01-21T18:35:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone....have you missed me? I hate when things get so busy and stressful that I don't have time to blog. Occasionally someone will tell me that they read my blog and that they miss getting more frequent updates. Awwwwwwww....that just touches my heart.

So on to today's subject: My friend Wendy D. Well....where do I begin? First, her birthday was this week so major birthday shout outs to her! She's a wonderful friend and I'm very blessed to know her. She is one of the most giving and caring people I've ever met. She is really selfless and will do anything for a close friend. Seriously.

I met Wendy several years ago. He has one biological son and daughter. When her son was in the fourth grade, they adopted a girl from Russia. She was also in the fourth grade. At the time, I had a student that was bilingual in Russian and English so it only made sense that her new daughter would be put in my class. I had heard that this might be happening from Wendy's son's teacher earlier in the year. She (the teacher friend) told me that one of her student's families was adopting a child and they because of the Russian connection to my student, the child would be placed with me. Several months went by and nothing happened. And then it did.

I gladly accepted this member to our class. I remember Wendy doing everything she could to make her child feel comfortable. I can only imagine what it feels like to go to a new country when people don't speak your language and you're only 9. I had several interactions with Wendy in the next months. We talked a lot about how to make her new daughter's transition easier. I hope I was able to be a part of that smooth transition.

At the time, I was a looping teacher. That means that I take one group of fourth graders and move up to fifth grade with them. I got Wendy's daughter in March of her fourth grade year. Her son was in someone else's fourth grade class. Of course I looped up with her daughter and got the bonus of having her son in fifth grade as well. Both of them are darling people. Fifth grade flowed smoothly. Wendy is one those parents that you can always call on to help in the classroom and with parties and stuff. You couldn't ask for a better room parent. I don't know what I did to deserve her, but I was grateful for her.

Then several years went by. We met up at the Fourth of July fireworks where we all ended up camping out on the same soccer field. It happened several years in a row. It's now a regular thing. In that time we also went to their house to go swimming in their pool. Good times. Her youngest daughter was coming up to fourth grade. We were both hoping that I would have her in my class. (Side note here....it's really nice when you make connections with a family and you can have multiple children from that family in your class.) Initially her daughter wasn't placed in my class. All I can say is that Wendy made miracles happen. Her daughter ended up in my fourth grade class. And I love her. Just like I love her other kids.

Somewhere in the fall of 2008, I saw Wendy at school. I think maybe she had come to eat lunch with her daughter that was in my class. We got to talking about my latest obsession at the time....the Twilight books. It turns out that Wendy was an even larger fan of Twilight than I was. I didn't think it was possible. Wendy and one of her friends made arrangements to rent out a movie theater for the midnight premiere of Twilight when it came out in November. I was able to go with her. (We went to see the movie many more times after that.) Since then, Twilight has brought us closer together. We share the obsession.

Sometime the following spring, I introduced Wendy to my friend Kathy....the stalker I wrote about a few posts ago. We immediately hit it off. Since that time, we've been pretty close. A week doesn't go by that we don't go and eat, hang out, or watch a movie. As a bonus, all of our kids hang out together. And the Twilight obsession continued.....

When Twilight was released on DVD this last spring, it was Wendy that I stood in line with at Sam Goody's for my copy. And it was in Wendy's van that we all went to so could watch the deleted scenes from the DVD of Twilight that we had just bought. We literally laid in the van and watched part of the movie in the parking lot.

This past summer, Wendy, Kathy, and I took a road trip. We had a great time in Birmingham. We shopped and ate and ate and ate. We shared many laughs. There are stories that I could never tell, and I hope they would never tell on me.

This March, Wendy, Kathy, and I are going to Atlanta for a Twilight convention. Yes, you read that correctly. (Side note here....Kathy watched Twilight and New Moon with us but she's not a huge fan like we are.) Kathy is going to hang out and be lazy while Wendy and I are going to enjoy ourselves with all the craziness that is Twilight. There's no one else I would ever dream of going with. Or for that matter.....probably no one else would want to go with me. Either way, it works.

So....long story short....Wendy is a dear, dear friend. She is kind and funny and generous. She loves her friends and is very loyal. And she's the one that started the Twilight obsession...and for that, I'm so grateful....

Happy Birthday Wendy! I love you!

My Feelings Exactly

2010-01-18T19:22:00.000-06:00

Enough said.

A Much Needed Burial

2010-01-17T23:30:00.003-06:00

Happy Sunday y'all! It feels nice to know that I won't be going to work tomorrow. Thank you, Martin Luther King, Jr. for your work that now gives me a day off. It's going to be a long time until spring vacation, so I'm going to enjoy every moment tomorrow....probably by grading papers. What else is new, right?

So it's the New Year. Or at least it was. I've made New Year's resolutions before. Some I've kept, others...not so much. I'm not one for public (or privately for that matter) sharing my resolutions because if you mess up and break one of them, people tend to let you know about it. Quickly. I already have enough acceptance issues, so I don't need the extra pressure, thank you very much.

But I will share with you that I'm hoping to make some changes in my life so that I'll be healthier. I'd like to live longer, and more fully enjoy the time I have left. One way I know to do this is to exercise.

I'm one of those people that refuses to join a gym. Now granted, I don't have all the weight equipment at my house, but I can get the same results by walking or running at home. I'm not a stranger to exercise and healthy eating, I just don't enjoy it. You know you're getting old when you talk about your peak years as being so far back in the past. That's not good.

BUT....a few years ago, I joined Weight Watchers. It was successful for me. I lost around 50 pounds in a matter of 3 months. I was running every day and being very careful with what I eat. I kept a food journal and had a strong support group. I would even say that it bordered on obsession....watching what I ate and exercising every day.

And then things changed. Since then, I've not had the same OCD spirit with healthy living. When we moved to Mississippi, I found that my running exercises really dwindled down. There are many more bad weather days here. To compensate, we took my mom's treadmill. She wasn't using it and said we could have it. I tried really hard to walk on the treadmill while I watched TV. The treadmill wasn't some fancy type.....but man it was loud. I say "was" because it has died in my living room. It was a hit and miss situation. So now what? Join a gym? Walk/run outside? These are the questions that I ponder while sitting on my couch. I'm pretty distractable, so it's not surprising that my mind wanders and I forget to exercise.

What is the proper burial for a dead treadmill? Do you hang on to it because it's too bulky to move? Do you keep it for scrap parts that can be used on other projects? Do you throw it away? Again, these are questions I ponder. So far...I have no answers. I need to exercise and my treadmill is broken. I guess I should suck it up and just do what I tell my students to do....
"Be a creative problem solver."

Any ideas? Anyone? Anyone?

Hangin' At The Huddle House

2010-01-15T18:51:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone! Many apologies for not posting more this week. Many thanks to Mrs. LaFrance, who mentioned this to me. (More about Mrs. LaFrance in this post....) I don't think people understand that when they tell me they read my blog, I get all fuzzy inside. Most people don't leave comments when they read, so I just figure no one reads it. Basically, the more people read, the more I want to write!

Lots has gone on since the last time I posted. Raelynn's ninth birthday was this week and we celebrated a couple of times. My parents took Raelynn, David, and I to Pizza Hut for her birthday. She loves the place. She loves pizza. On her actual birthday, David and I took her to Applebee's in a yearly birthday tradition. If it's your birthday, we'll go out to eat and you get to pick the place. She likes the macaroni and cheese at Applebee's. When looking at the menu, I see that they serve Kraft macaroni and cheese. Basically, I'm paying lots of money for the same stuff that I buy in the blue box at the store. But no complaints....it was her birthday and she had fun.

Another reason I haven't posted is because of work. Work is always there, and nothing slows down. I'm not complaining, just stating fact. I'm sure you don't want those boring details, so let's get to the "random-ness" that is my blog.

Tonight for dinner, David, Raelynn, David's dad and step-mother, and myself went to Huddle House to eat. Since we've moved to Mississippi (about 7 years) it's been a weekly thing, all year long. They come over and we go eat. Usually, they are here when I get home from work. (They live about an hour away.) We usually eat at a few places: the Chinese buffet restaurant, The Three Pigs (new bar-b-que place in town), assorted Mom and Pop restaurants, and Huddle House. Tonight we went to Huddle House. As I was sitting there looking at the menu, I started to think about the evolution of my love for breakfast. Mind you, I don't love breakfast everywhere, but I won't turn a meal away. But I digress.....on to our story....

When I was young, I really fought with the notion that I had to eat breakfast. My mom would get my brother and me up, and then we'd sit at the table and eat cereal while she got ready. I can remember throwing out most of the cereal, and still wanting to try another box of cereal the next time we went to the store. At some point (probably middle and high school) I just started to make what I wanted for breakfast. This mostly consisted of easy to grab stuff, but I was known to eat left overs from the night before. (I still do this.) I only ate breakfast because my mom made me. On Saturdays, that was a different story. My mom would cook us something, usually an egg mcmuffin. I like those and I like egg sandwiches. My mom makes really good ones. But if she had offered me eggs and bacon, I'd eat it, but it wouldn't be my favorite.

My mom is very talented in the kitchen and can make eggs anyway you want. I can remember my dad eating eggs with runny yolks and sopping it up with toast. I thought this was gross. Totally. I've also watched my dad eat some combination of biscuits, butter, and golden eagle syrup. He'd mix the butter and the syrup together until it was blended and then use the biscuit to sop it up. I've never tried this, never want to.

When I became an adult, I would go to a restaurant if I wanted breakfast. In Key West, I'd go with my family to B's restaurant and have a breakfast sandwich. My parents would get an egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich on Cuban bread with mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickle and then press it in a Cuban panini press. I would eat a BLT on Cuban bread. Very yummy. But still no eggs.

Then.....something in me snapped. Since moving to Starkville, I've really enjoyed eating breakfast. If I'm in a rush, I'll go to Krystal's and get a breakfast scrambler. This is a cup of grits with egg and cheese on top, and a sausage patty on top of that. Delish. If I have time, money, and patience, I go Huddle House or Starkville Cafe. I look forward to eating a yummy breakfast that now includes eggs. And runny eggs at that. I had such a meal tonight.....let me expand on it.

When I got to Huddle House, I looked at the menu and thought that maybe I'd order something from the dinner menu. I mean, after all, it was dinner time. (Well, more like 4:00 but work with me here...) I looked all through the menu and nothing looked as good as their breakfast platter. This is what I had: two eggs over medium, two pieces of white toast in which to sop the eggs with, two sausage patties, grits, and hashbrowns that had cheese, onion, tomato, ham, green peppers, and jalapenos. I enjoyed every mouth full. The food was good and the service was okay....for Starkville's Huddle House. But that's another post for another day.

So now my tummy is full and I'm enjoying just sort of sitting here.

Now on to some much overdue business....

I promised more information on Mrs. LaFrance. Mrs. LaFrance is the library assistant at my school. I met her a couple of years ago when she did some subbing for a teacher that left in the middle of the year. She is a hoot. She's very outspoken and very spunky. I like this about her. After the subbing, she took over for the library assistant that left in the middle of the year. She's done a fabulous job! She's friendly with the teachers and has just the right amount of fiestiness to deal with the kids. She can take a call from me about AR, check out books, and keep a room of unruly fifth graders from acting like hooligans. Talented, I tell you. Anyway, she reminded me today that she's been checking my blog since I told her that I'd write about her. I've been busy, but when Mrs. LaFrance speaks, people start moving. (She's not mean, just very funny and confident in what she does.)

You might be wondering why I keep calling her Mrs. LaFrance. Please know that she DOES have a first name. When you teach, you can't really holler the person's first name down the hall. (It's almost like we're keeping our first names a secret.) A lot of teachers at my school simply call each other by their last name, and skipping the whole premise of the Mrs. part. I can't do this to Mrs. LaFrance. It would sound too weird. In fact, there are two people I work with whose last names I really enjoy saying. The first is a teacher named Zuege and the other is Mrs. LaFrance. I've even incorporated her name into my regular speech. Kids bug me all day about going to the library to trade in their books. I know that at some point, Mrs. LaFrance is going to snap due to stress. I'm just hoping that I won't be there to witness it. Anyway, it is very common for me to say the following to my students: "Don't make Mrs. LaFrance get LaMad at LaYou." I've even added the "La" part in front of the other librarian's name. It just sounds good.

In future posts, I'll try to include some fun stuff about the people I work with. They make my job fun. The only thing that would make it better is if I had a decent breakfast platter before work each day. But alas, I can always dream......

My Very Own Stalker

2010-01-09T14:07:00.002-06:00

Before you go and get nervous for me, know that this post's title is sort of joke between me and my friend Kathy S. She is a self-professed stalker. It was one of the first things I knew about her. I'm sure you want to know more....read on....

I started this blog several years ago as a part of a summer class I was taking. Everyone in the class set up a blog and we read lots of children's literature and then summarized them on the blog. When that class was over I sort of forgot about the blog. A long time later, I was either talking to a friend that is a fellow blogger (LT) or I was reading her facebook page and she mentioned that she blogged. I read some of the stuff that she wrote and I thought it was so funny. I then thought that I'd give blogging another chance, and three years later, here we are.

Over the years, I think I have found my voice in my blog writing. I encounter people every once in awhile that read it, and I always feel good when they tell me that they follow it. In the beginning though, I didn't have a large following and I can't even begin to tell you what I wrote about. Most days, I don't give it a second thought. And then I met Kathy.

In the summer of 2008, I received my class list of students I would teach that fall. I think I look forward to finding out who's on my list just as much as students look forward to finding out who their teacher is. I try to make students and their families feel as comfortable as possible, so I contact them early. I make my phone calls and then I send a letter. I can remember talking to Kathy. She spoke fast. Really fast. She mentioned a little about her son and asked if she could send me some more information to me in the mail. Boy, did she ever. I have to say that the info she sent was helpful. I knew from the beginning that she was a dedicated parent. We made contact again, and she requested that she come to my room and help. I gave her a regular time and day and she's been faithful.

Sometime around open house last year, Kathy admitted to me that she had been "stalking" me. Apparently, she Googles her children's teachers to get more information. I don't blame her. Having information that can help your child is important. She admitted to me that after she Googled me, she found my blog. I immediately searched through my mind to remember what I had written about. I think she found it interesting. At least she told me she did. :-)

So, fast forward to now. I looped up a grade so I am teaching the same group of kids this year that I taught last year. It has its advantages and disadvantages. Fortunately, it has more advantages. So a bonus to my looping was that Kathy spent another year working in my room for me. It's gotten to the point where I have a hard time doing stuff if she doesn't show for whatever reason. (I think that in one and half years, she's only missed two or three Thursdays...all with a good reason.)

Kathy and her husband have been very generous to me. They own a couple of businesses in town and have taken care of me and my class. There's nothing that I need (or want) that she hasn't come through for me. There's no way I could ever repay her kindness and generosity. And if it couldn't get any better, I've gotten to know her much better and she's become one of my dearest friends. We have lots of things in common and I totally get her personality.

She is a HUGE MSU football fan. When she found out that I had never been to a college football game, she quickly fixed that and invited me to a game. She spent time explaining the rules to football and as long as I cheered for MSU and didn't even hint that they'd lose, we were okay. Kathy is very loyal....not just to her Bulldogs, but also to friends. Kathy is also slightly on the OCD side of things. This is one of the things I love about her. She knows who she is and how she has to have things in order to function. She likes to be in control of things....she always drives when we go somewhere. I get such a kick out of that. And of course, I'm happy to let her drive. (I don't like to drive.)

She is a very special person and I'm so glad that I've gotten to know her. She still reads my blog, and was quick to tell me that I "forgot" to include her in the shout outs. I explained that the shout outs on my blog were a result of a facebook status I had written. She felt sort of left out that she wasn't represented, so I told her I'd devote one whole post to her. And since she's my stalker, why shouldn't I? I mean, I have to give her (and the public) something interesting to read......

I love you Kathy! Thanks for being such a great friend!

Titanic

2010-01-08T21:54:00.002-06:00

Inspiration can be found in the strangest places. I was sitting here at the computer and at a complete loss as to what to blog about. Sometimes I write about my day, but mostly I like to write about obscure stuff that's on my mind. Hence the blog's name. Anyway....I was sitting here and I got very cold. (Side note: the low last night was 9 degrees. It's very cold. Tingly face cold when you are outside.) So, I thought I'd go over to the fireplace and stand in front of it like I always do. I use the fireplace as a roaster of types. I turn every so often so that all parts of my bottom half are equally burned. (Or is it burnt?) While I was standing there, my eyes were level with my mantle. On my mantle was a treasure I hadn't thought of in a long time. What's the treasure you ask? Simple. I have an authentic piece of coal from the Titanic's maiden voyage. Yes, you read that correctly.

How do I know that it's authentic? I have a certificate of authenticity. I found this website many years ago that sold Titanic artifacts and bought the piece of coal. It was sent to me sealed in a small bag and with an engraved display case. You might be wondering how I come to order a Titanic artifact.

Well, I don't want to show my age or anything, but I remember before the Titanic had been found at the bottom of the ocean. When the ship was referenced at that point in time, it was portrayed as being intact. When Robert Ballard and his crew located the wreck site, it became a big deal. With his robotic camera, we could see the Titanic up close. It looked nothing like I thought it would. After that point, I became very interested in the subject of Titanic and its sinking.

A couple years after I started teaching, I purchased a class set of books about the discovery of the Titanic wreck. The kids found it very interesting. So did I. My interest led me to surf the web and somehow I stumbled upon the site from which I acquired the coal. My husband teases me about my treasure. I don't think he really believes that it's authentic. I know it is. The engraving says so.

When the movie came out, I eagerly went to see it. I remember sitting in the theater in the middle section, in the middle of the row. Perfect seat. However, everyone else in the world was at the movie and I couldn't bring myself to disturb others, so I waited until the movie was over to use the restroom. I don't remember sitting in such a full theater before. I thought the movie was good and very much worth the wait.

You might think it's funny for me to have something like this sitting in on the mantle. I feel pretty confident that this is the sort of thing that many people have. You have some type of treasure that means a lot to you and it doesn't matter what anyone says about it. That's how I feel about my Titanic coal. What kind of treasure do you have around your house?

An Interesting Start to My Day and Some Shout Outs to My Peeps!

2010-01-07T11:47:00.004-06:00

Today's been weird already, so there's no telling how strange this post will be. You've been warned.....

First off, I was wrong. Very wrong. We did get a snow day today...hence the "weirdness." It just doesn't seem natural to be sitting at home during a week day. I'm not complaining....I'm enjoying it at the moment. But I didn't wake up that way......

Last night, David and I watched TV like hawks watch their prey. We switched back and forth between the Weather Channel and the local news channels. (On a side note....when did the Weather Channel become a place where you show movies and have reality shows? I say if your name is "Weather Channel" you are obligated to report on the weather. All the time.) The closing of schools started last night. I got a text message saying that the university was closed and I was instantly happy for two things: 1) I am not a university student anymore. No more stressful classes. 2) I was happy for my friend Ashley who is taking a full graduate load and just started working at my school. She replaced a teacher that left at Christmas. I'm glad she gets a break off from both of those today. But back to our story....I watched the little ticker at the bottom of the news that was reporting the closing of schools. My school district was not listed. My initial thought was that we wouldn't miss school. But here's my thinking....if you're going to cancel school, let me know so I won't worry and wonder about at the last minute. Which I did this morning-lots of times.

I got up this morning at 5, and staggered to the living room to turn on the TV to see if we had school. Nothing listed. I watch some more...nothing. I checked the district's web page. Still nothing. So I pat myself on the back for correctly calling that we'd have school and I go to the bathroom to start getting ready. But when I turn on the faucet, nothing comes out but this hissing sound. Did I mention that I don't do well without the necessary utilities? (This includes electricity, water, cable TV, and ice.) So I woke up David to find out if he shut the water off or if we were facing frozen pipes. He mumbles that he didn't turn off the water. I check the thermometer and it's only 35 degrees. Not at freezing yet. How could my pipes be frozen?

In the midst of pondering this, I finally get a text saying that school is canceled. Thank the Lord! Me without water in the morning is not something you want to experience. I quickly try to assess whether the problem is ours or the community's. I drove down to my parents' house (they live down the same street) and snuck in to check the water. Yup, they have water....the problem is ours.

I get back home and David is up and trying to figure out why we have frozen pipes when the temperature outside isn't freezing. In the meantime, I get Raelynn up and both of us get dressed. Then I took her to my parents' house so she could use the bathroom. (She hasn't mastered the fine art of going outdoors.) I was real tired so I fell asleep on my parents' couch and Raelynn played with the dog. I slept for an hour and half.

When I woke up, I called David and he said that the water was still working. So we packed up and came home. We then went into town to get some breakfast (2 eggs over medium, toast, sausage, and hash browns with all the extras on it) and went by David's school so he could pick up some stuff.

Now I'm here at home, watching it snow outside. It's supposed to get much colder later and this snow that's melting as it hits the ground will become ice. I don't do ice on the road. Ice in my cup....that's a different story.

Anywho, thanks to those of you who are reading my blog as a result of my status update on Facebook. I really like to blog and it makes me happy to know that others read it. I even delude myself to believe that I'm funny. Thanks for humoring me.

As per my status, a few friends sent a shout out so I'm going to tell you a little about them.

Patricia M.-I met Pat several years ago when I moved to Mississippi. She was a gifted teacher at my school. She has since moved to another school, but I'm blessed because she is now my daughter's gifted teacher! Pat and I went through National Boards together and I'll never forget her tenacity. She worked so hard and did such a great job. I'm really proud of her. (BTW, she'll do anything for a friend. You can't beat that with a stick!)

Brandi H.- I met Brandi a few months ago. She was a university student that was completing fieldwork hours in my class. She has this incredible sense of humor. She cracks me up on a regular basis. Brandi was a great teacher in my class and really cares about the students. I'm sad that she's not with me anymore, but she'll be doing her internship at my school starting next week! I really like that she "gets" me. (After all, she suffered through watching Bon Qui Qui on YouTube with me and my continual references to this video....)

Kamille N.- I will never forget this woman. Ever. She and I met a couple of years ago and her child is now in my class. (I could tell you a story about our first meeting...hilarious!) She has the most contagious laugh and is so funny. And she loves. She loves her kid, she loves me, she loves her friends and family.....I don't know of anyone that hasn't met her and doesn't leave a better person. She and I always have the best time together. I'm glad she's my friend.

Tunisa R.- Like Kamille, I currently teach her son. She is a strong and independent woman that wants the very best for her children. She is one of those parents that you wish you had more of. She goes over work with her child, she asks questions if she doesn't understand something, and above all is an advocate for her children. I hope that her children know that's amazing. If they don't realize it now, I know they will someday. She's a wonderful person.

Susan J.- I met Susan this past summer at the Writing for Thinking Institute. My initial impression was that she was a quiet person. I was wrong. When Susan has something to say, it's important.... and you better listen. She has a great sense of humor and big heart. At first, I had a hard time connecting to people that summer. Not anymore. She manages to stay on top of people's Facebook statuses and comments. That means a lot because I know she's thinking of me.

Emily Z.- I don't normally call her Emily. I know and love her by her last name. Which is a shame since she's going to get married this summer and I don't know if I can use her married name. (It's a nice name but not nearly as fun to say as her current name.) Anyway, I don't think I have met a more kinder person in my life. She loves everyone. She helps everyone. And she's always happy. Happy to see you, happy to talk to you....happy. I'm so glad I get to work with her everyday. When I get down and out, she's the one that makes me smile.

Rachel S.- I am related to Rachel by marriage. Her dad is my husband's cousin. I met Rachel many years ago when my brother married my husband's sister. I tend to be kind of nervous around people I don't know...or for that matter, people I do know. I can clearly remember visiting her house and how Rachel and her mom made me feel so welcome. We talk some when I see her at family functions, but sadly this isn't very often. And that's too bad because she's one of the saner ones in my husband's family. :-)

So there you have it.....a rundown of my day and a little about some of the people in my life. There's nothing I can say except that I'm blessed. I have water at my house, a day off of work, and wonderful people in my life. It doesn't get any better than this.

Tropical Snow Day Memories

2010-01-06T19:25:00.003-06:00

I live in the south. Some would call it the deep south. It's cold here tonight--and I love it! For those of you just joining us (or those having a senior moment) I was born and raised in Key West, Florida. Its claim to fame is that it's the southernmost city in the U.S. Basically, it's the closest thing our country has to a tropical island. The average temperature is about 85 degrees year round. We'd get a couple of chilly days each winter. The locals would just put a hoodie on and still wear their shorts and flip flops. Classic.

Which leads me to today's topic....

So the inspiration for today's post is that it's incredibly cold here in Starkville and may cause schools to be closed either tomorrow or on Friday. (My call is that we'll have school....it's too much of a pain to make those days up.) I started thinking of what a snow day would entail here in Starkville. Since I've lived here, we've not had one. But......that doesn't mean I've never experienced a snow day....let me 'splain....

When I was a kid, none of the schools in our district had heat. Now that I think about it, not all of the schools had air conditioning either. My elementary school was built in the early 1900's and sported ceiling to floor windows. This is the old school version of air conditioning. Anyway, when I went to Horace O'Bryant Middle School, we were blessed with a more modern building and air conditioning. Still no heat though. Most people in Key West don't have heat in their homes either. I can remember when I was in sixth grade, school was closed due to cold temperatures. I think that prior to that, the record low temperature was around 45 degrees. I remember that it was bitterly cold on this particular day and with the wind, it was about 20 degrees with the wind chill factor. You may be thinking that this isn't any big deal, but I have to tell you that when you get cold weather in a place that is especially humid, it feels FRIGID. Anyway, they closed school because it was so cold and there wasn't any heat for us. I don't remember if we had to make that day up or not, I was just excited to have a day off from school. I remember desperately trying to see my breath in the cold, tropical air. It didn't happen. As a matter of fact, I remember that coming to Mississippi for Christmas vacation was a novel thing because I would be able to see my breath for about 2 weeks straight.

It's not really so novel now....I can see my breath in my car as I'm driving to work in the morning. And that's with the heater on. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I really enjoy the change in the season and I'd much rather be cold and add clothes than be hot. If I started removing clothes to get cool I'm sure I'd scare some people.

So tomorrow I'll let you know what happens in regards to the weather and any school closings. I'm putting my money on school being open but one can always hope for the elusive and magical snow day--with no school.

Welcome to the Liars Table

2010-01-04T19:30:00.003-06:00

So I went back to work today after two wonderful weeks off. I had two meetings, both of which were long. My total time to work in my classroom today?? About 40 minutes. In that short time, I was able to move student desks and make a couple of copies. After work, I went to the ENT for a checkup. All's well on the ear, nose, and throat front. The only bad news is that my hearing isn't bad enough to warrant a hearing aid. I believe this is the beginning of God's healing in this area. I'll keep you updated to my progress!

But on to today's blog topic: Old men eating breakfast

First, a little background. I'm a fan of breakfast, especially breakfast that is cooked and cleaned by someone else. This is interesting since when I was growing up, you'd have to hold a gun on me in order for me to eat eggs any which way. Luckily, I have grown out of this.

When I was younger, my aunt worked here in town at a local eatery....the Starkville Cafe. This restaurant is located on Main Street and is busy with its breakfast crowd and plate lunches. All kinds of people show up there. My aunt worked from 4 AM until around lunch time. She always had interesting stories to tell of the regulars that frequented the diner each morning. Her best stories were about a group of older gentlemen that ate at a table she called "The Liars Table." Apparently this was a title that the old men gave themselves. I guess they sat around and talked about fishing or the latest politics or town news. When I'd go there for lunch as a college student, I'd notice that each table or booth would seat 4 people. Except for a large table at the front. It could hold as many as 10 people. My aunt informed me that this was the Liars Table. A core group of men would show up daily and they would leave at different times, with new patrons coming in and taking emptied spots. The people changed but the conversation didn't. For the longest time, I attributed this to strictly Starkville behavior. Now that I've thought about it, I see that it's true everywhere.

When I lived in Key West, it was common for David and me (and sometimes my parents) to go out to breakfast on Saturday morning at B's restaurant. This was a nice, family owned restaurant that served the best Cuban food and breakfast sandwiches around. Sadly, it isn't there anymore. My parents went there so often that they never had to order. The waitresses all knew what they wanted and how they liked their cafe con leche. While there, I'd notice that my dad would shoot the breeze with different gentlemen that came in. Some of them sat and talked, some of them read the newspaper. All of them were old.

Sometimes during the week, I'd stop at the corner coffee stand to pick up a cafe con leche to get me going for the day. Literally, you'd walk up to what looked like a living room window on a corner store and it would open. A nice, old gentleman that spoke little English would take your order. While you waited, you could listen to the little old men in wife beaters sitting around on benches outside the window talking in rapid Spanish. It felt like they were always talking about me....but I'm paranoid so they probably weren't.

Now that I live in Starkville again, I've noticed other outcroppings of old men eating breakfast. My parents don't go to the Starkville Cafe on Saturday mornings...they go to Hardee's. And let me tell you, there are always large groups of old men sitting around and discussing the latest football game and how they'd have done it better. Sometimes, David, Raelynn and I join them. I enjoy the biscuits and gravy, not the old men's conversation. This morning, David and I went to breakfast at Huddle House before we went to work. We do that at the beginning of the school year on our professional days and again after Christmas. It's sort of our way of saying good-bye until the next long vacation. While there, we saw some old guys sitting around and leisurely eating and talking.

I think this is universal. My question is....where are the women? Are they at home in bed? Are they gathering somewhere? There are the things that I wonder about. Well....that and how to make my eggs over medium come out right. But I don't worry about it too much.....I have the nice folks at Huddle House take care of that for me.

Sunday-the last day of Christmas vacation :-(

2010-01-03T22:13:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone!

Today is the last day of my Christmas vacation. I go to work tomorrow. It's an interesting day....no kids...just meetings. It's a good way to ease into work again.

So here's what I did today:

*Set the alarm clock for 7 AM.

*Hit the snooze and sleep until 8:45.

*Got ready for church. Ate the last of the hot and cheesy black-eyed pea dip for breakfast.

*Went to church.

*Came home and made lunch for David and Raelynn.

*Worked on putting up clothes. I made a little progress--more to work on tomorrow.

*Went to Wendy's house and met her and Kathy and went walking. It was a cold walk. We went a mile and half.

*Went to eat with Kathy and Wendy (and their kids plus Wendy's mom, Helen) at Mugshots. I had water, a Walker burger and a house salad with ranch dressing.

*I came home and worked some more on clothes. Made a little more progress.

*Went back into town to meet Wendy (plus Sam and Katie) and saw New Moon-again. Don't ask how many times I've seen it. I think it may leave this week.

*Came home, showered, and now I'm blogging for you. Exciting stuff, right?

Okay, so here's the deal.....Until I get inspired, I'll be writing more of these posts that basically deal with what I've done that day. You can help but posting ideas that you'd like me to expand upon. Otherwise, I'm not responsible for how boring this blog gets.

Have a great day tomorrow!

A Quiet Saturday.....My Fave

2010-01-02T21:29:00.002-06:00

Hi fans! (All two of you...)

Today has been good. Very good. I woke up early, around 6:30 when Raelynn came in and asked to watch some TV. Of course, I told her she could since she's been on TV restriction for several months now. This is due to her math grades. We've been working hard so I caved today.

I slept awhile longer.....until 10ish. I spent the rest of the day washing, cleaning, organizing, grocery shopping....you know, the domestic stuff. Some days I can't stand it but today it was good. I've slowly been working on getting things cleaned up. Today, I took out everything from the refridgerator and cleaned. I threw out unidentified stuff.....it's nice to look at it. I've opened and shut the fridge door several times to see my work.

Last night, David and I watched Seven Pounds. Good movie. I'm hoping that I'll get caught up on my NetFlix viewing. Not sure what we'll watch tonight...maybe Bait Shop. Anyway, I cooked supper and now am blogging. Life is good.

Until tomorrow.....

Home Sweet Home

2010-01-01T16:18:00.002-06:00

We made it! We got home late last night. It was a long drive. Regardless of the length, I'm very glad to be home. I was visually assaulted with the mess of my house when I walked in. My sister-in-law keeps an immaculate home. When you stay in a very neat house for an extended time, you will physically hurt when you look at your own mess. This is where I'm at now. I've been trying to start slowly with the cleaning and organizing. I think I'll get there eventually.

We got up this morning after sleeping in (Raelynn did wake me up early but I was able to go back to sleep) and we went to town. We got some breakfast at Hardee's , then went to check on the practicality of getting rid of some dead appliances we have laying around. We then went to Walmart and got some groceries to get started for the week. After we came home, we all went on a nice 2 mile walk. The weather is cool but sunny. Great walking weather.

Right now David's dad is playing Scrabble with David. His stepmother is sitting in the living room watching a TLC show on morbidly obese people. I just finished some of my hot and cheesy black eyed pea dip. I got the recipe from a blog that I've been following for a couple of years. Super yummy.

At 5, we'll go over to my mom's house for New Year's Day dinner. I'm hoping into come home afterwards and keep working on the cleaning. I don't really believe in resolutions. I do have some goals for myself. Get healthy, take better care of myself, keep a neater and more organized home and classroom. Those sound like reachable goals.

Anyway.....here's to hoping that your 2010 starts with all that you love. I am blessed.

The Long Drive Home-Day 1

2009-12-30T20:23:00.003-06:00

We drove all day. We left bright and early this morning from my brother's house in Denver. My brother got up early and made us some cafe con leche. Very sweet! We stopped for just a minute at McDonald's.

Then we drove. And drove. And drove. We've stopped for the night here in Blackwell, Oklahoma. We ate lunch at a McDonald's in Kansas. For dinner, we ate a diner next to the hotel we are staying in now.

Tomorrow will be a long day. Thankfully, the weather has been cooperating. It's been cold but not icy. That's a good thing.

Good night all.....I'll let you know when I get back in Stark Vegas. It'll be good to get home and sleep in my bed.

Our Last Day in Denver

2009-12-29T18:38:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone!

Let's see....where did I leave off? I woke up early again (yes, thanks to Raelynn again) and got up. My parents and Raelynn were already up. In a few minutes, David came downstairs and joined us. My mom made fried egg, cheese, and ham sandwiches. Yummy!

My mom, sister-in-law Melissa, Raelynn and I went shopping. Before that was possible, we made a Starbucks stop. I got a caramel frappicino and Raelynn got a vanilla flavored milk. Melissa got something like a Dirty Chi without water and foam with an extra shot of something. Mom got a cold coffee drink.

After the much needed coffee run, we went to Barnes and Noble. I was looking for some things to pick up for Raelynn's birthday which will be in a few weeks. I found her several books that I know she'll love.

After the book store, we went to Hobby Lobby. I spent some money on discounted ribbon that I can't get at home. (Thanks to Walmart for getting rid of the crafts department!) I make teacher signs for their classrooms and decorative clipboards. I expanded my color palette so I should be good for awhile.

For lunch, we stopped at a place called Mimi's Cafe. Simply wonderful. I had the French onion soup and a turkey sandwich on some fancy bread with even fancier flavored mayo. It was delish.

After lunch, we came home and I've been on the computer ever since. I'm listening to clothes in the dryer, so I can fold when they are done. There are currently many butts in the kitchen. I think Melissa is making fajitas for dinner and it requires lots of support in the preparation department.

Tomorrow we leave to go home. There is supposed to be a really bad storm coming our way. I'm praying that we'll have a boring trip home.

Until then....

Day 8 In The Mile High City

2009-12-28T21:43:00.007-06:00

Today was a busy day. We did lots of stuff. Before I get into that too much, I should talk briefly about what we did yesterday after I blogged. Well, we didn't DO much, unless you call stuffing your face something to do. Last night, my brother went out and got 5 Brothers hamburgers and fries for everyone. It was some greasy and deliciousness.

Okay, so on to today's activities. I woke up early YET AGAIN (yes, due to Raelynn) but this time I managed to go back to sleep for a couple of hours. Eventually I got up and came downstairs. My mother, Raelynn, and my brother were up. My brother made cafe con leche for everyone and then my mother cooked egg, cheese, and bacon sandwiches. Yum-O!

Our first adventure today was to visit the Whole Foods Market. Yes, we visited a grocery store. But this isn't really like a regular grocery store. This place is huge and boasts that everything there is organic and eco-friendly. As we all know, this equals pricey. I had a real good time walking around and looking at all the stuff they sell. The produce department is incredible. Just the way they display the produce is so pretty. One whole side of the store is like this incredible deli. The cheese section is larger than the entire dairy department at WalMart. They have cheeses from every country and animal you can imagine. They also have places where you can order sandwiches, sushi, pizza, pasta, etc. Basically, people come from all over to eat lunch here. I had lots of pasta. It was delicious. Pricey, but good. This place was amazing to people watch in. The true tree hugger types are the ones that shop here. The grocery carts about a third of the size of regular grocery carts, and everything is at least three times as expensive. Just to clue you in, our lunch today cost around $36. And this was a grocery store. But anyway, I told my family that I had never seen so many examples of dreadlocks, nose piercings, and comfortable shoes in one location. It was a good time.

After our trip to the Whole Foods Market, we went to the Denver Museum of Nature and History. We walked around a lot and saw lots of cool stuff. We spent some time looking at the space display and saw some space rocks. We then went to the animal displays. We really were impressed with the size of the Alaskan brown bear. This beast is close to 5 feet tall when on all fours. It was huge. After looking at the exhibitions, we went to see an IMAX movie on the ocean. It was good. After the movie, we went real quickly to the Egyptian Mummy display. Very cool. After mummies, we went to the gift shop and Raelynn bought a bag of polished rocks. Guess what color all the rocks were? That's right, pink and purple. The only down fall of this part of the day's adventure was that my Meniere's was giving me fits and I was nauseated due to the vertigo. The very large movie screen didn't help this any.

For supper, my VERY generous brother and sister-in-law treated us to dinner at Benihana. They wanted to tell us they were proud of us for completing our masters degrees. It was so nice. When we lived in Key West, this would be the place we'd go when we celebrated anniversaries. Starkville now has a Japanese steak house but its not even in the same league as Benihana. I had Rocky's Choice. Yummy.

Now I'm at home. I've given Raelynn a bath and she is watching some movie with my mom and my little nephew Jayden. Jayden is 18 months and is totally adorable. He calls it a "Moo-bee." Too cute. The rest of the family is gathered in various places around the house and talking. Me? I'm sitting her blogging and thinking of all that needs to be done tomorrow. I'm sure I'll spend the day washing clothes and packing since we'll be leaving on Wednesday. I've had a good time but I'm ready to get home and sleep in my own bed. Going back to work....that's a totally different story.

Christmas Adventures in Denver-Day 7

2009-12-27T18:33:00.002-06:00

Today is Sunday. I woke up early again (side note here: Raelynn has woken at the crack of dawn and has woken me up in the process each day. I've been staying up late talking with family so I'm dragging. The only redeeming factor here is that I can take a nap--which I did today) and my mom made biscuits again at the request of Raelynn. My mom also heated up some leftover ham from Christmas, so those of us that were up enjoyed ham biscuits. My brother woke up earlier than he usually does and he made cafe con leche for us. This is something I miss from Key West. The only thing close to that at home is a latte from the local coffee house. Since it's on the other side of town and each cup costs like $5 I don't enjoy them often. My dear selfless brother makes coffee with his espresso machine twice a day for everyone in the house. I think if his gig as an electrical engineer doesn't pan out, he'd make a nice living as a barista. The past few days I've had coffee, I've shared it with David. This morning, I had a full cup. And by cup I mean really big cup. Several hours later, I was shaking as I coming off the caffeine high. A little nap cured that!

We went to my brother's church this morning for worship time. His church is really nice and for the most part, people here dress up for church. Now keep in mind that I'm the queen of comfort. Also, I don't own (or want to own) winter type clothes. Somehow the regular summer type clothes I wear to church would stand out around here. So, in preparation for that, I went and bought a dress in Starkville before coming here. I wore it today but it wasn't nearly as comfortable as I had hoped it would be. Part of the problem may also have been that I was wearing hose and high heels. These are two things that I really stay away from. Back in the day, I'd wear high heels because I thought it made my legs look good, and it did. (My legs and feet are probably my best physical features.) But when you get older, it just doesn't become practical. And I don't really care if anyone thinks my legs look nice now (but know that they do.) As for the hose, I find it very uncomfortable. I rarely wear them. I think I wore them at my wedding 14 years ago and since then have worn them about 3 times. Today I wore them because I didn't want to freeze. I wore the heels because I couldn't find a decent pair of winter type church shoes in Starkville. Also, I'm not fond of closed in shoes. My winter shoes that I wear to work are slides. I do have enough sense to know that slides (with a closed toe) don't look good with a dress. So, instead of buying new shoes that I hate, I thought I'd just use shoes that I hate that I already have. I saved a few bucks the way I see it.

When I got dressed this morning, I put on the hose and really quickly made a huge hole in one foot. Great. And wouldn't you know that I didn't pack the clear nail polish.. The good news here is that I got the extra large size so the hole never went anywhere. However, the down side is that the hose slowly started to congregate around my ankles. At one point, my niece was looking at my shoes and said it looked like my heels had straps. What? How did I manage to look like a retard? I thought I had planned for this.....I guess not. The church service was good and no one was pointing and laughing at me (this IS church after all) so I made it through. Know this though, I threw the hose away the moment I walked in the house and buried the shoes in my suitcase. Oh, and did I mention that I slipped and slid on the ice getting in and out of the car at church? Nice. At least I didn't fall. That would have been bad.

After church, my brother suggested we go to a restaurant called Spicy Thai. I've never had Thai food before, but surprise surprise it's basically Chinese food. I ordered something called Moon Harbor. I know, it sounds like a song, right? Basically it was ground chicken cooked with onions, peppers and you eat it with some rice on lettuce leaves like you were making a taco. It was pretty good. I like Chinese food, but given a choice, I'd chose something else.

After that, I came home and organized my stuff and Raelynn's stuff. My sister-in-law keeps a very tidy house and I'm sure that having all these people over here messing stuff up is killing her. I'm trying very hard to keep my area neat. After cleaning up, I took a short nap. Raelynn woke me again (but this time because David asked her to) and we went for a walk in the snow. It was pretty but cold. We walked to an area that in the summer has lots of prairie dogs living in it. I wonder where they are now. Do they hibernate? Do they go somewhere else? Who is enjoying watching them poke out of their holes now? At any rate, it wasn't me. Raelynn walked with us (me, David, and my sister-in-law Susan) and complained the whole way. One minute she's asking to play in the snow and the next she's complaining she wants to go back in the house. We did turn around when she said she was tired. I'm going to certainly get my money's worth out of the pink fuzzy snow boots that I bought for her.

Right now, my mother is sitting at the kitchen table reading a book. My dad, brother, and niece's husband,Tim are watching a football game. My sister-in-law Melissa is upstairs with Jayden, who I hope is taking a nap. David and Susan are sitting at the dining room table with me and playing Upwords. I haven't seen my nephew Christian in a little while so he's either not here or is hiding ( just found him....he's sleeping on the couch.) Raelynn moves from room to room and visits with everyone. My niece Sable is laying on the couch and taking a nap. She's currently 32 weeks pregnant and has been experiencing contractions at night. She's not feeling well. On a side note, Raelynn has named the new baby "Jim." She said this was a good name. Sable and Tim are leaning toward Paxton or Nathan right now. I think Raelynn is still going to call him Baby Jim.

It's a lazy evening. I think we may go out later to celebrate David and my completion of graduate school. Even if we don't you can bet that I'm going to blog about the food later. After all, isn't that what it's all about?

My Day at Colorado's Premier Retail Experience

2009-12-26T21:16:00.003-06:00

What you are looking at here people, is one mighty fine mall. Since I don't live near a mall, I take advantage of one (especially this one) when I come to visit my brother and his family. The day started early (again, thank you Raelynn). My mother made biscuits and we had them bright and early. While I ate, I watched it snow. Again. It was pretty. We've now gotten over 8 inches in the past 3 days. After a few hours, the rest of my retail therapy crew got up and we set off to the mall.

This mall is wonderful. From the front, it looks like a huge log cabin. It looks a lot like the Fort Wilderness Lodge in Disneyworld. It has all the stores that I enjoy and also is the home to The Cheesecake Factory. Yum!

It was packed. This is a true understatement. I think there were as many people in this mall today as there are in Starkville. I have some issues with crowds, but I managed to not have an anxiety attack. Once we plowed our way through the crowds, we went to the food court. I was determined to have a gyro. I can't get them in Starkville, so eating at least one while I'm here is crucial. I had to wait in a long line, but it was worth it.

After we ate, the unthinkable happens. My purse strap broke. I've blogged before about my search for the perfect purse. It's very similar to the process that you use when you are looking for a mate. This purse has served me well for over 2 years. And really, if you have to have your purse break, a mall is the right place for it to happen. My sister-in-law Susan and I traveled to a store or two and I quickly picked up a replacement purse. It's a good one.

We waded through the crowds and I visited all the stores that I love. I went to Sephora first. This is the place that I get my glitter eyeshadow and eyeliner. I bought some of both. After that, I went in search of my favorite perfume. This mall doesn't have a Perfumania, so we had to rely on the department stores. The first two stores did not carry my signature scent, Stella. The third stop to Nordstrom's paid off. Not only did I get the perfume I wanted, it was with a special holiday basket. Score! After that, I rewarded Raelynn by going to Borders and buying her a Fancy Nancy book that she didn't have. It was a Christmas book, so it was 50% off! Score! After my successes with purse shopping and acquiring my perfume, we went to the pretzel place and I had a yummy pretzel and lemonade. All in all, a good day.

For supper, we have eaten leftovers. Good food the second time around is still good food. 'Nuff said there.

I don't think I'll be doing any more retail therapy in Denver, since today worked out so well. When you have a perfect day of shopping, you should stop while you're ahead.

Tomorrow will be time for church and more family. I hope you all enjoy your day praising and worshipping our Lord.

Until then......good night!

Christmas in Denver-Day 5

2009-12-25T20:03:00.008-06:00

We had a big Christmas around here. For the most of the day, Raelynn showed great patience and restraint for an eight year old. As I mentioned yesterday, we didn't open presents on Christmas Eve like we normally do. My niece, Sable, and her family spent Christmas Eve with her husband's family. They came over around 9:30 this morning and a little while later, David's sister, Susan showed up as well. Melissa spent many hours slaving over Christmas dinner, which was fabulous. It was well into the afternoon before we did the present thing. Raelynn didn't bug me about it and she waited patiently. She got most of everything she asked for: Nintendo DS, two DS games, a book, a movie, and a Barbie. The other members of my family gave her several "artsy" gifts....ones I'm sure she'll enjoy when we get home. (I'm currently enjoying the DS!) She also asked for a puppy but I don't see that happening anytime soon!

I blogged last night and afterwards had quite the good time. David and Susan were sitting at the dining room table playing their 80th game of Scrabble and I was surfing YouTube with my sister-in-law Melissa. My brother Hugh is a computer genius and has wireless high speed Internet. I'm enjoying it to the fullest. Thus, my more regular posting. Well, that and the fact that I don't have any school work to do and I'm in a situation where I can't drive anywhere. Either way, we all benefit, but I digress. I stumbled upon Bud Light's Real Men of Genius ads on YouTube and I swear I haven't laughed so hard in my life. If you really want a good laugh, search for this on YouTube next time you're on. I think we were a little loud and disturbed David and Susan's Scrabble game.

As I mentioned earlier, my family did the name drawing thing this year. My brother drew my name. I was SO HAPPY with my gift. He got me a large Vera Bradley bag that I'll use for toting my school stuff back and forth. I've looked at this stuff before but haven't bought any myself. A week or two ago, I got a Vera Bradley lanyard at a Bunco game where we swapped gifts. Now, I'm the proud owner of two designer pieces. My brother picked out the pattern. It's called Purple Punch. It's purty!! Thank you Hugh! So my rundown is out of order, but here's the events of today:

I went to bed late and work up early last night. I had a horrible dream. I dreamed that Raelynn had been abducted. Usually when I have a bad dream, I can roll over and tell myself that it was a bad dream and that I should dream of something else. That didn't happen last night. I came downstairs in the dark to the living room to read a book or something, and in the process, woke up my mother's dog. Choo Choo started barking and I was afraid that he'd wake up Christian that was sleeping on the couch. So, I wandered back upstairs and went back to a dreamless sleep. I probably woke David up. I think he came to bed around 3:30 AM so he was tired either way.

A little while later, I got up and of course, my mother and Raelynn were already up. My mom made her delicious breakfast casserole and we all enjoyed that.

For Christmas dinner we had a Smithville ham, brussel sprout casserole (I know it sounds horrible, but it really wasn't bad for brussel sprouts), wild rice, green beans, congealed salad (I call this old lady salad) green salad, and rolls. For dessert, my sister-in-law made my grandmother's recipe for peanut butter pie and my mom made a pecan pie for my niece's husband, Tim. All the while, my brother Hugh was smoking a turkey and it turned out great.

After dinner, David and Raelynn went out to the nearest hill to the house and went sledding. It was cold so they didn't stay long. That and the fact that David said that he broke the sled. Afterwards, they walked home. I'm almost ashamed to say that I was sitting at the table playing "Makeup Artist" on Raelynn's DS. I mean, someone has to teach her how to play, right?

So now.....I'm watching my brother, my niece and her husband, and my sister-in-law play a game called "Huggermugger." I'm not quite sure how to play it but I think that Scrabble is getting old. Maybe I'll join in someday. I enjoy watching other people play board games as opposed to playing them myself.

Tomorrow, my mother, my niece, two of my sisters-in-law, and I will go to the Park Meadows Mall to take advantage of the after Christmas sales. I'm not really concerned with acquiring next year's Christmas decorations or wrapping paper at bargain basement prices. I'm more concerned with going to several stores and getting items I need but can't get at home except for online. Either way, this mall is wonderful. While there, I will get a gyro. They have a Greek place in the food court and since I can't get a gyro in Starkville, I take advantage of eating one whenever I can.

Overall, the day has been okay. I tend to get a little overwhelmed while around my extended family. And pretty much everybody else's extended family too. So far, there have been no meltdowns or freak outs. Let's be thankful for that!

Tune in tomorrow for more mindless dribble about nothing in particular. That's the best part of vacation!!!!

Tassie's Denver Adventure-Christmas Eve Edition

2009-12-24T18:45:00.003-06:00

First, let me start by saying Merry Christmas! This is truly a miraculous time of year and I hope it finds you healthy, happy, and surrounded by the ones you love. I know I am.

Today is Christmas Eve. Traditionally, this is the evening where we open gifts so the tree can be emptied for Santa's visit the next morning. Not this year. My niece, Sable, is married and is spending Christmas Eve with her in-laws. We'll be doing the present thing tomorrow morning. Santa will have to shove his presents around all the other ones already there. Should be fun, as it always is. I wouldn't be completely honest if I didn't say there was a certain amount of sadness that goes with Christmas. There's all this hype prior to the season and then when it gets here, it's like a big letdown because it's over so quickly and you have to wait another year to have another one. For some reason, as tacky as I am, I don't tolerate Christmas stuff outside of the season. Go figure.

Well, if you've been following, I left yesterday's blog with the pondering of when I'd go to sleep last night. I really thought that I'd go to bed like at 8:30 but I managed to stay up until 11. Not much different than a regular night except there were no papers to grade, no lesson plans to write, and no other school related work! Yay for me!

Today's rundown:

I woke up early (Thanks Raelynn) and then came downstairs. My parents and Raelynn were already here. My mom made fried egg sandwiches for everyone and slowly people started getting up. Jayden spent the night last night. His crib is in the same room as the one that Raelynn is sleeping in. I know she didn't get to sleep until after 11, so I was quite surprised that she got up so early. I don't get this.....her body clock doesn't seem to work during the school week. I literally have to drag her out of bed. On the weekends or during vacations, she's up with the first light. I think she was lonely and tried to wake up Jayden, but was quickly instructed on the evils of waking up sleeping babies.

I spent some time hanging around the house watching Raelynn hover around and play with Jayden. I think she is really enjoying having a smaller person around that she can interact with. She's there for each moment of his day: eating, diaper changes, bathing, playing....you name it. She makes a lot of noise in the process so about mid-morning I was looking for some Motrin. I didn't end up taking it because I went to Target!

Melissa (my sister-in-law), my mom, and I went to Target for some necessities. I bought some stuff to make some appetizers with and found Raelynn some pink fur lined snow boats. I enjoyed pushing the cart around Target. The only thing I bought for myself was a bracelet. After the Target trip, we went to Chipotle to eat. This place is amazing. I really look forward to it when I visit Denver. I did manage to find one closer to home this summer when I went on a shopping trip with some friends to Birmingham. The only way I can describe it is sort of like a Subway for burritos and tacos. The burrito you end up getting looks and feels like a brick. It's delicious.

When I came home, I ate my burrito and get Raelynn all dolled up to go outside and play in the snow. She had a good time tromping around the yard. The snow came up to the top of her snow boots. She made some snowballs and played until she got cold.

At some point, I got really sleepy so I went to lay down for a nap. That's one thing that I enjoy about vacations. If you stay up late and wake up early, you can always take a nap. David, Melissa, and Susan left to go shopping while I napped. David was going to buy a GPS, but the MicroCenter didn't have one in stock. He did come home with some snow boots. I didn't buy myself any at Target. There was no way I could afford boots for both Raelynn and myself. I've been using my mom's boots that she got for $7 at Hudson's Dirt Cheap at home. I've never been to that store, but that's another post for another day.

For dinner, Melissa cooked jambalaya, salad, and garlic bread. It was good and I don't even like seafood. After dinner, David, Susan (David's sister), Christian (my nephew), Raelynn, and I went walking around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. We usually take an evening at home and drive around and look at them, but things were so crazy trying to get ready to leave that we didn't get a chance. Tonight was fun. I don't know what I liked better: the lights or watching Raelynn tromp through the snow. Everyone else walked in the street where the snow was packed down but Raelynn managed to find each snow bank and plow her way through them. The lights were pretty cool too. The only "Denver-y" thing I found was that if you have snow on top of blinking Christmas lights, it looks very cool. I'm a big fan of Christmas lights. (This is one thing that I can tolerate year round.)

After the light watching, I gave Raelynn a bath and washed her hair. She's sitting in the living room with my parents right now watching something on TV. She didn't pick it out, so I can't imagine what she'll get from whatever crime show my parents picked out. I really should have put her in bed by now, but I'm hoping that if she stays up late, she'll sleep late too. I can dream, right?

David and Susan are playing their third game of Scrabble tonight. David amazes me in Scrabble. He really has problems with spelling at times, but manages to whip everyone in Scrabble. Hugh is in the kitchen making cafe con leche (Cuban lattes) and I'm not sure where Melissa is. Christian is wandering around the house. Me.....I'm sitting here typing away on the computer and loving every minute of the high speed wireless service that my brother has. How about you? What are you doing tonight?

Until tomorrow.......

Tassie's Denver Christmas Vacation-Day 3

2009-12-23T20:19:00.002-06:00

If you've followed this post from yesterday's post, the answer the question is: No, David didn't use his new snow chains today. I will freely admit ,though, that there were times that I thought we'd need to. We spent the night last night in Park City, Kansas. The hotel had a bed, a shower, a large screen TV, and WiFi computer service. You'd think I'd have nothing to complain about. Well, I do. The toilet did not flush. This was not a good thing. The only thing worse than my toilet at home overflowing is someone else's toilet overflowing while I'm on it. It did no good to explain. The people working the front desk didn't speak that much English. That's okay though, cuz when they go to clean up the room, they'll finally figure out what we've been talking about.

So the rundown:

We went to the free "continental" breakfast this morning at 6 AM. I'm not sure which continent this breakfast was referring to....I mean, usually there has to be food in order for it to be called "breakfast." We drove next door to McDonald's where we had dinner the previous evening. I had a Big Breakfast. That was a first for me. I'm more of a breakfast burrito person, but since Raelynn wanted a biscuit, I ordered that and shared with her. It will probably be the last time I order a Big Breakfast.

We got on the road early because we had watched the news and it looked like we'd be driving right thorough a really bad snow storm. I don't have issues with snow, I have issues with ice on the roads. We had plenty of that. Literally for 600 miles today, we drove on icy and snow packed roads. David did an excellent job and I am now recovering from the white knuckles that I sported for several hours during the worst of the storm.

We stopped in Oakley, Kansas for lunch at a truck stop. I had breakfast and I think everyone else did too. It was okay, but Huddle House at home was better.

We made several other stops, each with me holding my breath as we got on and off the freeway. Those ramps weren't as cleared as the main road. We counted at least 9 accidents on the way. All of them major. Thankfully, the Lord kept His hand on us and we made it okay.

Since arriving at Hugh and Melissa's house, I have toted all the luggage upstairs, taken a shower, eaten dinner (Melissa cooked chili), and now I'm blogging. I'm not sure how long I'll be up since the guys all tend to be card players and I don't. My niece Sable and her son Jayden are here and I think her husband Tim will show up soon. I don't know how Melissa handles the stress of having all these people in her house. She keeps her house neat and tends to her guests with a smile. I have to say that they are very giving and generous people.

So, my understanding is that all the snow they've had here in Denver over the last 24 hours will turn to ice tomorrow since the temperature will drop to the teens. I'm really wishing I had bought some boots. I always think I'll get some when it rains at home. Maybe now is the time to get them. After all, I did have to buy a new coat today at Walmart. It was in Kansas somewhere, I don't know the name of the "community." (It didn't look like a town but since it had a Walmart, I figure there must be some civilization somewhere.

Anyway, not sure what's in store tomorrow. Whatever we end up doing will be done at home. I don't think I'm ready to drive in the snow and ice just yet. If nothing exciting happens here, I may just go to bed early.

So the question to ponder for tomorrow is what time will I go to bed tonight? How many people will I bore with my texts tomorrow?

For the answers to these questions and more, you'll have to check back in tomorrow to find out.

Tassie's Christmas Adventure...Day 1 and 2

2009-12-22T22:06:00.002-06:00

Howdy folks!

Welcome to Christmas vacation! Woo Hoo!!! I'm hoping that being done with my master's courses (yay me!) will allow more time for more regular updating of my blog. Let's hope so!

So...let me get everyone up to speed on the background of my Christmas excursion this year. My husband's sister is married to my brother...brother/sister married brother/sister. It makes holidays very easy. We don't have to split up Thanksgivings or Christmases....we just have one large one together....except.....

My brother and his family live in Denver, and we live in Starkville. That's about 1,000 miles. Not an easy trip. A few years ago, we started alternating who went where for Christmas. For the last time or two, we've not gone to Denver. Stuff has gotten in the way. Mostly our classes and lack of money because of said classes. Now that we're both done, that is no longer an issue. So.....my parents, my nephew (my brother's son), David, Raelynn, and I are traveling cross country to spend time with the Denver fam.

We don't all fit in the same car due to all of the stuff that has to be moved. My nephew has been living at my parents' house for the last year and now we are moving him back to Denver. So we are caravanning. My parents and Christian went ahead of us yesterday and drove from Starkville to Fort Smith, Arkansas. We didn't go that far. We stopped in Helena, Arkansas and spent the night with David's Aunt James Helen. (Yes, that's her name....we've decided to call her "Aunt Sissy" for Raelynn. Aunt James Helen doesn't roll easily off the tongue.) We had a nice visit with her and then left her house on our way to Wichita, Kansas. My parents and Christian got here in the early afternoon. We had further to drive so we didn't get in until 6 or so. It didn't help that we spent 45 minutes driving in circles around Tulsa. Apparently, someone is having a grand time spending money on construction in Tulsa. The GPS system we borrowed from my dad (fondly dubbed "Dummy") didn't account for the detours. Neither did we. We kept trying to get on to the correct road but each ramp on to the freeway was blocked. David and his keen sense of direction got us out of Tulsa and we didn't have to stop for directions.

So, for other random stuff:

Yesterday, we ate at Aunt Sissy's house. She made homemade soup and bread. She doesn't have a TV, so David and Aunt Sissy played two games of Scrabble. I went to bed at 8:30. For breakfast, she made homemade biscuits and sausage patties. Yum.

For lunch, we stopped at a Cracker Barrel. I love this place. Whoever thought of this place was a genius. Shopping AND dinner? You gotta love it! I had a meatloaf sandwich and a salad. It was good.

For dinner, my parents, David, Raelynn, and I went to the McDonald's next to the hotel. (Christian didn't feel well so he didn't go.) Raelynn got to play in the large play area with some girls. I think this made up for the fact that the hotel's "indoor" pool is actually outdoors and we didn't get to swim. We made it back to the hotel where I watched The Biggest Loser-Where Are They Now? episode. Fun. I'm also taking advantage of the high speed wireless service at the hotel. Have I mentioned how much I hate STUPID dial up at home?

So tomorrow we're expected to drive right through a winter snow storm all the way to Denver. The high tomorrow in Denver is expected to be 23 degrees. But don't worry, it's a dry cold. That's what my brother always says in defense of living in Denver. He also says that everything is 15 minutes away in Denver. What he doesn't say is that Denver is full of crazy drivers that go very fast. Not something I enjoy.

So anyway, David is torn about the snow storm. On one hand, he bought snow chains for the truck in anticipation of a snow storm. Part of him doesn't want to drive in it, and the other part wants to try out the chains. Which part of him will prevail?

Tune in tomorrow to find out the answer and to learn more useless and random information about my Christmas Adventure.

Dear Santa, Here's What I Really Want For Christmas.....

2009-12-13T17:16:00.002-06:00

Hello world! Please know that I've missed blogging and my little life seems to have gotten more stressful that I could ever imagine. But that's no excuse. Thanks to Birdie Mae for leaving a comment and telling me to get off my duff and start writing again. (She didn't really say that but I feel that was the gist.) I don't think anyone really understands what a blogger feels like when someone leaves a post saying they read it. I like to believe that many people read my posts, but without a comment, I can't really tell. Okay, so enough of my excuses...on to the update and the topic of today's post.

First, I just found out last night that I made an A on my last course of my master's degree. This is huge for me. I've maintained a 4.0 GPA....of this, I'm very proud. I'm hoping that this will relieve some of the stress that I've been feeling, but the reality is that I'll just find something else to stress about. I'm not sure what that is right now, but I'm sure it'll be here before I know it. I just hope that I can continue to blog. Not that this is an excuse or anything, but having dial-up at home doesn't make it any easier to check email, blog, or surf the Web.

So....I've finished my master's degree. There's a few days until we get out of school for Christmas break and I'm really pretty glad about that. It's been a long year (and it's only half over.) The week I had off for Thanksgiving was much needed and so will the upcoming break. My family and I are traveling to Denver to visit my brother and David's sisters. (Side note...for those of you that don't know, David's sister is married to my brother. It makes for neat and tidy holiday gatherings. We don't have to share our time with anyone. We just all meet together.) Hugh and Melissa came last year, so now it's our turn. I don't really relish the idea of the very long drive and the possibility of getting snowed in. I don't mind cold weather, I just don't appreciate it when the weather cramps my style. I may not have anywhere to go, but at least I'd like the opportunity to go somewhere if I wanted to.

So today's topic......I have to moan and groan for a second. We're starting our third week without an ice maker. For those of you just joining us, I'm a total ice monger. When I was very small I remember having those little ice cube trays. First we had the metal ones that had a lever you pulled to break the ice and then we got the plastic ones. I hate ice trays. Sometime when I was growing up, we got an ice maker. That was the beginning of my ice monger ways. When David and I moved to Mississippi and we were furnishing our house, I had two requirements. One was to get a washer and dryer and the other was to get a refrigerator that had an ice maker and access to the ice through the door. I got what I wanted.

I've enjoyed having an ice maker at home. It's not often that you won't find me without a soda, water, or Crystal Light with ice in a cup near me. I'm not fond of hot drinks (I'll drink hot chocolate during the season occasionally and only a small teacup of coffee in the morning to perk myself up) and I really don't do room temperature drinks. I would never make it in Europe. I've been told that they don't really use ice over there. My ice mongering ways have even led me to have ice at school. When I taught in Florida, my school had an ice maker that teachers were allowed to access. I bought this HUGE Circle K cup that I filled with ice every day. I would then either fill it with water or transfer some ice to a cup and drink some diet soda.

When I moved to Mississippi, the school I currently work at doesn't have ice that's available to staff. I think that if I wanted some ice, they'd charge me by the small Styrofoam cup. So I do the same thing....add water to the ginormous cup or use the ice for a soda. I just get the ice from my house instead of at school. So fast forward to three weeks ago.

I woke up, got ready for the school day and then when fixing my breakfast, I reached into the ice maker to get some ice to go with my Crystal Light I was planning to drink while I ate breakfast. When I looked at the ice maker, I could see that the arm of it was not moving. It looked like it stopped moving before it made it all the way back to the bottom. In other words, it was broken. It took David a few days to look at it, since it seemed we had something going each night. He finally took it out and looked at it. Apparently he wasn't able to find anything obviously wrong with it. Not good. A few days later he took it all apart and did some diagnostic testing on it. He hypothesized that the motor wasn't working and then ordered one on the Internet. It took FOREVER to get here. (Like over a week!) David replaced it last night and it still doesn't work. He then pulled out the fridge to see if there was any blockage in the water pipes and cleaned off the filter. He also replaced the water filter too. Still doesn't work. We're about a week away from going to Denver so David won't be able to do anything until after Christmas break. He said that he would probably replace the whole thing. Let's hope that works.

So that leaves me in a quandary. I still require ice. For home, I've bought a couple of bags of ice and put them in the ice tray. This lasts me for a couple of days. For school, I stop at the gas station for a cup of ice each morning. It's a pretty large cup and it costs 59 cents. You can't beat that. I put the cup in the fridge at school that I keep cold enough to keep the ice frozen. So far, my plan is working out. All I can say is that if this was summer, I would have had a freak out/melt down by now.

So, if you have any pull with the big guy in red, please mention to him that I'd like a commercial grade ice maker. For my house. Really. I would ask him myself, but I have a phobia of store Santas (that's another post for another day.)

Hard Work Pays Off In The Future-Laziness Pays Off Now

2009-11-28T15:34:00.003-06:00

I used to hate sitting around and doing nothing. I can remember when David and I were first married, I would get up on Saturdays at the crack of dawn and couldn't lay around in the bed. I've since gotten over that. I say all this to mean that I've enjoyed this week. I've needed it on many levels. I've relished the decadence of nothingness. I don't need a million things to do to feel accomplished. My only regret is that I went the whole week and didn't stay in my pj's all day one time. I've spent the time watching TV, going to see New Moon, hanging out with my friends and doing the occasional domestic chore. Monday is looming ahead and I'm so not ready to go back to work. Anyway, I'm going to go now....the couch is calling me and I don't want to disappoint.

Happy Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-24T13:58:00.003-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving! This is my favorite time of year. I love the fall weather, I love Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I enjoy the festive spirit that comes with them both. Another special reason I love fall is because my wedding anniversary falls in that time frame as well. Today is our fourteenth wedding anniversary. Where has the time gone? It's getting harder and harder to remember my life before David. I'm thinking that's a good thing. We're planning on going to Anthony's restaurant in West Point tonight. I've never been there but a few friends have sworn that it's the best. We'll see.

So an update of sorts is needed. Here ya go in no particular order:

1) I am out for Thanksgiving break and boy am I thankful. When I was in Florida, Thanksgiving break was only two days of that week. Since moving here to Mississippi, my Thanksgiving is now a week long. I am so thankful for this.

2) I'm in the downward slope in my last graduate class. I have one group project to present on November 30 and a final on December 7. Yahoo! I'll be so glad when this is over!

3) We (my parents included) are traveling to Denver to see the rest of our family for Christmas. I'm not a fan of not being able to get around town when I need to. Not that I would actually do any of the driving but still.....I'd like the option. I don't get excited when my brother or sister-in-law tell tales of getting snowed in. This does not bode well. I've started worrying about this now. Why wait to worry when you can do it now?

4) I really enjoyed watching New Moon. My friend Wendy, a fellow Twilight addict, got some tickets for the midnight show Thursday before it opened on Friday. I enjoyed myself greatly. I went the following night at 7 and liked it then too. I plan on going again tomorrow. This movie is great. The book is great. Have I mentioned that I liked this movie?

5) I'm sitting in my robe right now and it's 2:15 pm. I love the fact that I can do that. I was dressed earlier when David and I went to Lowe's to get stuff to replace the kitchen light fixtures, but now that I'm home, I can be lazy if I want to. I love vacations.

6) David has done some repairing during the break. He's working on the truck so we can take it to Denver and in the process, he snapped off some isolator bolts and the pieces fell into the engine. Never fear, he was able to get them out. We are now waiting for the new parts to be delivered again.

7) I am looking forward to Thanksgiving Day. My family and I have lots of traditions. I think everyone has them. Here are ours:

* Mom makes an incredible breakfast casserole and we go over in the morning to eat some.

*We watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Raelynn enjoys this.

*Dad then watches football.

*My mom and I work on dinner. She does 99% of the work. She makes the turkey, the dressing, the veggies, the pie.....all I do is make the deviled eggs (I have the world's best recipe...ask anyone that's had them) and I make dip for the raw veggies. Basically we graze on veggies and dip, cheese, and pickles until we eat in the afternoon.

*We then eat until we feel sick. Later in the evening we make wonderful turkey sandwiches. My dad and others will get together and play cards in the evening.

Well......I think that's about it. I'm sure there is more that I'm forgetting but I've got the time to post again if I remember. I'm on vacation, so I've got time.......

It's Finally Here!

2009-11-18T21:33:00.002-06:00

Isn't this a great movie poster? I love it so much that it's the wallpaper on my computer and I now have a t-shirt with this image..(Thank you Wendy!!!)

I've been waiting for this day for a long, long time. I've been anxiously waiting for this movie since the first movie, Twilight, came out last November. I'm embarrassed to tell you how many times I saw it at the movie theater....Wendy knows that number (she was with me most of those times) and then of course, I've watched it a million more times since it came out on video. I have to say here, that if you were to judge the Twilight movie simply on its own merits away from the book, it wouldn't be my favorite movie at all. Knowing the series like I do, I can't help but love it. Even with all the mess ups that I caught the first time I saw the movie and didn't have to wait for Internet Movie Database to update. It is/was a classic.

So here's what's on my schedule......

-Go to school and teach.
-Hurry home and try to take a nap. I'll have Raelynn with me so I doubt that will happen.
-Get up and take a shower and then head over to Kathy's house.
-Enjoy some great company while watching The Office at 8.
-Watch Twilight and enjoy a small New Moon party with some great friends.
-Leave Kathy's house to wait in line forever to go to the midnight showing of New Moon with hundreds of loud, crazed teenagers. I just hope I'm not sitting in the front row.
-Come home and try to sleep for the remaining 2 hours before I have to get up for school.
-Try to make it through Friday without passing out.

Sounds like quite a list, but I'm up for it.

Did I mention that I'm going again to see New Moon on Friday night with some teacher friends? I know, I've got a problem..... I've got a fever and the only prescription is more New Moon!

Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler...

2009-11-14T13:56:00.010-06:00

Howdy people!

Did you miss me? I know I certainly missed blogging.....Good news....I passed my comps and my last graduate class is almost over. Finally, I'll be able to breathe...and blog.

So I went into work today. Doesn't sound unusual, right? Today is SATURDAY!!!!! Did I mention that I don't get paid for Saturdays? Even so....I can't work Monday through Friday if my classroom is such a mess. You'd think that I'd spend some time daily to clean, but believe it or not, I don't have time. When the kids are here, I'm all about them. Their learning, their issues, their problems, their papers.....you get the picture. So I'm here on a beautiful Saturday and cleaning up. As I'm doing so, I've reorganized my staplers. Yes, that's right...I said staplers, as in I have more than one. There is a reason for this.

Let me 'splain......

See, to teachers, there are several office supplies that one can't do without. Tape dispenser, glue, paperclips (I prefer the silver jumbo size but that's a different post for a different day), White Out, Sharpie markers, rubber bands......you get the picture, right? Of all of these supplies, I am the most protective of my staplers. Looking at my desk right now, I see that I have 6 staplers on or near my desk. Each has it's own purpose and it's own place. I have this lovely purple basket that I keep them lined up in.....so cute. Anywho...you must be wondering about my loyalty to staplers, so I thought I'd do a lineup for you so you can see just a little that goes on in my head.

I would be terribly remiss if I didn't start off by giving major homage to Milton, from the movie Office Space. Here is a guy who spends his time mumbling and basically creeping everyone out but his best line in the movie is , "Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler." It doesn't sound so great at first, but imagine a psychopath mumbling that all day. Classic. Watch this movie if you get a chance. I think the missing stapler was the straw that broke his back....I won't spoil it for you, but Milton gets back at the company for taking his beloved stapler. And the truth is....I can see his logic. Once you've had a great stapler, you can't go back.

I'll start with the stapler that I like the least. I have a Stanley Bostitch stapler in my basket that I got from some school supply catalog. It doesn't work so well. That's why this is the stapler that I let the kids use. I love my students but if something has the capacity to break, they will find a way to make that happen. Frankly, I consider this stapler disposable. I will lose no sleep if I have to throw it out.Next would be the reliable Swingline. I have two of these. They are very hearty. One of them I got from a school supply catalog and the other was given to me by one of my favorite people, Kathy S. She and her husband own Copy Cow here in town and hooked me up with some sweet school supplies last year. I use these staplers when I want to put together 3 or 4 sheets. These are also the staplers I use when putting up my bulletin boards. They open really well. They rarely jam and I don't let the kids use them.

Next on my list is the ergonomically correct Bostitch upright stapler. This one feels good in your hand when using it. I'm guessing that's why it's ergonomically correct. This one I bought from K-Mart when I lived in Key West. It's been around a few years and is still trusty. In its old age, it does stick every once in awhile but all in all, it's a good stapler. This is the one that most grown-ups reach for when using a stapler in my room-kids aren't allowed to use it.Next on my list is the Paper Pro. This thing is amazing. It will staple like 20 sheets with just one finger and with very little pressure. It's a great medium weight stapler. I find that I don't use it much anymore because I'm either stapling 2 sheets of paper together or it's 60 sheets. I bought this stapler myself at Wal-Mart several years ago and used it mostly to staple students' weekly graded papers. It didn't work so well at times because I had more than 20 sheets to staple. One other drawback to this stapler is that it doesn't work so well on 2 sheets of paper. It staples with such force that often, it will lose the top sheet because the staple hole it made is big. It basically staples through the paper. I hate when the kids sneak this one off my desk because not long after they've stapled their 2 sheets together, I'm not finding the top sheet. But I still wouldn't give it up.

This is my all time favorite stapler. This is the one that if I lost it or it was broken, I'm positive that I would shed tears over it. This is the One Touch from Staples and it cost me something like $40. I didn't want to pay that much at the time, but I've not regretted getting it. This is the Mack Daddy of all my staplers. This one is advertised as being able to staple 60 sheets with one finger and minimal pressure. I'm here to tell you that it can staple more than 60 sheets. The only time I use this stapler is when I'm putting together the weekly graded papers for my students. It's so special that I don't have it in the basket on my desk. It sits in its own place on the shelf behind my desk. This is to insure that no one randomly reaches on my desk and helps themselves. I wouldn't want to be the kid that picks this stapler up from its place. There's no telling how I would react. It's truly a thing to behold.

Well, that's about it. I think I have about 5 more staplers than the average teacher. But now that I think about it.....when have I EVER been average? Answer....never.....that's why I have 6 staplers and if one of them is missing, I'll be walking around the building saying, "Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler."

Gimme a Woot Woot and a Yeehaw!

2009-11-03T20:03:00.002-06:00

This was me today. Except for the fur and whiskers. Today, I took my oral comps. I submitted the written portion a couple of weeks ago and today I had to go in and present my paper. Through much prayer and the grace of God, I passed my comps, both written and oral. And can I just say....I'm so glad that's over! I'm still taking a class with some tests, papers, and projects due but I'm definitely on the downward slope. Thanks for all the positive thoughts and prayers. They matter. God is good and He delivers. Now I'm hoping to get caught up on schoolwork (grading papers, etc) and have more time for blogging. See ya soon!!!!

Welcome Great Pumpkin!

2009-10-25T18:54:00.002-05:00

Do y'all remember the Halloween Charlie Brown special? I can remember watching it each year with joy. This, of course, was before we had VCR/DVD's and everyone could own a copy. You saw it once a year and you made sure you watched it, because it couldn't be Halloween without it. The same went for the Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, and Easter specials. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown comes on TV on Tuesday. I'm hoping to see it with Raelynn. David's not really a fan but he endures it for us.

Lots going on this week....gotta get caught up on all my school work and start working on my presentation for my comps. In addition, I now have another paper and project due for my current class......I'm so ready for this to be over. I don't think I'm going to bite off anything major for awhile. If I do, kick me.

Going to a couple of Halloween parties this weekend. Raelynn has been invited to a friends birthday party (always with a Halloween theme) and then on Saturday, Raelynn and I are going to Wendy's house and going trick or treating in her neighborhood and then party at her house. I really like Halloween parties....I've not been to many, but the best ones have kids at them.

Think of me this week as I try to get more work done.....I'm hoping to be sitting in the pumpkin patch waiting for the Great Pumpkin, because I know that my pumpkin patch is the most sincere.

Nervous Breakdown? My Life as Usual? You decide.....

2009-10-20T19:27:00.003-05:00

This could be me. It's only Tuesday and I've already had two meltdowns. Thankfully, neither of them were in the presence of children. My poor friends have had to deal with the nervous wreck that I am. It's just getting to be a lot for me right now. Comps are due tomorrow. Then I have to create a presentation for them. After that I have to present them. There are dryer sheets all over my house and I can't remember the last time I cleaned. Graded papers don't seem to be getting done any quicker and the daily stresses of teaching the youth of America do not seem to be getting much easier. Apparently I'm the original miracle worker and I didn't know it. Wish I got paid like I made miracles happen. I bet David Blaine and Chriss Angel get paid more than I do. Anyway, back to the grind.....someday soon my life will return...until then, I'm just a big hot mess and I appreciate you all for sticking with me.

I'm Just Sayin' Is All...........

2009-10-17T10:45:00.002-05:00

I'm going to try to keep this post short. It's a beautiful fall Saturday and I'm sitting in the MSU library to study for a midterm exam I have on Monday. I also need to work on finishing up my papers for my comps which are due on Wednesday. Now that I think of it, I'll need to write some sub plans for Wednesday, since I plan on falling out right after I send my stuff in for comps. After that, I'll need to prepare a power point presentation for my oral comps......ughhhh....

When I woke up, I felt pretty good...the weather outside is beautiful......I think it's currently in the low 50's and the sun is shining. That may not be entirely true since I'm sitting amongst all the "Inactive Reference Materials" nowhere near a window on the fourth floor of Mitchell Memoria Libary. I wish I could be outside. This weather is one of my favorite things about Mississippi. In Key West, all we had was summer and I'm not really a big fan on heat.

So I went to Huddle House for breakfast (alone) since David and Raelynn went to his dad's house to help David's dad haul wood. David's dad cuts and sells firewood, and this is his busy season. Raelynn is going because I can't concentrate on my studies when she's running around. (I don't think facebook and blogging helps either...) I ate some breakfast, got some soda in a "to go" cup and headed to the library. I walk in and the smell of it hits me everytime. All libraries smell the same. I'm convinced it must be because of the books.

The first draft of my stuff for comps is done...all I have left to write is the reference pages and then go back and check my stuff to see if it all matches the APA format. Fun. Today my focus is to read and summarize 7 chapters in my textbook to prepare for this upcoming test.

Things are pretty stressful. For some reason, I feel sad. Probably from being cooped up in this library for so long. In just a short time, this will all be over and I can breathe again. Anyway, I just wanted to check it with everyone and let you know that I am still here. Please continue to pray for me.......I'm having a hard time staying focused.

It might be all the books....I don't know.....I'm just sayin' is all.........

Lord, please finish the good work you started in me

2009-10-14T08:15:00.002-05:00

I liked this shirt. Only...I'm not "pretty sure" prayer works...I know it does. As I am working on my comprehensive finals for my graduate work and preparing for a midterm, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I want to give God the glory for the work He has done in me. I know that I cannot do this myself, that I must lean on Him for wisdom and understanding. I don't always remember that. There are many "marbles in the jar" as David would say. The daily stresses of teaching, the task of raising a responsible child, and doing a decent job in my graduate work seems like a daunting task. I know that with prayer, and God's mercy and grace, I will prevail. Please pray that I'll get through this with good scores and that I keep my wits about me. Thank you!

My New Digs

2009-10-12T17:17:00.002-05:00

This is my new home, Mitchell Memorial Library on the lovely campus of Mississippi State University. I'm on the third floor at a table in the back hall near the restrooms if anyone wants to visit. This will be my home until after I finish my comps and studying for my midterm. It's not the worst place to be but it sure isn't home.

Please pray for my wisdom and endurance during this trying time. And when you hear me say that I want to do something that most definitely is huge and stressful, just kick me. You'll know where to find me.....sitting at this table on the third floor of the library.....buried alive under books and notes.

Buried Alive

2009-10-10T13:12:00.003-05:00

This isn't me, although it feels like it. I'm currently hiding in the MSU library "studying" for my comps (comprehensive finals for all of my graduate work) and for the massive midterm in the class I'm currently taking. I feel under lots of pressure and stress. I know, I know, nothing new for me but still....I'd like to feel like I'm not going to stroke out every couple of minutes.

This is coupled with the daily stresses of my life. Work has gotten even more demanding, if that's even possible. I'm not given any more time or money in which to make these miracles happen....I'm just supposed to make it happen. I feel pretty strung out right now. I have a huge stack of papers that are needing grading right now.....and I don't think it's going to get done today. Geesh.

So anyway, I need to get off of here and get back to studying. I'm gonna need lots of time to find my way out of the sand.........

Pray for me.

Dear Reader, do you miss me? Check yes or no.

2009-10-02T21:13:00.002-05:00

I've been busy. This is the story of my life. The alternative (death) doesn't sound so good, so I'm going to be thankful that I have lots of people and things in my life. I am grateful, but also curious....how can I get everything done that needs to be done?

Things currently on my to-do-list:

*grade papers
*make southwestern salad and rueben casserole for David's family reunion tomorrow
*go to David's family reunion tomorrow
*grade papers
*go to the MSU/Georgia Tech football game with Kathy, my dad, and my nephew
*try not to upset Kathy by implying in any way, shape, or form that MSU may lose the game
*grade papers
*wash clothes
*fold clothes
*put clothes away
*grade papers
*watch the three Netflix movies that have been sitting on my coffee table for two weeks
*start studying for my mid-term exam
*start working on the impending comp questions
*did I mention grading papers?

Love you guys but I gotta go and make the food for tomorrow. I'll do it while watching "Project Runway." I love this show!

An Update of Sorts

2009-09-28T19:20:00.002-05:00

So basically, this post is just to update you....I'm dealing a little better with the stress. I'm still feeling it, mind you, I just think that I'm dealing with it better. My presentation for my college class was tonight and I'm glad that's over. I'm not sure how I did, but it's over and that's what's important. I'm just bracing myself for the stress to come....my comps and midterm happen at the same time. Not fun. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

An Abundance of Rain- In More Ways Than One

2009-09-26T17:46:00.003-05:00

CAUTION: This post may not be cheery. Those of you that love me will read it anyway. For those of you that are cruising the Internet looking for something to put a smile on your face, well, this probably won't. Anyway, read it if you want.....just don't say you weren't warned.

So.....It's been raining EVERY DAY here for like three weeks. On a good day, we'll get a sprinkle but for the most part we've had storms where the bottom falls out and it goes on and on and on. The ground is really saturated right now and all the rain just means that there are standing pools of water everywhere. Extra water means mosquitoes. The other day I was in the barn with David talking and was watching it rain (of course) and as I looked at the overhang of the roof, I literally saw a huge swarm of mosquitoes. They were thick all down the length of the barn. I think I got 3 or 4 bites in the short time I was there. I don't like mosquitoes. I don't mind the rain, as long as I don't lose electricity or phone and cable service. Interestingly, I think the rain makes me want to go out and do something instead of staying home. Now, don't get me wrong, I like to stay home....I don't need a storm to motivate me to do that. I'm good laying on the couch for hours at a time. But after awhile, you just get TIRED of the rain. I'm not really wanting it to return to being sunny, I'm actually ready for some cooler weather. You see, us larger ladies need it cooler so we don't get so hot doing normal stuff like breathing. I know, I sound bitter.

I hate when I get to feeling this way. I don't really want to call anyone and complain about it....no one wants to hear me go on and on when they've got their own stuff to deal with. Mostly, I just want to eat and sit on my couch and watch TV. Not very productive, but it can be very cathartic for the soul. When I get to feeling this way, I tend to spiral downhill quickly. It's very easy to wallow in self-pity instead of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and finding the good in it all. Not that you need any thing to make you feel worse than you do, but here are some of the darker thoughts that keep me up at night lately. Any suggestions or solutions are always appreciated.

1) I'm fat. I am ready for cooler weather but not ready to go to work in my underwear. What that means is that my district has adopted a new dress code and I can only wear jeans on Friday. I have several pairs of Capri pants that have gotten me through the first couple of months of school, but when it cools off some, I won't have any pants that fit. I hate buying clothes for a stupid reason like that. If everything fit and I had nothing I liked to wear, that would be a problem I could feel good about. Basically, I see my weight issue as a mountain that I don't think I can climb. The equation for losing weight is simple.....burn more calories that you ingest. (This isn't original...it's the gospel according to Jillian on The Biggest Loser.) It's sad that I know this and still am fat. You see....I love to eat and hate to exercise. I don't like sweating. I don't like getting hot. And food, all kinds, tastes so good. It's almost like eating has become my therapy and hobby. It's a cycle I need to break and it should have been done long ago.

2) I'm old. I'm thinking that the alternative to getting old would be that I'd already be dead. I AM thankful that hasn't happened yet. When I look at myself in the mirror, I see signs of aging that I didn't notice before. I look around in this town filled with college students and I feel like I should be walking with a cane or something. There's really nothing I can do about this issue, but it dovetails nicely into number three.

3) I don't take care of myself like I should. I don't mean anything really harmful or anything....just the superficial stuff life using lotion daily so my skin won't get all ashy and dry. Plucking my eyebrows more often than once a month....exfoliating my feet so they don't get dry and cracked, have an extensive cleansing and moisturizing routine for my face..... Whiten my teeth...go to sleep at a decent hour....stop drinking coffee and diet sodas....eat healthier.....weigh myself more often....write down what I eat..... I think you get the picture.

4) My job is becoming more and more stressful. For a long time, I thought that basically this was just all in my head. I tend to over think things and take everything way more personally than I should. I tend to feel guilty about everything and blame myself for things that go wrong. You know the drill....it's so much easier to beat yourself up than to beat someone else up. I'm the kind of person that tends to blame myself instead of finding blame in others. It's a very self-destructive way of thinking. But back to the job.....the details aren't really that important, but I now feel that it literally is becoming more and more stressful and demanding even without my already stressful nature. I literally feel like I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I don't see it getting any better any time soon. Things in education tend to run in cycles and this is one loop that hasn't made it all the way around yet. I just hope and pray that I'll have enough steam to keep going.

5) My daughter is growing up and isn't a baby anymore. I'm sitting here typing and she's sitting on the couch, reading out loud. I think back to the days of when she was a little baby and I just held her in my arms and imagined her future life. Those days are so fleeting....I really enjoy her at this age like I have at all her stages....but lately she seems to have grown more than she should. It feels like she's going to be leaving home for college soon. Luckily, we live in a college town so when this time comes, I'll have her close by. At least that's the plan.

6) There are many bad habits I need to break. I don't clean my house NEARLY as much as I should. I was telling a friend the other day that there are dishes piled in my sink and dryer sheets all over the house. I like neat and organized things. In the summer when I don't have work to go to, I actually enjoy doing the cleaning around here. Right now, just the thought of it makes me tired. And if you've read any of my last 50 status updates on Facebook recently, you know that I'm tired. I don't put things back where they belong and then get frustrated with myself when I can't find something. That makes no sense at all. Why can't I just put things back where I got them from? (This of course is assuming that I had it in the correct place to start with.) There are other habits not worth mentioning but they all pretty much stem from my cluttered way of doing things. I just don't think I have the energy to be uptight about cleaning....I don't have enough energy to spare.

7) Graduate school is slowly killing me. I am currently enrolled in my last course before I graduate in December. In the next week or so, I'll receive my questions to my comprehensive finals.....all the while, preparing for a midterm in a class that has SOMETHING due every single time we meet. The class isn't interesting and the professor doesn't really do a good job. I see October as being the perfect storm. Comps...midterm (all essay questions, no books or notes)...and the daily stresses of my day job are pulling me in more ways than I can express. I feel like that doll, Stretch Armstrong.

As I read back over this, it sounds real depressing. Please know that there are things in my life that I am so grateful for....my God, my husband, my child, my parents, my friends, and the fact that I'm employed and have a roof over my head. I am loved my many. Every once in awhile, you need to see that you're doing a good job...that you're doing everything you can...and that it's going to all be okay....that people appreciate everything you do...that the work you do is important.....

This is where I am....looking for reassurance that I'm loved and that it's all going to be okay. Thanks for taking the time to read this....even though I can't see you....it does mean a lot to me.

I is tired....and I work too hard.

2009-09-19T14:08:00.002-05:00

So it's been awhile......It seems like this school year has been off to a busy start. I'm hoping that sometime soon I'll be able to come up for air. There seems to be much to do and little time in which to do it. As a result, I stay tired. It's a horrible feeling when you just always want to take a nap. There's just no way I can get all the sleep I need without it cutting into the million or so things that need to be done.

So what's been going on, you may ask. The answer: lots. Nothing Earth shattering, just the ordinary things that fill up my days.

*School: This takes up 90% of my time. The amount of papers I bring home to grade never seems to get any smaller. It's like a continual snowball rolling down the mountain side. Sooner or later, you'll get run over by it if you can't stay ahead of it. I'm just a hair ahead of it and can feel it closing in on me. The other things I have to do at home related to school is to call parents, plan lessons, and do research on the computer for upcoming units. While at school, the amount that I'm being asked to do increases each year. I'm not given any more time or money to do these things.....I'm just supposed to make miracles happen. We currently have 7 computer programs to manage....6 of them are to help the kids and the other is a program I have update frequently that parents can access at home. This program allows parents to see that day's lessons, view daily homework, and see their child's grades. This is in addition to the lesson plans and grades that I have to keep record of on paper. This is double work for me since I already send home students' graded work each week and students graph their results for easy averaging. My newsletter also includes the week's content that we'll be learning. While at school, I'm finding it hard to get all my teaching in. My schedule this year isn't so great. After all the moving around and pull out classes, I have my student for about 3 hours a day. During that time, I'm supposed to teach math for 75 minutes a day, reading for 60 minutes a day, 45 minutes on language and writing, and 45 minutes on science and social studies. In addition to this, I'm supposed to counsel students with problems, help students learn to get along with people they can't stand, nurse their wounds, and teach character education lessons. I'm supposed to challenge students that are bright, remediate for students that have deficiencies, and keep everyone motivated and interested. All. at. the. same. time. Not an easy job. People that tell me what an easy job teaching is, haven't walked in my shoes.

*Graduate School: I'm currently enrolled in my last college course before I get my master's degree. I'd like to say that I've learned something new, but I haven't. My main motivation is to earn more money. I won't start seeing that money until next school year. The class isn't interesting and I don't know anyone in the class. The professor doesn't seem to know what she's doing, but gives off the haughty air that she does. Every single class I have something to turn in....article summaries, a paper, a presentation, or a test. Total bummer. On top of this, the class starts at 3 and I'm not out of school until 3:30. I have to farm out my students to get there on time. There's really no time to clear my head from the stresses of the day before class starts. I just have to stick it out until December.

*Other: that's pretty much everything else that fills up my days. Running errands, washing clothes, cleaning the house, watching TV, spending time with my friends. You know....the little stuff that makes up life. There's lots of that swimming around too. Of course there's always David and Raelynn......and I'm ashamed to say that I don't spend near enough time with them doing anything of consequence. I'm still trying to figure out if that's because of what's going on in my life or if that's just who I am. David is wonderful....a great father, great husband, and all around good guy. He puts up with me, so I can't complain. And Raelynn....well, she doesn't have a choice. Thankfully, she thinks I'm great.

Even though I'm stressed, I'm not unhappy. There are things that I don't like about my job, grad school and the other details of life that bother me, but all in all, I'm pretty blessed. I'm not sure how to get everything in and make everyone happy in the meantime.

Anywho....kind of a dull and depressing post. Sorry about that. I'm hoping that soon I'll get some sleep and I'll be able to return to my usual self. I'm not sure who's currently here, but she yawns a lot and can get kinda cranky.

Have a great one.....

Tassie

No, I'm Not Dead, But I Feel Like It's Close.....

2009-09-05T21:30:00.003-05:00

Hello blog fans (all two of you!)

Sorry it's been awhile since I posted. This is the beginning of school, so there's always a lot of things that need to be done and finding my niche in the schedule. So far, I've been busier than normal and the niche is nowhere in sight.

So, what have I been up to?

1) School work: This includes grading papers, teaching, calling parents, and doing lesson plans. This takes up 80% of my time. I spend another 10% of my time thinking about school and how I should be doing some school work. On some level, I work 365 days a year. I only get paid for 186.

2) Griping about grocery stores: Have you ever been to the store and randomly found an item that you've never tried and you try it...then only find later that you can't find that item anymore? It's like the item you're looking for was in a mirage. Our town has three grocery stores: the evil Wal-Mart, Kroger, and Piggly Wiggly. For some reason, none of the stores carry all the items that I require and those that I do sometimes disappear. Case in point....at Piggly Wiggly I found Wickles (deliciously wicked pickles) and while shopping I found some crispy, pickled green beans. I went through that jar and when I went back to get some more, there were none to be found. Not even a place on the rack for them. I thought maybe I was at the wrong store, so I went to all of the stores and couldn't find it. When at the second store, I looked for jalapeno stuffed olives, but they had disappeared from that store. At this point, I was starting to feel like an idiot. I'm hoping this problem will heal itself, very much like the healings in the Christian Science religion. I've had this problem before with my favorite scent of Febreeze Plug Ins but it "Christian Science" healed itself and I found it again, so I believe it could happen again.

3) Spending time with my friends: Today I went to my first MSU football game. We played Jackson State University and won 45-7. It rained hard and I got very wet, but I had a good time. My friend Kathy had some extra tickets, so Wendy and I went with her. It was fun. Anytime MSU wins a football game is a good day.

4) Being tired: My last 50 Facebook status updates have included the phrase "I'm tired" in some form. I try going to sleep earlier but I never seem to get caught up.

5) Watching The Hannah Montana movie: I went to see this with Wendy, Kathy, and their kids this summer and thought it was fair. I've since bought the movie on DVD (with the pretense of giving it to Raelynn) and have actually come to like it and really enjoy the songs. Strange, I know. Watch it yourself and see if it doesn't grow on you.

6) Thinking of good blog topics: Sorry that I haven't gone through on this one.....my head has been full of thoughts as you can tell from my post. Have a great day, leave a comment, and go Dawgs!

Happy Friday to Me

2009-08-21T21:24:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday all! Fridays are my favorite day of the week. Most people really like Saturdays. I'm fan of those too, but I think that on Friday evenings, you have the fresh hope of the weekend ahead of you. All during the weekend, I end up thinking of all the things I should be doing and dreading the upcoming week. Fridays are usually one of the easier days at work, mostly because I give the kids quizzes on those days, and they stay busy. This year I decided to treat myself because I'm finding that I as I get older (and this is a slow process by the way) that the fabulous treats from others is slowly dying off. So I decided to treat myself.

First treat of the day.....Krystal's Original Breakfast Scrambler. I'm not a paid actor for them, but I have to say that this is one of my favorite breakfast treats. If you haven't tried it, you should. Just don't go on Friday mornings around 6:30 AM. There's usually no line so I can drive right up and get my stuff quickly. The Original Breakfast Scramber is a wonderful cup of buttery grits, covered in scrambled eggs topped with melted cheese, and a sausage patty on top. All of my favorite things in a cup. Totally delicious.

Another treat is my lunch. (Do you notice a trend here?) My school has a potato and salad bar for the teachers each Friday. The potatoes are very good and the salad tastes better than the salads do throughout the week. I think it's because it's Friday. Everything is better on Fridays.

A usual Friday treat is my attire on Fridays. I wear all the glitter makeup....and usually don some type of hat or costume. Also, Friday is t-shirt and blue jeans at work, and I'm totally into that.

There are so many wonderful things about Fridays......what's your favorite day of the week?

Easy Breezy and Oh So Cheesy

2009-08-17T19:19:00.002-05:00

If you've ever met an elementary school teacher, you've met an angel on Earth. I'm not sure there is any other profession that requires as much from a person and expect her/him to do many different things at the same time flawlessly. It's one thing to mess up a bunch of paperwork, but something completely different to mess up someone's kid. There are many areas of greatness that I could go on and on about in the life of an elementary teacher, but today I will focus on just one element. The dreaded bulletin board display.

Now don't get me wrong.....I like how bulletin boards brighten up the hallways at school. Most professional places lack this sort of creativity. There are two parts of bulletin boards that I don't like. The first is thinking of a decent display to do and the accompanying corny title. The other is just the sheer time it takes to put the thing up. And if you've got even the slightest bit of OCD, you can forget it...because the border won't be right and your letters won't be straight. I think that doing bulletin boards may be part of the OCD'ers intervention and recovery plan. I've been out of bulletin board rehab for quite awhile and am proud of my progress!

The aspect that most pains me is getting the idea for a bulletin board display. I have several books and of course the Internet is really good for stealing ideas too, but I find that most of my boards come from my brain after much worry and debate. I have an idea for one and then start to thinking about a decent title. This is part is my roadblock. You see, I don't think people realize that creating a bulletin board with a cheesy title is a "must have" in elementary school. More often than not, you do some title that has a play on words. What kills me about it is that most kids that young don't get it. It's wasted humor.

For example, a couple of years ago, I did a back to school bulletin board with the title, "We're a GRAPE bunch!" and took purple party plates and wrote the kids names in paint pen on them and arranged them on the board like a bunch of grapes. The kids didn't get it. They did tell me that I spelled the word "great" wrong. For that, I was grateful. At least I got them to thinking. The titles are really hard to come up with for me, so I usually "collaborate" AKA ask the teachers around me what a good title would be. The teacher across the hall from me LOVES to do bulletin boards and really gets into it when I ask her. She is very creative and has come over to help me out many times. She plans her bulletin board displays a year in advance. Obviously she's never heard of the bulletin board 12 step program.

One Christmas I was hanging students' stockings in the room on the backdrop of a butcher paper fireplace. My lovely teacher friend came right over and drew my bricks for me. She has drawn more bulletin board stuff for me than I'd like to admit. I'm not sure where the line is from "collaborator" and "creative genius" but I find it's pretty blurry. Her handwriting is really nice too....that's always a bonus when she's lettering something for me.

As you may not be aware, we've just started back to school. Outside my room I have two bulletin boards and I cover my door and use it as well. The kids did the large board at the end of last year and it looks fabulous. They made a huge sailing ship with mast and pirate flag sailing on an ocean of waves. They made the sun setting in the distance and an island of treasure just on the horizon. I added pictures of the students' faces in the boat and the title says, "We're sailing into fifth grade!" I think most kids get this since the obvious association is with a sailing ship. (Side note...I have some very artistic students. They ate this project up.) The other outside bulletin board is used to chart students' progress in Accelerated Reader. The title for that one is "A.R.e you meeting your goal?" (I stole this title from a teacher friend.) On my door I have a map of the United States that says "Mrs. Rosamond's class is going places!" and the students have little pictures of themselves attached to little cars and they're driving around the door. The border of the door is surrounded in post cards. The saving grace for me here is that a couple of my students' parents came in this summer and put it together for me. I gave them the idea and they went with it. And went they did. It turned out fabulous!

So I've already started worrying about the bulletin board displays for next month. I think that the kids doing the big one in their spare time was great....they really enjoyed it and have asked when they could do another one. (It took lots of planning and measuring to do it right! Ahhh authentic learning!) It does take some time to do so we'll have to plan it accordingly. If you have any "cheesy" ideas for a board....let me know. One can never have enough cheese in their life!

Betty and Veronica

2009-08-08T20:25:00.004-05:00

Hello loyal fans....things have been busy in TassieWorld where school has started back up again. The first two days were pretty good....I've tried real hard to find the positive in people and situations. It's harder than being negative, but the payoff is so much better.

So today's post is about Betty and Veronica. You remember them, right? I can remember my excitement in getting each comic book. Back in those days, they were larger, like the size of a magazine. There would be the Double Digest that was smaller and had more stories in them too, but I didn't like them as much. I've read lots of comics from the whole gang in Riverdale. None of them are as interesting as Betty and Veronica. I enjoyed it so much that I played Betty and Veronica with the kids from the neighborhood. Mark was Archie, Kim was Veronica, and I was Betty. I really like Veronica more (and no, it isn't because of her money-I just think that brunettes are prettier) but we all thought that since Kim was African American, she'd make a better Veronica. So I let her have it.

A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing the book and magazine section of the evil Wal-Mart with Raelynn, which is what we do because she loves to read more than I do. Now that I think about it, I loved to read a lot when I was her age too. I think it has to do with the fact that children didn't control the TV shows watched at my house growing up. Raelynn probably has the same problem.

Anyway, I saw a Betty and Veronica comic book and picked it up. Raelynn was very interested in it, probably because it had two fashionable and pretty girls on the front. I perused the issue and decided to buy it for her. (I made sure it was age appropriate.) She read that thing over and over and over. We looked through the issue to find out when the next issue was coming out and it was this past Monday. I went back to find it for her but it wasn't there. She was pretty sad.

But anyway, I'm glad I introduced her to the wonderful word of comics. There are many things I enjoyed as a kid that she's never experienced. I can remember the days of wax candy bottles, candy cigarettes, and orange sherbet push ups. I hope that in this crazy, fast-paced world, she and I can share some of life's simpler pleasures. Those are things we remember. That and the fact that Archie could never decide which girl he liked...all the while I was rooting for Veronica. Oh well, maybe next issue.....

"I Don't Want to Work" is more than just a song title.

2009-08-02T19:53:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is my first day back to work. The kids don't come back until Thursdays. We've been told that there will be no time for working in our rooms, so I'll be getting in early and staying late. So what else is new? There is a small part of me that is looking forward to seeing everyone again but I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't miss the freedom to do what I want, when I want to do it. The up side to it is that I'll be back into my routine, which is good. Predictable events happening at a predictable time is a good thing. The kids keep things interesting and unpredictable. Teaching is never boring.

This summer has been a good one. I was a part of the Writing/Thinking Project during the month of June. We met each day from 8 to 4. It made for a long day. I met some really great people and got refocused for teaching. That was good.

Before my class and during the month of July, I spent lots of time with my friends Wendy and Kathy. Raelynn and I went swimming several days a week at Wendy's house. Wendy has three kids and they are great. Raelynn really enjoys being with them, even if they're older than she is. I also spent time with Kathy and her kids (she also has three) at Wendy's and at other venues in town. It's great that Wendy and Kathy are friends too....we had great times hanging out! I spent the night at Kathy's lake house a couple of times and all the kids slept on the porch. They had a blast...and to be honest, I did too. We also saw Harry Potter and some other movies...some with the kids and some without. On top of this, I spoke to them daily. We have a really good time together and part of why I'm dreading going back to work is because I won't see them as often. Well, that and the whole work thing.

I am looking forward to a new beginning with my students. I had them last year so I already know them. I love how at the beginning of the school year it feels like anything is possible. There are so many possibilities for growth...both mine and theirs. It usually takes a few weeks to start feeling overwhelmed.

Well.....I still have lots to do before going to work tomorrow. I need to get plenty of sleep so I'll be fresh for my first day back. If I get bored later, I'll just call Kathy or Wendy.

The Christmas Blues in July

2009-07-28T18:42:00.002-05:00

I've posted before about my love of Christmas lights. For the most part, if something is shiny, glittery, or lights up-I'm all over it. For the sake of today's random ranting, we're going to limit it to just lights. Let me 'splain....

As we all know, lights are only available around Christmas time. I will admit that lately, Wal-Mart and other evil stores have started carrying some colored lights at Halloween too. Those are mostly limited to purple or orange. So I'm guessing our story started at Christmas time many years ago, in a classroom far away.

Before moving to Mississippi, I worked at a school in the Florida Keys. I was there for eleven years. In my life, I've only spent two Christmases in Key West...the rest have been here in Starkville (my family likes to travel.) In Key West, it's really hard to get into the true Christmas spirit since it's so warm year-round. There's something about Santa in Bermuda shorts and a tank top that just doesn't say Christmas to me. So....in order to help pass along the Christmas spirit to my students, I hung a strand of Christmas lights around my board. I liked it so much that I ended up hanging about 6 or 7 strands from my drop tile ceiling. Very easy to do...all you need is paperclips. I ended up liking the lights so much that I kept them up all year. In those days, I had sets that had multiple settings and it was real neat to turn out the lights and work solely by festive twinkle lights.

But alas...this part of the story has an unfortunate ending. Florida is always on the cutting edge of laws, procedures, curriculum...anything related to school. Each year the fire marshal would visit the schools and look for fire hazard violations. Two guesses who was on his list, and the first one doesn't count. Yes, that's right people, my 10 strands of lights (all plugged into a total of two outlets) came back to haunt me later. Basically, administration told me that if I didn't take down the lights, the school could receive some serious write ups that could potentially lead to not opening the school. Believe me, I thought hard about that. Christmas lights and no school, or no lights and school....that's a tough call. The fire marshal was a stickler for all things unsafe. All window areas were to be clear by a certain distance and no paper could be hanging from the ceiling or on the walls. I mean, please...have you ever seen an interesting elementary classroom that didn't have something posted in the room? Otherwise, you look like you're in a hospital or something. I was obedient and took down my lights, albeit grudgingly. It's like a little part of me died that day.

Fast forward to moving to Mississippi. We tend to be notoriously slow in some areas and most of the time I complain about this, but not in this case. Apparently, no one here was concerned about the fire safety in schools. My lighting habits have returned and even though my room looks like a bad disco, I really enjoy it. The students that have trouble focusing aren't being helped, but in my experience...they find ways to distract themselves...my theory is to give them something interesting to look at. You'd think this would be a dream come true, right? My new school and administrators not giving me any flack for my tacky lights. And it was a dream come true until today.

For you see, I've been working in my room this week. Today, I plugged in the lights (about 6 very long strands) and NONE of them worked. At the end of the school year most of the strands worked and a couple of them had half the strand blown and I was going to just take those down. I had no idea that I'd be throwing them all out. I wish I had tried a strand or two earlier, so at least I could be prepared. But alas.....it wasn't happening.

The sad part is that it currently isn't prime Christmas light season. The stores don't even have the Halloween stuff out yet, so I won't be getting any lights any time soon. That's literally breaking my heart. How will I be able to enjoy my surroundings if they aren't wrapped top to bottom with lights? I guess I'll be finding out next week. The thought depresses me. And it doesn't help that QVC has been running a "Christmas in July " show all week. I try to quickly skip over that channel so I won't think about what I'm missing.

You'd think in this day and age of technology, they'd create a strand of lights that wouldn't blow out or wouldn't blow out half the strand. We can put a man on the moon, but we can't keep the lights glowing? Something's not right with this picture. Just like something's not right in my room....it all appears strangely plain. And in the world of Tassie...plain is death.

Hello? Is Your Refrigerator Running? Well, You'd Better Go Catch It!

2009-07-26T22:10:00.003-05:00

The way I choose post topics is probably a little unusual. Sometimes, something important happens and I write about it because I consider it my duty to keep everyone updated on the current events of my life. Sometimes, I happen across an interesting picture and save it for a future post. Other times, I have the topic brewing around in my head and I search and search the Internet for an appropriate picture. Finding a post topic isn't as easy as you'd think. Many people I work with and parents of students I teach read my blog. Some post a response, some don't. As interesting as I think I am, not everyone agrees. So I try not to write specifically about work so I don't offend anyone. Also, I have to live up to the title of the blog..."Tassie and Her Random Thoughts." Not as easy as it looks.

So that brings us to today's post. I felt the need to post because school is starting soon and when it does, I find I have less and less time to write. Also, my friends' blogs are updated on my page when I update, so it's much easier for me to see who has something new to say. I gotta tell ya...I never thought that reading mundane details of people's daily lives (of course I'm not talking about any of MY friends...) would be interesting, but it is. I could spend hours reading blogs. But I digress....

A while back, I remember having a conversation with my eight-year-old daughter about phones. I was trying to explain a rotary phone to her. In her lifetime, I've always had a cell phone. She doesn't question how the phone works everywhere and doesn't need a cord. I started to tell her about the kind of phones we had when I was her age...she had no idea what I was talking about. (Side note: You know it's bad when you find yourself saying, "When I was your age....." and as I reminisce I might be making myself seem older than I really am, but I'd just like to think that I have an incredible memory. How else could I know all this? It must have come from my infancy and I can still recall it!)

When I was growing up, we had one main phone in our house. The kitchen was at the front part of the house and hanging on the wall next to the side kitchen door (that led outside) was an avocado-colored rotary phone. The cord on this thing was about 14 or 15 feet. When you stretched the phone cord out it could really take you places. This was the early version of a cordless phone. You could take it many places while you were doing stuff in the kitchen. It was good for me, since I could take the phone outside and sit on the side porch and talk in private. I didn't talk on the phone much, but when I did, I felt that whatever I was saying required privacy. I was probably saying something like, "I don't know. What do you want to talk about?"

Later, we got another phone outlet in our living room. The memories of this phone are much blurrier, since I think we had various types of phones there from wall units, to desk units, to finally a cordless unit. Even after we got this phone, I still preferred to talk on the ugly green kitchen phone. The living room phone was reserved for the times I tried to listen in on my brother's phone conversations. I wasn't very successful...people could always hear when you picked up the phone!

When I was really young, I can remember talking on the phone to someone (my own age) and not knowing what to talk about, so we did the whole, "What do you think this is?" and then you bang stuff against the phone and the other person tries to guess what the item is. Another early memory was that in first grade, our teacher, Mrs. Key, had two real telephones installed in our classroom. She gave us formal lessons on how to answer the phone and take messages and the proper phone etiquette. You could actually dial the other phone and then ask the kid who answered it to get someone else in the room that you wanted to talk to. I think we also went on a field trip to the phone company and got to talk to an operator wearing a headset. The phone company was really close to our school and we walked there. Funny, I don't have many specific memories from my childhood, but I do remember that. Fun times.

This was also before call waiting and caller ID. There were a few times that my parents left me alone and I amused myself with making prank phone calls. You really can't do that these days. Most people have caller ID and if you don't, all you have to do is press *69 and you can find out the number of the person that just called you. When these things came onto the scene, it put a real hamper on prank phone calls. I mean, what else could be more fun than calling people to say, "Is your refrigerator running? If it is, you'd better go catch it!" (I heard stories about people that ordered pizza and had it delivered across the street so they could watch...I never did that...I was too chicken.) Nowadays, when someone calls you on your cell phone and you don't know who it is, you let the call roll over and then you call them back to ask why they called you. And house phones? Forget it....most people, except for me, are moving away from having a house phone since they have wireless Internet...me...I still have stupid dial-up so I'll be anchored to this land line forever.

Even earlier than call waiting and caller ID is the concept of party phone lines. Every holiday, my family would stay at my grandmother's house outside of Starkville, here in Mississippi, and being that she lived way out in the country, she shared a phone line with three other houses. I can remember lifting up the handset to eavesdrop on the girl who lived next door. She was a teenager, and spent most of her time talking on the phone. She'd get pretty irritated and would ask me to hang up. Another interesting fact about my grandmother's phone was that since she was hard of hearing, she had a volume control set up on her phone so she could hear the other person. When she talked on the phone you could literally hear both sides of the conversation from across the room. You could identify the person she was talking to. She must have thought I could read minds when she'd start to tell me about the conversation and I could repeat everything that was said. And the ringer? It was so loud, you could hear it ringing while you were way out in the fields...

And pay phones....who doesn't have a story about one of those? I could remember knowing where all the working phones were. Several times, I would leave the house (both at home and at college) to go and use a pay phone so I wouldn't have to fight for the phone. It's really hard to find a pay phone now and if you did, it probably wouldn't work. I wonder if they made a current day Superman movie, where he'd change into his outfit...hmmm....makes you wonder.

Now we're in the age of cell phones. When you meet someone that doesn't have a cell phone, you totally can't believe it. It's nice to be able to get ahold of people all the time now. We definitely communicate more. There are some definite advantages to being so accessible, but also some downfalls. Between cell phones, text messages, and Instant Messages, we don't even have to see people face to face to communicate anymore. But still, all in all, I think it's a good thing. Most people love their phone and have it on them all the time. I know some people that use their phones as an alarm clock, watch, calculator, calendar, GPS, Internet connection, camera, recording device, gaming.....the list goes on and on. The old days of dialing on a rotary phone are over.

But I tell you....If I had a phone with a cord in my current kitchen (mine is cordless), I'd take it outside with me to my porch and I'd call you so we could talk about the old days....of how we lived before cable, satellite TV, and movies on tape. And if I'd get bored, I'd pick up a rock and rub it across the mouthpiece of my phone and ask you, "What do you think this is?" Just thinking about it makes me want to call someone....and thanks to Mrs. Key, I have impeccable phone manners. If you don't believe me, give me your phone number and I'll call you to prove it.

My List of Current Worries

2009-07-24T19:07:00.002-05:00

There's lot going on...do I say that a lot? I don't think there's been a time in my adult life that I could look back and say, "Gee...I've nothing to do and lots of time in which to do it!" I think I'm like my dad in that respect. I always seem to have lots going on. Most of it is unnecessary and the stress I feel is almost always self-imposed. I also tend to worry...much more than I should and again, more than necessary. I'm really trying to be positive and have faith that God knows what Hes doing. So, here are the concerns that plague me at the moment.

1) My child's teacher for next year-My school district has a new way of assigning students to classes this year. Usually, parents fill out a teacher request form and then students are placed lottery-style into classes and then you find out over the summer who your kid got for the next year. This year, there was no request form. Students were also informed their class assignment on the report card on the last day of school. We were surprised at Raelynn's assignment..."Vacant." David spoke to the principal and she assured us that they had, in fact, hired for that position but it hadn't gone to the school board yet for approval. The teacher was great, experienced....a dream come true. So I felt a little easier. All summer I've not heard anything from her teacher and I started to stress. A friend advised me to read the school board minutes this week and I find that the teacher that was hired this summer to be Raelynn's teacher has resigned. Resigned before the school year has even begun. Now, if this was June, I don't think I'd be as concerned. But you see, teachers in this district go back to work a week from now. Students start three days after that. I'm trying hard not to panic. At times, finding a qualified person that's right for the job at this late date can be a challenge. So obviously, God has a plan for us and this is part of it. To worry about it or stress about it, won't change the outcome and shows little faith in God. So I'm trying my very best to remember that He is all knowing and will give us exactly what we need....not always what we want. If you see me around and I'm hyperventilating because of this issue, please remind me to keep the faith.

2) Death-Not my own, but those around me. It seems everyone is dying. A few weeks ago, we lost three major stars in one week-Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. Right after that, my high school choir teacher, Joe Wilt, died. Just a few days ago, David's Uncle Roy died and we spent a couple of days traveling around to the visitation and the funeral. This morning, my Aunt Ruby (married to my dad's now deceased brother, Lamar) died. They were married for over 50 years and her husband, my uncle, died a couple of years ago. It seems like lots of people around me are dying. It makes you wonder if you're next.....not good.

3) Returning to work- Teachers live for summer. True, we get lots of time off, but unlike other professions, I don't think everyone understands that I don't get paid for the summer. I work 185 days a year and only get paid for those days. As I've been teaching longer and longer, I've come to understand that the summer break is necessary to the well-being of the teacher. It's like playing with an Etch-A-Sketch. Doodle on it for 10 months straight, and you need a couple of months to shake it clear again. I go back to work in a week and there's still so much to do. I'm in grad school and taking classes this summer, so I don't feel like I've had a true summer vacation.

4) The amount of work left to be done in my classroom-This is something that I feel each summer but for some reason am really feeling anxious about. At the end of the school year, I take about two days to pack up everything in my room and get it up off the floor so custodians can clean and wax the floors. It literally takes me three weeks to unpack it all and reorganize it. There seems to have been lots going on around here lately and I've not done nearly what I should have to get it near completion. It hurts me to look at the clutter that accumulates in my room. I have a hard time getting everything back to where it belongs during the school year. There's just so much to do. I really depend on my time off from school to get stuff back to it's working order.

These are the major things on my mind at the moment. There are a few of things I've been thinking about but just haven't mentioned. I wouldn't want you to worry...I do enough of that for the both of us...