Drinks

My lovely friend Barb invited my other lovely friend Nancy and I Over for drinks tonight.....cosmos it was and boy were they lovely! My husband was supposed to drop me off but because Barb and her husband are oh so nice they waved and waved Dennis into the house. He stayed the whole time and witnessed cosmo after cosmo go down into my stomach. They were lovely really....not too sweet and nnot to alcoholly. We had fabulous conversation......although I think I only remember about 40% of it....there was so much going on after all. We showed up about 4:30 and arrived back home at 8:30....I think. I hadn't had dinner before I left so I was pretty hungrey when we got home. I heated up leftover stir-fry for Dennis and I made fried eggs for myself...very YUM-O if I say so myself. Anyway, I think we need to get together more often. I had so much fun just laughing away! I really hope I'm not all yucky in the morning....If I go to bed now I have at least 12 hours before I become human again.......Hopefully, all will be well by morining. I feel like dancing.....maybe I'll do a couple of turns int he kitchen...that sounds like fun!

I hope eavery one had a great Friday! Thanks for readiing!!!!

No Messes

Big Kitty seems all better as she didn't have any "messes" on the bathroom floor last night or today. She was very happy to have reign over the house again. I'm pretty sure it was plant related that caused her illness in the first place.

Yesterday I put up Christmas lights in my room and today my students were all excited about them. One of them said (before he opened my door), "Let's pretend it's Candy Land!" I think I should put up some more next week.

Today was a day for bodily harm. My poor friend Nancy had half her nail ripped off when it got caught underneath a chair. Then, my sister left me a message saying that she had to pick up Hunter from school because he threw up in class. And poor Dennis....he was standing on a stool trying to put in a plant hooky thing when his knee kinda gave out and yelped with pain....and if that wasn't bad enough, he straightened back up only to be hit in the back of the head by the ceiling fan. Thank goodness it was on the low setting!!!

I don't work tomorrow and I have canceled my massage as I find myself in more pain afterwards. I plan on vacuuming and shampooing the carpets....oh joy!!!

Happy ice tea Friday to you all!

Poor Kitty

When I got home from work I walked in the house and was over come by a nauseating smell. Our poor Big Kitty had gone to the bathroom all over the house. It was EVERY WHERE!....and most of it was in liquid form. Poor, poor, kitty. Dennis and I spent the next hour or so cleaning up the house. We had to go out to dinner just so we could get away from the smell of the house. We also stopped by the pet store and got some cat food for sensitive stomachs. Now, Big Kitty is locked in the bathroom crying and crying to get out. We feel so bad for her! I really hope she's not super sick. Beaumont Livingston is concerned about her too. He was trying to lick her while we were cleaning the house.....and he never does that. Hopefully, she doesn't have another episode tonight or tomorrow while she's in the bathroom. Otherwise, I think we'll have to take her to the vet.....poor thing. :(

No Words

Today I have no words to share with you. I'm tired and wanting to go to bed as soon as possible. Unfortunately, coffee had no effect on me today. Maybe tomorrow.

Thinking of You

My friend and colleague was in a car accident today on her way to school. Thankfully, she and her son were okay. All of us at school are thinking of them and wish them a speedy recovery. I was called in to sub for her today at 10:30 as the morning sub could not stay the rest of the day. I know most all of her students anyway, so I was a real pleasure to be their teacher for the day.

The first day back at work from a week and a half hiatus, has wore me out! I cooked and ate dinner in slow motion. Then I fell asleep shortly after that....around 6:30 or so. I've been awake for about 30 minutes now, but I think I'm going to call it a night. I'm just exhausted.

Happy Monday!

Sunday

Today we did our usual Sunday stuff. Target was pretty busy and it took us a good half hour to decide which Christmas lights to put up on the outside of our house. I wish they would make the more decorative lights longer....it would be crazy expensive to put them up when a strand is only 9 feet long! In addition to the lights, we bought stocking holders since our new house has a mantle over our fireplace. Actually, we have two mantles. The second mantle is home to the lighted ceramic city that my sister gave us a few Christmas's ago. We finally have enough room to decorate like that now....it's so exciting. Dennis hung up the outside Christmas lights when we got home (his very first time doing that). They look so great! Plus, they're on a timer and should go on about 5pm and off at 10pm. I on the other hand, hung up lights in our kitchen. Some people may think it's tacky but I just can't get enough of the twinkle lights.....and I can't realistically spend all night outside looking at the ones on the outside of our house. Therefore, they just have to go up on the inside too! :) Thankfully I don't have to cook tonight because we're having leftovers. I'm still pretty tired so that's a really good thing.

I hope everyone has a great week.

Saturday

Yes, I forgot to blog yesterday....but after all the excitement of Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and waking up several hours before I normally do, I was exhausted. However tired we both were, Dennis and I still had to go grocery shopping and use several coupons that were only good for that day. So we braved the crowds of people again and went to WinCo, Michaels, and Joann Fabrics. The lines weren't that bad, but because we were pretty tired it took us (me especially) way longer to decide what I wanted to purchase at each of the stores. When we got home we did slow down. I was desperately craving the twinkle lights and festive colors of Christmas.....so I decide it was time to put up the Christmas tree and decorate the house. Instead of taking a nap which I really wanted to do, I made a second Thanksgiving dinner. We had bought all the stuff we needed before we left and since we didn't bring home leftovers, it was a logical choice for dinner. It turned out really well except about 10 minutes before everything was supposed to be done, I remembered I forgot to make the stuffing (bad, bad, wife).....so I made it and covered everything with a double layer of heavy duty foil. Thankfully, everything was still piping hot by the time the stuffing came out of the oven. Dinner was very yummy and my wonderful husband did all the dishes. At this point I should have just stayed on the couch and relaxed a bit, but oh no I have to be super crazy and wrap ALL the presents we bought. It took a little less than 2 hours, that's all. And let's just put it this way, I slept very VERY well. So well in fact that I didn't get up until 11am!

Black Friday

Well we weren't those people who got up at 4am today! Our day revolved around the Brady man because he is oh so cute and adorable! Plus, he can stand on his own for about 5-10 seconds now! Anyway, the lines weren't that bad except for a Kohls. The lines were really REALLY long and we hopped in the shortest one we saw....that was a mistake. There was a reason it was short.....it's because it wasn't moving. We waited in line for an hour for about the 20 or so people to go ahead of us. We attempted to change lines, but the other one was so much shorter we thought for sure it would take less time. However, as we overheard other people's conversations, we discovered the other much longer lines took a lot less time to go through. Oh well...line waiting is part of the experience on this day anyway. Last year my job at Best Buy WAS to wait in the line. I was in it for over 2 hours!!!! I'm having deja blog here....I think I've said that before. We got the most stuff at Kohls but totally scored on a 18 piece Pyrex storage set for $10 at JC Penny. I think we ended up getting more stuff for us than we did for other people......but there's still 32 days till Christmas so I think I still have some time!

I hope every had fun today with all the super crazy awesome sales!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving y'all! I hope everyone has a wonderful day filled with family, food, laughter, and love. I am thankful that Dennis was feeling much better at 4:30am when he woke me up to get ready....and we arrived safely at J, K, and B's around 8am. I've got the green bean casserole in the fridge and the guys have run to the store for some last minute supplies. The stores that stay open today must get some good business from all the forgetful cooks.

Anyway, I do have to say that I am thankful for my husband. He is so kind and sweet and makes me laugh oh so much! I just love it when he dances with me in the kitchen or is just plain silly with me. He is a rock I can lean on and has made my life wonderful. I also am thankful for my family. Their love makes everything go down a little bit easier. Finally, I am thankful for my father. He is always there for me no matter what and will always make time for a phone call from me. Daddy, thank you for always being there.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Still at home

Yup, still at home. Dennis still has a little bit of a sore throat. We are going to wait until tomorrow morning and then we'll make our final decision. I really hope he feels well. However, both J, K, and us have planned for the worse. We all went out and got the rest of the supplies we needed to make our own dinners.

Here's hoping my next post will be in another city!

Back to normal (almost)!

Ah, I believed in the Zicam and Nancy believed I wasn't sick....and, well....it worked!!!! I feel so much better today. My nose is clear and no more sneezing! My voice sound a little off, but I feel like myself again. Wooo hooo!!!!

Because I did nothing yesterday, I had to accomplish a lot today. I'm making a list because lists are fun, and I'm inspired by all of Nancy's list making on her blog! :)

1. Woken up by my big brother at 9am to help him make lemon frosting for his scones. He's becoming quit the cook thanks to Betty Crocker.
2 Sewed Christmas pillow shams for the living room.
3. Sewed 2 Christmas pillow cases for the guest bedroom.
4. Made 4 quilt squares with some of the leftover fabric.
5. Got fish food at our local pet store.
6. Went to Joann Fabrics and was disappointed the selection of holiday fabric.
7. Swept
8. Cleaned the cat litter box
9. Took out the trash
10. Put away all the clean dishes in the dishwasher.

Told ya I accomplished stuff today! :)

Nothing

Nothing....that is what I accomplished today....unless you count going to Target and getting Zicam, Zinc, and Echinacea. Yes people, I have caught a freaking cold!!!! It's a minor one (thank goodness), but a cold none the less. Which means we may not be able to go over to J, K, and B's for Thanksgiving because I can't get Brady sick. Let's hope all that crap I bought works. My sister said if I believe in the Zicam, the Zicam will work. I believe....I believe....I BELIEVE!!!

Silly Kitty

Beaumont Livingston has been following me around like a lost puppy. He's the type of cat that likes to lay kinda near you, but doesn't want to be touched. Well, today (and yesterday too) he's been following me around and laying on my lap.....And when I pet him he just stays there and makes little meowing noises. I believe he's growing into an old man. Big Kitty use to be the same way...she definitely wasn't a snuggle kitty. But a few years ago that all changed. Now she wont stay off you....she practically molests us at times! Silly kitty!

Since I don't have to work all this week (hehehe), here is what I hope to accomplish tomorrow:

1. Sweep
2. Sew some Christmas pillow cases
3. Organize my dresser
4. Cat litter (I dread this with all my being! Dennis [the wonderful husband he is] has been doing it the past couple of times)

Wish me luck tomorrow! And I wish everyone a happy Monday!

Bill

My little brother, Bill, called me today! He was just hanging out enjoying his time back in the states. I asked him what was the first thing he ate when he got back.....he said it was a double whopper from Burger King. Since it was Veteran's Day when he got back, he didn't have very many choices for dinner. It was really great to talk to him and he sounded really happy to be back. I can't wait till I see him at Christmas. I wonder how muscular he'll be? I have this one picture of him and his buddy in Iraq holding their guns and his bicep is as big around as my head practically!

So, I've got all of my Thanksgiving grocery shopping done. We're going over to J, K, and B's house so they're also doing part of the shopping. Now all I have to do is make a blackberry pie, Portuguese sweet bread, and cinnamon rolls. I'm just not sure if I'm going to have everything made before we head over, or if I should make and shape the bread and cinnamon rolls and then bake them over there. I'll have to think about what would work best. I also have to find my cooking timeline. I've been using in for the last several years and it works out pretty well.....most everything is ready to eat at the same time.

I'm off to slice the banana bread....it's cooled down just enough to eat! Yum-O!

11 Year Anniversary

Today my husband and I have been together for 11 years. It's very exciting and I can't believe I love him even more than I did back then! He brought home roses for me when he got home after work...11 red, for the years we have been together and 1 yellow for the year to come. He's so sweet and adorable! He just melts my heart!

Happy Anniversary Honey!

Darn Computers!

Our computer has been having temper tantrums. In order to fix the problem, Dennis had to completely reboot (not sure if that's the right word) our computer which means we had to move everything to an external drive.....Therefore, no blog yesterday.

Goodie day went well and everyone enjoyed all the yummy food. The mini dogs I made were oh so cute and I ended up making a whole lot of em too! In fact, I have two paper plates full of them in my fridge. Unfortunately, I think they'll end up meeting the trash can before to long.

Today begins my vacation. I don't have to go back to work until a week from Monday. My goal while I'm off is to get some Christmas preparations done as well as some sewing and reading. I borrowed like 4 books from Nancy in August and I have only been able to finish one of them! I just started "The Magdalen" and so far it seems promising.

Here's to not forgetting anything!

So I have everything ready for the goodie day tomorrow. This is what I'm bringing:

1. Pecan Tartlets
2. Pumpkin Cheese Balls (yes, there will be two...and no pumpkin was insured in the making of the balls)
3. Mini Hot Dogs with Honey Mustard and BBQ Sauce

Now, lets pray that I don't forget anything. In fact, I have made a list of all the things I need to bring to prevent any problems. However, if I forgot to put something on my list that will foul my whole system up anyway.....darn. Oh well.....I'll hope for the best.

My little brother made it to Colorado yesterday morning. It's great to have him home. He is scheduled to come home December 6th.

Today flew by in a kind of haphazard way. Because we had Monday off, I was completely thrown off my schedule. Luckily, it didn't seem to affect my kids because they were able to keep it together! :)

Hunter's Birthday Party

Here are some snapshots of the day! Enjoy!

The treasure chest cake! My sister is so creative! Because she always makes the coolest cakes, everyone expects one of their own on their birthday!
Here are Hunter's new Superman PJ's! I just love this picture....I think it's the way he's sitting.
Check out those dimples!
Aunt Cindy, I just want to eat the bug guts!

Long Drive

That was one long drive! I was so tired from the lack of sleep this weekend that I ended up taking a 2 1/2 hour nap. I only woke up to watch Dexter. I actually didn't wake up on my own, Dennis had to get me up because I out cold!

No pictures today. I still have a sleep hangover. Oh, for those who were concerned or excited (depending on where you live) about my last post, Dennis and I are not thinking about moving right now. We are not in a position to do so. Man, if we moved as much as we talk about it, we would have lived in Mexico, Canada, Africa, and (most recently) Texas....specifically Austin. Thus, if you see me wearing my Austin t-shirt, it is because Dennis had talked about moving there and his sister-in-law thought they should move too. Dennis's brother and I were not in agreement....and so for my birthday, my sister-in-law bought me the Austin t-shirt.

I promise I'll have pics tomorrow. Sleep well and enjoy the holiday. My brother will be home tomorrow at 10:30am Colorado time!!!!

Super Fab Saturday

My day started promptly at 6:00am! Due to the fact that I was not in my own bed, my back was killing me, and I was listening to puppies whine at the front door...I couldn't sleep any longer. Now, I can barely keep my eyes open! I have to get up early again tomorrow because I'm heading back home, so Monday will be my sleeping in day (thank goodness).

At 1pm today we had a joint birthday party for my niece (Kayla) and nephew (Hunter). I helped my sister with decorating both cakes. Hunter's cake was a treasure chest. It was so awesome. My sister always makes the coolest cakes. I am hoping to have a picture of it up tomorrow. Kayla's cake was about 6'' wide with two layers. It had chocolate frosting and pink and turquiose polkadots. One of Hunter's birtday presents was Spiderman pajamas. He was so excited about them that he had to put them on......another picture I hope to post tomorrow.

After the party I headed to my dad's house where my niece Krista was waiting for me. It was great to see her since I wasn't able to catch up with her on Friday. I can't believe she's a senior already! She's so grown-up and really has her stuff together. She is hoping to attend UC San Diego or UCLA to major in Writing. I found out she has posted some of her stuff on her blog and I can't wait to check it out. While we were visiting, we discussed her sister's 21st birthday coming up after Thanksgiving. I really want to come over for her party (at a nearby casino), but I'm not sure if I will be able to make it. Afterwards, we went to Chinese......and it was soooo good. I haven't had good Chinese in a couple of months.....not since Choo's Too.

Anyway, I think I might call it an early night. It's been really great visiting with my family. I wished we all lived closer. If we lived in the same town as J, K, and B, we wouldn't be that far from anyone. Plus, when Dennis and I have kids, the Brady Man could hang out with his cousin. That would be pretty cool.

TTFN

I made it!

I finally made it to Y-town. I arrived about 12:00 and headed straight to my old high school to say hi to my very favorite teacher, Mr. Matts. Then (because it's such a small town) I ran into my sister-in-law and niece. It's like I hit two birds with one stone! Anyway, then I checked out Hunter's class. He is so cute! I loved seeing him interact with the other students and work at his centers. Then I headed over to see my old kindergarten teacher. While I was waiting for her class to get out, I saw my nieces aunt and my niece! Totally awesome since I wasn't sure if I would be able to see my niece this weekend.

Now, while I borrow my dad's computer to write this, I am going to get gas and go to my sister's house. There, we will finish decorating birthday cakes! But before I go, a story.

As I was driving along 101 minding my own business and singing along with the music, I spied a highway patrol heading the other direction. This promted me to check out my speed....which was 80 mph!!! Freaking out, I lightly tapped the brakes and slowed down to 65. Then, to my horror, I saw the HP flip a Uie. I watched and watched but I didn't see him come up behind me....but then he was right there! He put on his lights and I pulled over. He said he pulled me over for having a tinted licsense plate frame and because I didn't merge left when car was entering the freeway........then he mentioned the speeding. "I also noticed you were speeding a bit. But the hill might have just caught up with you." Yeah, a small hill can cause a speed of 80mph! Thankfully, he said he wasn't going to write me a ticket and he wasn't going to give me a lecture......he just wanted me to be safe. I was so relieved! And the whole time he was asking me questions, I was my usual perky and smiley self. That may have had something to do with not getting a ticket as well. My sister says I need to buy a lottery ticket now....and I think I will.

Well off to fill up my tank! Have a great weekend y'all!.....and watch your mph's! :)

Y-Town, Here I Come!

Tomorrow morning (bright and early thanks to the recent time change) I'm off to Y-Town for Hunter's birthday party on Saturday. I'm going to be dropping by his class and then checking out the first grade teachers at his school. I'm pretty excited.

Things to NOT do at the same time:
1. Walking and Reading
2. Watching TV and blogging
3. Walking and drinking (whatever the alcohol content)
4. Talking on the phone and straining ravioli

Unfortunately, number 4 happened to me today and I ended up scalding my index finger and thumb in the process....that is why they should never be done together. Number 1 should not be because you end up walking into a pole or not see the curb ahead. Number 2 is pretty obvious because you get distracted and end up with very VERY odd sentences. Finally, number 3 is to avoid choking and/or spilling the beverage down the front of you. If you avoid these 4 situations, you will live a long and happy life! :)

Doctors Smoctors

ARGG! I hate searching for a doctor! It seems when you finally find one you like you either "A," end up moving shortly after or "B," the doctor relocates. Both have happened to me within a too short time period. About 6 months ago, I went through 3 doctors within 2 months because they ended up leaving that office. I ended up leaving too because there was no one left to see. I've been on the hunt now for about 4 months or so. It's more difficult because I have a workers comp claim and so far no one is excepting current claims.....new claims only. It's so frustrating!!!!

On a much happier note, my little brother is on his way to the states. He left Baghdad today, but it'll take a couple of days for him to actually reach the states. It's nice to know he's out of there now, even if he's not in the states yet.

GATE Academy registration is tomorrow. This is where we place around 500 students in their classes. I only received 12 our of 19 registration forms back from my GATE students. Last year, we didn't have enough room for all the students that turned in their forms! I don't know what's gotten into them this year. And I know that those remaining 7 will be so upset when they remember in December they hadn't turned in their forms (even though I had reminded them several times). But I guess that's a lesson they will have to learn.

Mmmm Massage

I had my second massage today (with Devin) and I'm so relaxed! I don't want to do anything. Even typing feels like work. Luckily, I have a easy dinner planned tonight, so I'm not fretting about that. I'm really hoping that having frequent massages will help my sleeping as well as relax me.

This week is parent teacher conference week at school. It's been a great time for me to get organized and do all the other little things that come with my jobs. Super fab! My word of the week. Oooo, I used wonky (one of Nancy's favorite words) the other day in a conversation with my sister. My nephew, Hunter, was asking what a "W" looked like. I said "A 'W' is an 'M' that's gone all wonky!" I thought it was a pretty good explanation.

Oh, my brother comes home from Iraq in only 5 days!!!!! We're all very excited for him to come back to the states. He's still planning on visiting in December before he's completely out of the Army in January. It's all so very exciting!!!

Happy Birthday Hunter!!

Today my nephew, Hunter, turns 5!!!! He's so adorable and so very smart! I would love to be a fly on the wall in his Kindergarten class. My sister is throwing him and his sister joint birthday parties this weekend. I'm planning on going. I haven't been to Y-town since my 10 year high school reunion which was at the beginning of August (pre-blogging days). I'm really excited about seeing my family. It'll be a high energy day that's for sure!!!

See Aunt Cindy, starfish aren't gross.

Lazy Sunday

All day Beaumont (a.k.a. Little Kitty) took advantage of the plentiful sunshine today. He layed in the warm sun all afternoon only getting up to switch spots between the living room window and the sliding glass door. Sometimes, I wish I were a cat. It's a sweet deal really. First, you have nine lives. Secondly, you end up sleeping most of those lives on a comfy bed, in the sunshine, or in front of a crackling fire. Lastly, you can pretty much do what ever you want and your owners will dote on you even more if you look remotely adorable.....Sorry, Beaumont took over the keyboard on that last one. I don't dote.... :)

Goodie Day

Next week I have goodie day at my school. I haven't finalized plans with my other goodie contributors, but I totally want to do an appetizer theme. Appetizers for me are right up there for the same reasons as cupcakes. They aren't so adorable, but they can look pretty amazing. Anyway, I want to make these pumpkin cheese balls that I saw in Taste of Home and I want to make mini creme filled cupcakes too. Plus, I've been tossing around the idea of bringing homemade mini corn dogs or mini hot dogs with smoky ketchup and honey mustard. Both recipes are from Everyday with Rachael Ray. The key for a successful goodie day is to make a lot of whatever you bring. The reason being...it has to last through 3 lunch periods. More often than not, by the time the junior high teachers get there lunch there isn't that much left of anything. Appetizers might be a good solution to that problem. It's easier to reserve a portion of the appetizers for the later lunchers than it is to reserve a portion of lasagna or soup.

All this food talk has made me hungry! Good thing we're headed to dinner in 2 minutes!

So full and so sleepy

I am so incredibly full! I made homemade sweet and sour chicken and I ate way too much....just like I do every time I make it. It's just so good though. My mother-in-law gave me the recipe and I just can't get enough of it. So I've eaten way too much which means all the blood is going to my stomach to help digest all that yummy food. Therefore, I'm getting rather sleepy. Plus, I had a massage at 4pm which started this whole sleepiness. My massage person was a guy and I was totally freaked out about that....which is what I told Nancy yesterday on the phone while she was at the library. I knew she was somewhere "odd" because she answered the phone in a whisper. Luckily, it was just the library than some other compromising position or place.....not that she gets into those things. She's a Kindergarten teacher after all. But I digress (another word I've used for the first time today).....back to the massage. I was concerned because it would be totally weird if he ended up being some young cute guy or an old creepy one. I don't get practically naked for just anyone. Luckily, he ended up being a hippie guy....I was put at ease at once! My next appointment is on Tuesday!

Halloween Candy Update:
We ended up having only 1 group of trick or treaters which has left us with an entire bowl full of Halloween candy. Dennis keeps on telling me I should have given the kids a handful of candy instead of just one piece. Even if I did, we still would have a whole bunch left and besides, it was our first trick or treaters at this house and I got all excited and didn't think of giving them more than one. Next year Dennis is taking over handing out the candy. He's so funny...and still blonde!!! Anyway, as I was alone in the house all day, the candy just stared at me all day and wouldn't leave me alone....so I took one piece and told it to...um....go someplace very hot. I'm sure we'll rekindle our relationship tomorrow.

Happy weekend!

Aren't they so cute!!!!

Aren't my nephews soooooo cute!!!! I sometimes wish adults could trick or treat. It use to be so much fun!

Here's Hunter walking in his first Halloween parade!!! He's too adorable (especially with those dimples) to be an intimidating pirate. He is in Kindergarten this year and will be 5 in only four days! They grow up too fast!

Here's Brady in one of his costumes. If you look closely you can see is super cute teeth!

Here he is again but in his Lion costume this time. See that little pumpkin? It looks familiar, huh. Well that's the pumpkin Uncle Dennis said he needed to have when we went to the farmer's market.

I'm sure one lucky aunt to have such adorable nephews!