33 1/2 Weeks

Yup, here I am at 33 1/2 weeks. Dennis and I just had our 4th (or rather 3rd since we missed last week) childbirth class. We only have 2 more classes to go. Tonight was pretty good for me since the class was mostly about relaxation and massage. I was pretty sleepy when we left. I should have gone to bed but....well, that just didn't happen did it.

We saw the baby doctor today and everything is going well. I'm on a weekly basis now due to my blood sugar and next week we'll reevaluate my meds. Oh, but on Friday we'll get another peek at our daughter!!! I hope we can get another picture printed too!

Ooooo boxing!

I don't know who's fighting, but I'm excited! Plus, next week there is an Elite XC fight with Kimbo Slice.....should be pretty interesting. The last fight he was in he busted open the guys ear....super gross and awesome at the same time!

Today (sniff) I had to take off my wedding ring and put it on my necklace. I thought it was a bit challenging to take off, but since it's sized small I didn't think too much of it. Well, I was struggling a bit more to put it back on and Dennis thought it might be a good idea to keep it off rather than have it cut off if it got to that point.....so I kept it off and put it around my neck. I didn't realize how much I play with it during the day! My hand feels so naked!

Well, the fight starts in about 30 minutes so I must finish all my online stuff beforehand. Have a great Saturday evening!

Um...

I know I should have something to blog about after not blogging for several days, but I'm drawing a blank. I think pregnancy brain is taking a hold of me. Oh, but we did have a dinner party tonight for the presidential debate and my new dose of diabetes meds are working rather well.....in fact, I had pasta, potato, and pie and my sugar was within normal limits an hour later!!!!! Woo hoo! I would hope that this trend continues, but as I have seen in the past, it usually only does that for one day and then gets really high again.....It's all so confusing and I just don't get it sometimes! But like the doctor reassuringly said, only a couple weeks to go!

SEX AND THE CITY on DVD!!!!!

IT'S OUT! IT'S OUT! IT'S OUT! Finally this day has come! Dennis went out this morning around 8am and picked it up for me....that way I would be certain to get a copy of the extended version! I wonder how many times I will watch it? I know I've watched the entire SATC series about a gazillion times and that never gets old! It's so exciting I can hardly stand it!!!!!

By the way, I'm still a bit sick but at least I feel a bit more peppy.....maybe the SATC movie has something to do with it??? :)

Darn Cold!

I still have it! Although, my nasal passages are clearer today but I am left with a headache on my right side and the great thing is.....when ever I cough, it feels like my head is going to EXPLODE!!! So, when I can, I try to compress my head when I cough just in case that happens. I feel really bad for my students when I'm like this.....I'm just blah rather than BLAM! Oh and no child birth class tonight....I just need to lie on the couch and do absolutely nothing....except look at the inside of my eyelids.

When I was little...

I actually remember this photo being taken. I think we were sledding at my Nana's house. We ALWAYS use to go sledding there when all us cousins were little. It would be an all day event with hot chocolate, cookies, and usually a family dinner. We had so much fun and I always thought it was so weird how hot my pee was when I came in from the cold! Okay maybe that's a little TOO much info for some of you, but I really thought it was odd. Now that the cousins have gotten older and moved on, I can't remember the last time it snowed enough to go sledding in Nana's back yard.....or maybe it has and, as an adult, I'm too busy to notice. Anyway, I hope when our daughter is older, Dennis and I will be able to share similar moments with her.

Birthday dinner update:
We didn't end up getting to the brewery until 7:30. Dennis kinda didn't want to go because he wasn't feeling well either, but I had been wanting to go so bad that I wasn't gonna let a cold stop us. Well, apparently it was Civil War Days and the place was completely PACKED! I new it was going to be a bit crowded, but it was crazy crowded. So after several people cut in front of us, I was able to ask the waitress how long the wait was. Turns out it was going to be at leas an HOUR before we could get a table!!! I (and Dennis) was very upset at hearing this news and practically stormed out of there fighting the tears as I went. Because we were in a different town, we didn't know of any other restaurants and were not in the mood to go searching for one....so we did the next best thing (or rather closest option).....we went to Denny's which was about 2 blocks away. So there we were having my 29th birthday dinner in Denny's. On the one had it was pretty sad, but then again, I was also really happy to be getting food within 30 minutes. It was actually pretty good. Dennis had a make your own Grand Slam and I had a chicken ranch sandwich thingy. It hit the spot and the food put us in better moods. Then one the way home (around 9pm) Dennis suggested we do our grocery shopping right then so we (or rather I) wouldn't have to do it tomorrow. I agreed apprehensively because we had neither a shopping list or a dinner list planned. We did the best we could so hopefully I won't have to pick up any last minute items this week. Really, it was kinda nice shopping so late because it was super quite and there was hardly anyone there! And when we got home, I had a message from my dad from Buck Camp (Sterling Mountain) wishing me a happy birthday......it was a nice way to end a crazy evening.

It's Official

I am sick. Today (my birthday) is the first official full day of my cold. Yesterday started off a little more sniffily and sneezy with a sore throat chaser....and today I am feeling the full effects of it all. However, Dennis made me eggs and toast this morning for breakfast! It was really good and pretty too! Then we headed to the North Coast Country Fair. This is a pretty cool fair with tons of local vendors. I didn't get anything for myself, but I did find a birthday present for my mom, a Christmas present for our niece and nephew, and Dennis got some really good BBQ sauce and hot pepper jam. Now I think we're gonna head to the mall and get some baby stuff but later tonight we're going to the Eel River Brewery for some yummy steak!!!! My new diabetes meds are working pretty well so I'll be able to eat more like a regular person tonight! Woo-hoo!!!!! Alright, time to make a grocery list and gather my coupons. :)

Have a great day!

The Carseat Has Arrived!

And it's gorgeous!!!! I spent the evening reading the manual and then took off the padding to wash it....but that wasn't before I took a picture of the backside so I would know what it should look like when I put it back together! Yes, the manual does include pictures, but come on....they aren't the greatest in the world! I plan on washing the padding along with a full basket of clothing tomorrow....it'll be the first load of baby laundry!!!!!

Tomorrow my friend is taking me out for a night on the town! Well, okay, she's taking me to dinner and a movie to celebrate my birthday....it's not like we're going bar hopping or anything! :) Unfortunately, my "sniff, sniff" and scratchy throat has returned....I seriously hope it goes into hibernation within the next 12 hours.

Alright, it's off to the couch to "veg"! Until we meet again!

one day (event) at a time

Friday, September 12th
We headed over to Redding to stay with J, K, and B-man and arrived around 6pm to a kitchen counter piled high with baby gifts and birthday presents. J, K, and B-man showed up about a half an hour later with In N Out burgers and fries which I devoured within seconds!.....I only had about 5 fries, but I seriously wanted the whole bag of them! Brady is getting so tall and can do and say so many more things! Dennis had a blast chasing him around the house and through his dinosaur tunnel.

Uncle Dennis reading a story before bedtime.

What a silly boy!

Saturday, September 13th
Today was the day of my shower. My sister and mom threw it for me and around 20 family members were able to come. It was so awesome and my sister made me cupcakes (my favorite) and a diaper cake! Everything was so awesome and I received the cutest little girl clothes ever! Our girl will be dressed so cute!.....at least for the next 6-9 months! I even got boots that look like mini Uggs! Plus, my dad and step-mom gave us the stroller we'd been drooling over for the last several months.....a BOB stroller in chocolate and light blue!!!! It's absolutely fabulous!

So how many squares did it take to go around my belly?.....10! And most everyone went WAY over!....except Kelly and 2 others!

It's like wine tasting, but with baby food! I won this game by the way!

My super cute (and yummy) baby shower cupcakes!

Isn't it so beautiful!!!!!!

My diaper cake! It took only 84 diapers to make it!

My mom, sister, Hunter and me....in front of my brother's newly planted lawn!

Monday, September 15th
When I arrived at school, it felt like I had been gone for a month! Apparently, there were several meetings held Thursday afternoon or Friday about STAR testing, our GROW program, and my schedule. I felt completely clueless as to what was happening and I didn't like it one bit. It made me realize what it's going to feel like when I come back from maternity leave....completely out of the loop! Then I found out early that morning that at our afternoon staff meeting they were going to have a "surprise" baby shower for me and the music teacher....with cake and goodies to boot! It was a surprise for the music teacher but because the principal didn't have a chance to grab the agenda out of my box, I was aware that the first item on the agenda was the joint baby shower! It was still a wonderful surprise though! The staff gave Dennis and I a gift card to Target, Diane (the other K teacher) gave us super cute cupcake onesies, the cook made an adorable quilt, and Kris.....well Kris went a bit overboard with onesies, a blanket, pants, and picture frames. It was all so nice of them!

Tuesday, September 16th
So remember the GATE application I was working on last school year and how much a pain it was? Well, today the principal tracked me down in Kindergarten to let me know that we got a THREE year approval!!!!! It's the most we've ever gotten! Normally, we get 1-2 years so this was HUGE!!!! I'm so happy!!!! I guess all that work paid off!

Today
As if a surprise baby shower wasn't enough, the staff threw me and the librarian a surprise birthday lunch!....with cake too! People brought really good food too! Barb brought an awesome (and spicy) black bean soup, Diane brought egg salad and crackers, Deb brought homemade applesauce, Teresa (I think) brought watermelon, and Will brought pasta salad. I helped myself to EVERYTHING (carbs or no carbs!) and I had 1 1/2 pieces of cake too!!!! Take that blood sugar! Surprisingly, an hour later, my sugars were within a normal range which completely blew my mind! Wouldn't it be awesome if that could happen everyday! Now that's some wishful thinking!

I'm really happy there was cake today because I'm definitely not having one on my actual birthday (Saturday) because it'll just sit in the fridge and taunt me.....cake is mean like that you know. Anyway, the party was also really awesome because in the 4 years I've been at the school, this is the first time it was remembered and celebrated by more than just a few! It was just really awesome and I want to thank everyone involved!!!

....but I like the smell of tuna fish better

That is what a student said to me today after he thought my room smelled like peach perfume! And coming from this child (a second grader who is VERY quiet and barely speaks) completely cracked me up and I seriously had to control myself!

As I am super tired, I will post about the following at a later date:

1. Family Baby Shower
2. Childbirth Class - Week 2
3. "Surprise" Work Baby Shower

Coffee Happiness

Today I splurged and had a decaf coffee! It only had (at most) 2 grams of carbs and tasted fabulous! I used half and half and a bit of sugar-free English Toffee syrup.....yum-O! I actually felt like a normal person! And since I caught up on all my sleep, I was almost on the giddy side this morning!

While I was teaching one of my morning classes, the baby was (again) having quite a time kicking and rolling around. So I moved my overhead projected and told my 3rd graders to look at my belly.....and sure enough, she bobbed around for all to see! The kids were so excited when they saw her move and loads of questions ensued. Some questions I've been asked from the kids have been....well...on the odd side. Today a child asked me if I had had my baby already and then last week I had a student who didn't realize I was pregnant and asked if I had eaten to much! Kids are so darn funny!

By the way, I must wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Kris!!!!! She's turning 32 today!!!!! I'd post a pic of her, but I actually don't have any.....I could post her school pic, but that would be cruel....no one ever looks good in them.....at least I don't anyway. :)

Necessary Nap

This morning I woke up exhausted like I didn't get any sleep at all. But on the contrary, I slept rather well. So as I was in the shower (willing myself to wake up) I thought about calling in sick to work. Since this thought crosses my mind once or twice a month, I decided I could tough it out and snap out of my exhaustion (like usual) by the end of my first group of students.....well, that really didn't happen. I was the same, if not more tired than I was when I first arrived at school. So I made the executive decision to go home. When I called Dennis to let him know, he was about to do the same thing! He was extremely tired, but unlike me, he was going to tough it out for the rest of the day. I ended up crawling into bed around 10am and didn't wake up until almost 2pm! And boy, oh boy was it a great nap! Then I got up, had some lunch, and when straight back to bed. I didn't go back to sleep though, I just laid there watching Seinfeld until Dennis got home. Now I feel much better and should be good to go tomorrow morning!

Childbirth Class - Week 1

Well, both Dennis and I didn't learn anything new that we haven't already read in our books. I bit disappointing for me, but I'm really hoping it's better next week. I think the worse thing was how LONG the class was. Okay, it was only 2 hours but having a class in the evening for a 3rd trimester pregnant lady is torture! I was trying so hard not to fall asleep....especially when they showed the video and turned off all the lights! Most of the women there were due in October and there was one due in December. By far, Dennis was the most engaged out of all the men.....many of them had their heads down twiddling their thumbs or had extremely bored looks on their faces.

Ooooooo, this morning the baby was pushed to my right side so my tummy was completely misshaped and freaky looking! She eventually moved back into a position that made my tummy more rounded. Now that I've been seeing kids for the past week, she's decided to do somersaults while I'm trying to teach a class. I have to use all my energy to concentrate on what I'm teaching and not what she's doing.....it's challenging at times and like the childbirth teacher last night said, it's like they have 8 limbs!.......But I do love every minute of it!

All By My Lonesome

Dennis left this morning around 4:45am and arrived in San Fran around 9am. I just got off the phone with him (actually we got disconnected due to bad reception) and he said the game was kinda boring and they were surrounded by unusually large and drunk people. After phoning the wives, they were going to head to dinner. They'll be home sometime tomorrow morning and I can't wait! The house is so quiet with him gone.....not that he's loud or anything. I ended up spending a long time in Target and then went to the mall to pass the time. I've also made a lot of phone calls to busy my self. I plan on watching TV in the bedroom until I can't keep my eyelids open anymore....to help me sleep. I have quite a few items DVR'd, so this shouldn't be too difficult.

Tomorrow evening Dennis and I will attend our FIRST child birth class! I'm really excited and a wee bit nervous about it. The class is from 6:30-8:30.....kinda late for pregnant ladies I think....but whatever. I hope Dennis won't be too bored or uncomfortable......me too now that I think about it. You never know with these classes!

Until tomorrow!

Argh!

The "sniff, sniff" has mostly gone away replaced by a freaking scratchy throat!!! I seriously hope I don't get much worse. Dennis is leaving for San Fran tomorrow morning to go to a 49er game, so I will be all by my lonesome tomorrow night. Then we go to our first child birth class on Monday so I have to feel okay so I can absorb all the information!

Today around 3pm I met my friend at a bridal shop so she could try on wedding dresses. It was so much fun and we made her try on some of the poofiest and hideous ones we could find! She ended up finding 2 she liked and they are COMPLETELY different from each other in style and price. Thankfully, she's not getting married until next August so she has time to weigh her choices.

It's off to finish up the Firefly series!.....and put my feet up to get rid of my hideously ugly puffy ankles.....they're not THAT bad I guess, but to me they are completely gross looking!

Sniff

Every day last week there was a student in the office on the verge of or getting sick in the nearest trashcan. The 3rd grade teacher got sick on the 2nd day of school, the 1st grade teacher got sick the 4th day of school, and the other 1st grade teacher went home sick this Monday. This morning I woke up with a "sniff, sniff" to my normal routine.....followed by a sneeze an hour later. It went away for a bit, but returned about a half hour ago....YIKES!!!! I seriously hope I'm not catching a cold or what ever the other teachers had! I just have so much to do at school, plus I need to save all of my sick time for my maternity leave.

On a much better note, I made homemade pasta sauce with tomatoes from Nancy's dad's place. Mmmmm it is SOOOOO good! I just love it! Dennis likes it to be more saucy (turning his noodles red) so I add a bit of tomato sauce for him.....that is after I put the original recipe on my noodles first. :) Uh oh, I feel another sneeze coming on!!!!......okay, it went away....whew! Anyway, my pasta was oh so yummy tonight and I have plenty of leftovers for next week!

Right On Track

I had an OB appointment today and I'm doing pretty well. My ankles were a bit puffy and I'm having to increase my blood sugar meds, but all in all, I'm doing very well! I was very happy to hear that. Now that I'm 30 weeks, I start going to the doctor every 2 weeks! I can't believe how quickly time is going by! I really need to start making preparations for my leave from school. I've got months to plan ahead for! Thankfully, I have a wonderful and awesome long term sub! She'll be subbing for me tomorrow afternoon while I attend a "wonderful" CELDT training (don't ask, just nod your head). Then we have Back to School night at 6:30......it's gonna be one LONG day!

Beaumont Livingston vs. Jerky

Let's just say the jerky didn't have a chance!

Surprise!

Yesterday (after my sister left) Dennis told me I needed to get out of the house. Not really understanding why he needed me "out," I questioned him. He said he was going to work on a project for the baby. Immediately I thought he was going to paint the baby's room or do something with paint that I wasn't aware of....so I asked him "Does it have to do with paint?" His scary response: "I can neither confirm, nor deny it has to do with paint." Needless to say, I was convinced he was going to paint something. So off to the store I went at a super slow pace (not that I needed to try too much to go slow.....pregnancy tends to do that anyway in the 3rd trimester). When I arrived home, I heard him hammering in the garage and was instructed to STAY OUT! Confused and exhausted, I took a nap. About an hour later he said the surprise was ready to view....and this is what it was:

We'd been eying this dresser at Target for quite some time and I was just itching to get it so I could begin putting things away. We were waiting for it to go on sale, but I didn't know when that would ever happen and thus, didn't think we'd end up getting it. Well apparently Dennis speeded off to Target on Sunday morning to pick it up (on sale too!) while my sister and I went out to breakfast....what a sneaky little guy! I'm so excited we finally have a dresser! I can't wait to start doing laundry and putting her things away.....plus it's super cute and goes with her other furniture! Isn't my husband the greatest!

Wind and Waves

This morning (after a huge breakfast!) we headed to the beach. It was a beautiful sunshiny day.....but windy...oh so windy! And if that wasn't bad enough, the wind was freezing cold! Nonetheless, Dennis and Hunter played in the ocean waves while the rest of us stood on the cold sandy beach freezing! It really was a lot of fun watching Hunter run toward the waves and then run as fast as he could to keep from getting wet!

Hunter trying to run from the waves.

Goofy Baylee! She's a complete riot!

Sweet Kayla - a.k.a. the Textomatic!

Gotta love those dimples!

Baby Book

Here is our baby book! My mom got it for us and it is soooooooo cute!!!! I can't wait to start writing in it!

My sister and family arrived around 9pm last night and it has been non-stop excitement since they arrived. I don't think we went to bed until after midnight! Currently Dennis is playing catch (in the house!) with Hunter...what a nice uncle. Anyway, this morning we went to the farmer's market and bought some really good green beans, blackberries, raspberries, tomatoes, peaches, and a purple pepper for Baylee. Then we came back home to refuel on grilled cheese and off to the mall we went! The girls got really lucky and were able to find some cute jeans and tops and Hunter found an awesome paleontology kit at the toy store. And then off to Target for some last minute things. We had hamburgers from STARS (which are the best!) and now we're just relaxing while the girls are watching the Simpson's movie in the theater room. Not sure what tomorrow will bring, but I know it'll be a blast!!!!

My sister!

MY SISTER IS COMING OVER TOMORROW!!!!! We're so excited!!! She hasn't been over here in quite some time so she hasn't seen our new house. She's bringing the girls and her son too which Dennis is looking forward to taking to the Bounce O Rama in the mall. Hunter will be 6 in November and he is a bundle of energy!....Plus he has the cutest dimples that just melt your heart! Now that we have a bigger house (twice as big as our other house) there will be plenty of room for everyone. I'm so excited I don't know if I'll be able to go to sleep!.....I think the baby is excited too because she's kicking the heck out of me while I type this! Tomorrow can't come soon enough!

A cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal please!

All I wanted this morning was a cup of coffee and a bowl of honey nut cheerios! I was so tired from a horrible night sleep I just wanted a coffee to pick me up....but oh no, too many carbs because I like to add milk to my coffee (I'm not the crazy type who likes my coffee black). Then I'm totally craving cereal and going through cereal withdrawals at the same time and for a preggo lady that is not a good combination AT ALL! Plus, to add insult to injury, there was a huge miscommunication at work that got me all upset. So to say the least I was a bit teary-eyed this morning and just wanted to crawl under a rock. I seriously hope I sleep well tonight. I may not be able to have my cereal, but a good nights sleep will curb my coffee craving.

Sweet dreams!

Sweet Old Lady

I was in Walgreens today picking up a prescription and walking in front of me was a VERY old couple. They were so cute! The husband (and with the assistance of a cane) was helping his wife walk at an extremely slow pace. Amused as I was, I halted my pace in order to observe them a little longer. As the husband waited at the counter, the wife took a seat in the little waiting area (it's more like a waiting wall, but I digress). We weren't there for more than a few minutes when the sweet old lady asked if I would like to sit down.....in her chair! I couldn't believe how sweet it was of her to ask that, when clearly she needed the chair WAY more than I did! I said thank you, but I was just fine standing....and I couldn't stop smiling for the next 30 minutes or so. That lady just made my day. Just so sweet and adorable! I'm not much up for strangers touching my belly, but anytime a sweet old lady like that wants to.....it would be my pleasure! She never did, but you could see the joy on her face when looked at my 29 week pregnant belly!

Can I go to bed now?

After being on summer vacay for so long and just lounging around the house, I'm exhausted after only a half day of work! It really was a full day as I didn't leave until 3:45 but the kids got out at 1pm. Oh and of all days, it had to rain this morning! Luckily, it didn't seem to have much of an affect on the students because from what I heard, all the classes were really well behaved......eerily so in some cases I guess.

Even though I was completely exhausted when I got home, someone needed to make dinner. Today is Monday which means Dennis goes bowling with some of his co-workers (male bonding is important ya know). Anyway, I was moving so slowly it took me at least 30 minutes to prep dinner! I decided to try a new recipe from one of the diabetic cookbooks I checked out last week and it turned out pretty darn well! The original recipe was "Ginger Stir-fry Beef" but I opted to make it with chicken, cut down on the ginger, add garlic, and more broccoli......and my oh my was it delish! Dennis will have some mighty fine leftovers for lunch this week!

That's enough for tonight...I can barely keep my eyelids from closing. :)

Ahhh!!! I've got school tomorrow!!!

I can't believe another school year is upon us. My summer was definitely not boring like they have been in the past....it probably might have to do with my little bun in the oven. But as I planned out my wardrobe for the week (just like I do every Sunday during the school year) my pregnant emotions took control. First I couldn't find my red maternity shirt that I needed to hand wash and THEN I realized I only have six tops that fit me AND that I can wear to work for the next 3 months! Frustrated and envious of the clothes that I used to be able to wear, my wonderful husband is taking me to the mall in a little bit. Happy, but still emotional, I'm fighting those pregnant tears.

School and cup after cup of coffee go hand and hand, but for this school year, I will have to stay off of coffee island.....I know my students will truly be dissapointed! There's nothing like a caffeinated teacher first thing in the morning to get you going! Although, seeing all those exciting and eager faces those first few days of school, may just give me the boost that coffee island offers.

Oh, and for all of those you haven't heard, I have gotten the one pregnant malady that sucks beyond belief.....gestational diabetes. So for the past few days (and nights) all I can think about is carbs, carbs, carbs. And there's just something strange about seeing a pregnant woman checking out a South Beach Diet or Adkins book.

Well, here's to a new school year minus coffee island, carb central, and a closet full of clothes to wear! Wish me luck! :)

You've gotta watch this!!!

Okay, this is the funniest video clip ever!!! It's of Dennis's co-workers little boy. Dennis added a few sound effects to enhance the completely hilarious video. I warn you, do not eat or drink anything while you watch this.....I don't want anyone choking after all. ENJOY!

my oh my

What a day! Last night I didn't get to sleep until sometime around 2am and then I was wide awake at 5am! So rather than just lay in bed for the next hour and a half, I decided to get up and look through the cookbooks I checked out from the library yesterday. Thankfully I was pretty wide awake and full of energy all day until about 5pm when my eyelids began to feel heavy. I was mostly productive with getting my classroom ready. I put up my curtains and man are they bright! They are also much taller than my other ones so I think that is going to get some getting use to. By far I am not ready for school to start on Monday morning, but the majority of things I need to accomplish will need to happen when schools in session anyway. I tie up all my loose ends the first week of school so that when the second week begins it's practically hang-up free!

Well, the couch is calling my name and I must obey!

Library

Today I checked out some books from our county library.....something I haven't done since I was in elementary school! Sad, I know....but I really like to own books. I just love to look at them on my shelf to remind me of what a great read it was.....or how bad it was...but those are far and few between. Anyway, there are such odd people at the library....twitchy people, smelly people, fancy people, sleepy people......you name them, you could find them! I watched one guy who was falling asleep in a chair and every once in a while his head would fall back and he'd snap it forward again....his mouth was also slightly ajar too.....He made me laugh, luckily not too loud since I was in a library after all. I'm looking forward to the day when I can take our little girl to check out her very first book. I hope she loves them as much as I do!

Kim Sutton Rocks!

Today I went to a Kim Sutton workshop and it totally rocked! She's such an energetic person! I learned some great new things today and refreshed upon forgotten ideas. Fabulous!

Last Week

This is the last hurrah of summer vacation! I think I'll only be heading to school on Thursday...a required meeting day for all teachers. Last year it was a bit blah so I'm hoping they have something more exciting planned. Since we don't have a teacher store here, I've ordered all my stuff online and luckily the most important order (my lesson planner) should be arriving on Thursday. The school is still in a bit of chaos due to the construction in the main building. The teachers residing there will hopefully have access to their classrooms tomorrow....but the kitchen wont be ready for at least a week after school starts! So there will be a make-shift kitchen in the the staff lunch room which will displace all the teachers during lunch.......so looks like I'll be calling my room the party place until the staff room is void of the make-shift kitchen. I'm really hoping they will be able to move the laminator, die cut machine, and paper cutter from the computer lab and cafeteria back to their home in the basement of the main building.

Oh totally different subject and a FYI, if you ever find yourself setting off the detectors in the front of stores (such as Target) when you enter AND exit the building....check your jeans! I've been setting off the detectors at all sorts of stores around town not knowing what was setting them off for the past six months or so. Well, today Dennis and I tried figuring out what exactly was setting them off with absolutely no luck!.....until we folded laundry. When I grabbed my jeans to fold them I decided I would take a good look at them to see if there was something on them that would do it.......and sure enough, I found it! On the inside of my maternity jeans, down on the right side there was a tag that said "Remove before wearing and washing".....um I don't ever remember having to EVER remove a tag on the INSIDE of a pair of jeans. And inside that little tag was the little activator thingy to set off the detector and prevent you from stealing them! Crazy, crazy, craziness! So from now on, I suggest people watch out for this tag.....otherwise you'll have to endure the embarresment of setting off the detectors EVERY TIME YOU ENTER AND EXIT A STORE!!!! :)

Big Brother

The B-man is going to be a big brother to a little sister!!!!!! J and K found out this morning and when they called to tell us the news I was in tears before they even said what they were having! Then when they said it was a girl, the tears just came pouring out.....like big crocodile tears as Nancy would say. It would be exciting no matter what they were having, but since we're both having girls within weeks of each other, it's even more exciting!

Congratulations you guys! Dennis and I couldn't be happier for you!

Workshop Day 2

Same old, same old. It's unfortunate that the workshop was so blah. I was really hoping I would get a lot out of it. So today I headed down to school to put up a new bulletin board for the hallway. I wanted to make a swing with monkeys swinging on it, but it wasn't turning out the way I wanted so I made two trees and connected them with vines. Then I put the monkeys swinging from the vines with books in their hands. The caption down below then reads "Swing into Reading!" I should have a picture of it by the end of next week. In the meantime check out the pictures below:

Here is Dennis's quilt design! Isn't it super neat!

Okay, so here is my belly at 25 weeks. The picture turned out a little blurry and I'm extremely sleepy! I was actually ready for bed (contacts out, teeth brushed) when we realized we hadn't taken a picture yet. So I threw on my glasses so I could see where Dennis was standing and so I wouldn't look cross-eyed!....This is one of the very few pictures (if not the only picture) that anyone will see me wearing my glasses!

Workshop Day 1

A little disappointing I would have to say....although, there is one day left for me to change my mind. I've gotten some good ideas from today but time just dragged on and on. I really hope tomorrow will be a little more fast paced and energetic.

Tonight I made red beans and rice and it was really good! Maybe a little too spicy for me but pretty darn good over all. Dennis found a recipe online the other day and we thought we'd try it out. Next time I think we are going to add shredded chicken or something like that AND I will try not to make it as spicy. Odd thing is that sweetened ice tea worked better at cutting the spice than chocolate milk! You should try it sometime! :)

Fabulous Weekend

My dad and Chi-Sai came over this weekend to visit us and my baby belly. We had an awesome dinner at a local brewery and then went to the horse races the following day. Now I have never been to a horse race in my entire life and I had an absolute blast! It was sooooooo exciting and even though we didn't win any race, we still had a terrific time. I can't wait to go to another one!

Officially, there are only 2 weeks before school starts. I'm kinda not ready to go back but I have 3 workshops in the next two weeks and they ALWAYS seem to get me excited for school to start. I'm especially looking forward to the Kim Sutton workshop. Her workshops focus on Math and fun ways to get the kids into it and remember basic skills. It's going to be so much fun!!!! Tomorrows work shop is on differentiation and should be pretty good.

Today I worked on getting my chaotic room under control. I put all my desks back where they should be and located a missing bookshelf. I also ordered classroom materials and got some really good deals on the Scholastic website. I probably should head back down on Thursday to come up with a bulletin board of some sort. Wish me luck!

My Quilt

Isn't it bright! I just finished the top today and began working on the design that Dennis came up with. His will take much longer and require a longer thought process. Oh and I just finished making a peach pie! We're taking it over to a friend's house for dinner tonight. I can't wait!

Happy Birthday Nancy!!!!

I would like to wish my friend a very happy birthday today! As I began to write this post, I realized I don't have any pictures of her! So I searched her blog and found this picture that captures her oh so fun and happy personality! Because of the lack of photos and since she is the photography queen, it is my goal to get some crazy and wacky pictures of her before school starts! He he he. She is a blast to hang around with and I hope she has a wonderful birthday!

A Crib, A Crib, A Crib!

Today we got a crib!!!!...and changing table!!!! One of Dennis's co-workers has a friend who was selling her old crib, changing table, and rocker.....so she asked Dennis if we were interested and after seeing the pictures of it, we couldn't say yes fast enough. We got a great deal too! It's exactly what I'd been looking for!....white, sleigh style with a drop-side. I'm just so excited about it!!!!! Plus, it's two big ticket items we can cross off our list! Woo hoo!!!!

Water Kitty

So this is what Big Kitty likes to do when she sees a big container of water....she played in that water for over 20 minutes today! I've never seen a cat who likes water as much as she does. In fact, if you turn the hose on, she'll chase it just like a dog! She's always been crazy about water...even when she was 8 weeks old! Dennis and I thought there was a hole in her water dish, but then we saw her one day playing in it. Therefore, her water dish has been located in the bathtub ever since.

Ooooo

I swept and mopped today!!!!! Tomorrow I will design a quilt for our little girl.

Wish me luck!

His and Hers Quilts

On Friday, Dennis and I went to the fabric store to pick out quilt material for our little girl. Well, the first one I chose Dennis didn't care for so he decided we would just have to make a daddy quilt and a mommy quilt. I'll post pictures as soon as I finish them. Although, we haven't even designed them yet so it'll be a while before there done.

Oh and on Thursday night we were able to SEE when our little girl kicked my stomach! It was so cool and bizarre at the same time. I can't wait now till she sticks her foot out and keeps it there for a bit. She's kicking so much now too! Last night it felt like she was beating me up and I couldn't get to sleep! She's so cute!

one down, a million to go

As I said the other day, I dedicated today (Wednesday) as a cleaning day. Well, I actually didn't clean as much as I needed to...but rather am doing one or two things a day to keep me busy. For instance, today my goal was to vacuum and I accomplished it quite nicely. I also organized some drawers in my closet and changed the sheets....bonuses really. Tomorrow I will either tackle the shower or sweep and mop. Oh, and I must get to my DVR'd stuff...I have days worth of shows recorded and must watch them BEFORE school starts otherwise I'll never keep up with new seasons starting!!!! Ahhhhh!

Scan Scan Scan

So, as this was my first official day of vacation, I registered for baby stuff. I spent about 2 hours at target and then another 2 hours (at least) at various other online sites. I just love registering....not because I want people to buy us stuff...but because I feel so powerful with that little scanner in my hot little hands! Super, super fun!....And if anyone out there does not like registering, I would be more than happy to assist.

Today we saw the baby doctor too. He said our little girl is growing exactly at the rate she should be and everything looks really good. In about 3 weeks I go in for the glucose tolerance test. It's where you get to drink this oh so lovely (and super sweet) orange drink and then wait in the office for an hour to get your blood sugar tested. Imagine drinking an orange soda that has 5 times the sugar.....mmmmmm, so appetizing isn't it?!

Tomorrow I think I will do the dinner dishes from tonight and then return a few things at the mall. Afterwards, I might catch up on some DVR shows. I'm reserving Wednesday for cleaning....I'm so looking forward to it.

TTFN

Smokey the Bear

We went to visit the B-Man and family and boy, oh boy was it smokey!!! We've had horrible fires around here and had to drive through them to get to the B-Man. It was so bad that you could barely see the river and in some parts, you could still see the flames burning. They say that the smoke could stay around till October, that is, if there aren't any new fires during the fire months...August and September.

Smoke and all, we still had a wonderful visit. We took Brady to this awesome park with a small water park (sprinklers and such). It was so fun to watch him play in the water! He also had a great time running all around and up and down the structures.

J and K had a super incredible surprise for us when we arrived. First, the door was covered with a HUGE banner that said "baby"....way cute! Then when we walked in the door, their dinning room table was COVERED with super cute baby gift bags......all for our little girl! They are always super sweet, caring, and thoughtful people...but this was even over the top!!! They picked out the cutest little girl clothes and practically tripled our little girl's wardrobe! We are so appreciative of all that they have done for us. Thank you guys!!!!!....Brady too!!

Cold A** BBQ!

Oh my goodness! We practically froze during our BBQ today! If the cold weather wasn't bad enough, we also had to put up with heavy mist and freezing cold winds! Thankfully, I convinced one of our people to make a coffee run....it totally saved all of us and warmed our frozen bodies. However, the kids didn't seem to mind. Oh, and the hot dogs took a while longer to BBQ than expected so we didn't get back to school until 12:05 (school gets out at noon)! Tomorrow will be nice. It's PJ day and we are going to watch a movie and then have our prize drawings.....a very nice way to end summer school.

Give it a try!

So Dennis and I have tried a really great cream soda and root beer made with honey. We heard about it on Food Network and recently found it at our local co-op. If you haven't tried it already....you should totally do so....or you can order it from www.specherbrewery.com

Oh, by the way, Steve (our hedge) got another hair cut today. It's not as bad as the last time, but still, we don't like it short. I ran over (or rather hobbled) to the neighbors to let them know we (all the neighbors) like Steve to be tall. They said they completely understood and weren't going to cut him that short....true, they didn't...but they still cut him!!!!!!

Chili Festival

Mmmmm....chili! Tonight Dennis and I went to a chili festival....actually, it was more like a chili cook-off. We got there just when they started so we were able to sample most of the chilies. We'd always talked about going in years past, but we just never got around to it. And now I'd have to say we'll make it an annual event for sure. It was a lot of fun (we met our friends there) and had our own little judging event after every sample. Some lacked flavor and some had way too much (cumin specifically). There was one that had either apple juice in it or apples.....I think that was one of Dennis's favorites. Then we tried this one cooked by the Allstate team that tasted pretty good, but the more you ate the spicier it got until you just couldn't eat anymore without tears streaming down your face....okay, I may have exaggerated that last part a bit, but it was pretty darn spicy! Unfortunately, the last one we tried had WAY too much liquid smoke and we were unable to finish it and all I could taste for the next 20 minutes was liquid smoke....eeewwwww. And imagine eating all this chili without something to drink! So while everyone was listening to the band (a pretty good one at that too), I was on a mission for something (anything) to drink. I found it about 2 blocks away at a little Mexican restaurant. I bought the biggest fountain drink possible!!!!....and gulped away until I couldn't gulp anymore! We had so much fun! I just can't wait for next year....although, in the fall we'll be heading to the apple festival!!!

We have power!

Several weeks ago, PG&E sent a letter saying the power would be out in various locations in our town from 5:30am to 4:00pm. To prepare, Dennis and I did laundry yesterday and planned to be out of the house most of the day. Well the power was turned off at about 6:45am and the house was eerily quiet. Without power I wasn't able to make the usual Sunday pancakes and cereal just didn't sound that great....however, we didn't leave the house until 10:30ish (empty stomach and all) and I wasn't very pleasant to be around. So we decided to check out a baby store 20 minutes away, but wouldn't you know it.....it was CLOSED.....but it was to open up at noon. So at 12:20(and after some much needed food) we headed back to the store....and it was still closed!....so we gave up and headed to our other destinations. Today felt like a marathon day of shopping!!!! We went to every baby section in all the stores we went to and checked out all the adorable girlie stuff. We got some pretty cute things...including some summer dresses for next year that daddy picked out :) At about 6pm we were completely exhausted!....and we just wanted to go home and have dinner. But when we walked in the door, we didn't hear any fish tank motors running or any flashing clocks!!! So I quickly put our refrigerated stuff in the fridge as fast as I possibly could and we decided to head back out (argh!) to find some dinner. Thankfully, when we returned (a little after 8pm and with 2 bags of ice for the fridge)the power had finally come back on!!! Woo hoo!!!! It was such a long day for both of us and we are just exhausted.....in fact I'm having much difficulty typing correctly.....so I think I will head to bed now.

Good night.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

So this movie is entirely in 3D! It's pretty cool and the theater we watched it in had stadium seating (it's been years since we've been to a theater like that). Our little girl must have enjoyed it too because she was kicking up a storm practically the whole time!

Next week is the last week of summer school! On Thursday we are going on a fieldtrip to the local park to have a BBQ and then on Friday we are having a movie and PJ party! Then the countdown really begins for back to school. I have so many things I need to do to get my room ready for next year! Way too much paper work to organize! Anyone have an industrial shredder to loan me?

Happy Friday!

So Beautiful!

Isn't she beautiful!!!! We so can't wait to hold her! Our sweet little baby girl!

It's A Girl!!!

Yup! We're having a healthy baby girl! We are so excited!...and the ultrasound tech was 100% sure that we're having a girl! I'd have to say close to 90% of people we talked to said we were having a boy, so for the past few weeks Dennis and I both started to think maybe we were having a boy......so it kinda came as a real shock to hear "It looks like your having a girl!" The whole right side of my face was soaked in tears (I was looking to the right you see) and I had to control myself so I wouldn't completely start sobbing away! We have some ultrasound pictures and as soon as we scan them, I'll post them. :)


A girl, a girl, a girl!

Summer School

Before I dive into S.S., I must vent on how much I can't stand summer road construction! I'm totally over it! Last year it started the day after school got out and didn't stop until November! We were reduced to ONE lane on a busy freeway, which gets really, old really quickly. This year I thought "Hey, what could they possibly do?" Oh, the horror....and I thought the ONE lane was bad. For the last week of school and for the several weeks that followed, MY EXIT WAS CLOSED!!!!!!! So either I had the choice of taking the exit beforehand and going the back roads - or - I could take the exit past mine and loop back around on the freeway.....either option is annoying.....especially since I still have to work. So earlier this week I thought I was out of the woods....well, my on ramp was closed today! So, so, so annoying! I just wish it would be over....like a band-aid....just rip off in one quick motion! Now that I have vented, I feel much better...thank you.

So, summer school. I have the most amazing class! They work sooooo quietly and are incredibly helpful....especially 2 of my fifth graders. They are more than willing to work with a younger student who is having trouble with their work. I'm just so thankful for them! I think today was only the 2nd time I had to ask them to quiet down during working time....that in itself (during summer school nonetheless) is amazing! Next week is out last week of summer school, and although I'm happy to begin my summer vacation, I will truly miss my class.

Until next time!

20 Weeks

Here's the latest picture of my belly. I will be 22 weeks on Wednesday, which is the same day as my ultrasound!...we're super excited to see the baby! Yesterday was the first day a stranger asked me my due date. It was pretty neat, but she was a bit odd...nice, but odd. She said she had 4 kids and she looked my age...crazy!

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July. Dennis and I went to 2 different street fairs and had some really good food...rice with peanut sauce and plantains, meatball sandwich, and a BBQ tri-tip sandwich....ooooh not to mention the fabulous caramel apple! Since we had such a late lunch, Dennis ended up eating Cheerios for dinner and I had yogurt! We tried to watch our local fireworks, but they set them off really low so we couldn't see them....oh well. I absolutely love 3 day weekends! It so feels like Sunday, but it's totally still Saturday!!!...it's awesome!

Oh, I got a really good beverage recipe from my Rachel Ray magazine. You take raspberries and blackberries and blend them up, add sugar to taste, and strain. Then fill a glass with ice, add club soda and pureed juice to taste, and viola'! It's pretty tasty I have to say...very simple, but tasty.

Well, I will try to post more often than I have been. I've been such a bad blogger!

Corn Dogs, Curly Fries, and Caramel Apples

If you hadn't guessed it already, our fair started today and these were the foods that I was craving (actually I crave them most of the time, pregnant or not). Unfortunately, this fair is rather on the sad side and thank goodness we went today because we got in free....otherwise it would have been a ridiculous $10 each! The food was all that I had hoped for, although, I'm saving the caramel apple for dessert later....mmmmmmm.

Summer school has begun and I'm very thankful we get out at noon. My students are working very hard and are extremely quiet! I'm totally not used to that! I think they may spoil me! I have a wonderful class with quite a few kids enrolled. In fact, every grade level has a higher enrollment than last year....especially junior high...their numbers doubled this year compared to last year!

So Dennis planted a garden last weekend...he's such a hard worker...and oh so cute! Anyway, he planted corn, tomatoes, lettuce, chives, cilantro (yuck), watermelon, cantaloupe, another blueberry bush, and zucchini. I hope they all grow well...we'll just have to wait and see.

Baby is kicking quite a bit now. I'm 20 weeks today (half way there) and my next ultrasound is July 9th. I have a belly picture to post, but it is locked away in my camera as I have been too lazy to transfer them to the computer. I've really got to get on that. Oh, and the majority of people we've talked to say they think I'm having a boy...so we'll see!

Have a great day!

Mmmmm

All I have to say is Blackberry and Peach pie!

Even Better the 2nd Time!

So yesterday on my day off I went to watch the SATC movie again with my friend. It was my second time and her fourth.....and I tell you, it was even better this time than the first!!!! I so can't wait until the DVD comes out....I really hope they put TONS of bonus stuff on it too!!!

While out gallivanting around with my friend, we went into a store so she could look at some wedding dresses. Well, while we were there (and in the middle of a conversation) I completely starting freaking out because I saw a purse that I haven't seen for over a year! I'd seen in once while Dennis and I were on vacation and always regretted not buying it. I even searched all over the internet with no luck at all! So after a while I just gave up......so when I saw it in the store I was beside myself!!!! I called Dennis right then and there and he said the most wonderful thing, "Well, aren't you going to get it?" So of course I squealed and snagged it back up off the rack. It is a small iridescent white beaded purse with a round silver (metal) handle.....really it's not my style but I just love love LOVE it!!!! I'm taking it to work with me on Monday!

Back to watching my adorable husband play the Wii Fit!

Crunch Time

So much to do and so little time!

Project

I have a project that I don't think I'll finish. I haven't even started it yet. I know what I'm going to do and how I'll go about getting it done, but that's about it. My procrastination has taken a hold of me and I just can't shake it loose. I thought today would be a good day to begin because (unfortunately) Dennis has come down with a cold and while he's napping, I could work....it didn't quite work out like that. I started laundry and took my time while shopping at Target. Then, I was craving potato salad so I had to make that....which took FOREVER and didn't taste exactly how I wanted it to. Afterwards, I began going through Sex and the City withdrawals so I retreated to the bedroom (while Dennis napped) to begin Season 5, disk 2. After that it was dinner and dishes and rice pudding....which I kinda found revolting but Dennis seemed to like it. There will be a lot of leftovers for him then. Now it's blogging and soon my 16th week belly photo. I promise I will have one up soon.

So, until tomorrow and another day of procrastination.

Absof***inglutely!

It was absolutely fabulous!!!! I loved practically every minute of it!!!! There was only one issue I had about the relationship between Anthony and Standford....I was a little puzzled when I saw that. It felt like a really long episode which was exactly what I wanted it to feel like. Although it had quite a few more dramatic (sad) parts than I expected. The show was completely sold out and there was only 2 men in the entire audience! There was a lot of laughter and squealing and all together excitement! I can't wait to see it again!!!!

Only 25 hours 10 mintues to go!!!!

I'm talking about SEX AND THE CITY you silly people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I so can't wait to see it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has been really hard (especially the last 2 weeks) not to read, hear, or see anything about it. And I really have to be careful if I watch a show that I didn't DVR because the previews are EVERYWHERE!!!!!!! Ooooooo! I was on the radio today!!!! They asked people to call in and give their opinion of all the hype......so, I called in!!!!! I was sooooo nervous but I said I was a huge fan and talked about how I went to New York and went on the tour, I own 2 copies of the complete series, a book, and a trivia game. The DJ then asked why I thought people liked the show and I said it probably has to do with the variety of women and situations on the show, plus we can live vicariously through the girls!!!! He asked if I thought a lot of men would be dragged to the theater and I told him no because this is a show you gather your girlfriends around for and watch....no men allowed (except for you JT$). After I told him I was seeing it tomorrow night he said he wanted me to call in on Monday to give my review.....and I think I totally will!!!! I was so jazzed after I hung up that I called Nancy and Barb so they could change the station so they could listen to me (as they are not country music radio fans). Thankfully when they played it on air, I wasn't all squealy as I can get sometimes....I was just more on the really excited and lively side of the spectrum. Anyway, tomorrow is the big day and I just can't wait!!!! I hope I'll be able to sleep tonight.

Brady Weekend

We went over to see Brady and Co. this weekend. He's getting so big!!! I think Dennis said he was 34 inches tall....and he's only 15 months! Surprisingly, it wasn't incredibly hot over there. I was expecting it to be in the 90's but it actually rained and was pretty cool......therefore, I didn't have to wear shorts!!! Woo hoo! No one needs to be exposed to my blinding white legs if it can be helped. Kelly and I went maternity clothes shopping on Saturday. I ended up getting a blouse, 2 pairs of jeans, and shorts (I may not want to wear them, but there will come a time I MUST wear them to avoid heat exhaustion....and for that I apologize....just remember your sunglasses if you are with me). It's kinda weird because maternity pants fit me so much differently than my other jeans. I'm used to them being form fitting (but definitely not that painted on look)....I guess you could say they hug my curves. Anyway, maternity jeans are a little bit looser everywhere....so I feel like I'm in sweats and not jeans.

Because sweets make me queasy, I haven't been baking at all! However, someone who will remain nameless but teaches the only straight 4th grade class at my school, gave me Amish bread starter.....And who do you think gave her the idea that I LOVE that starter and don't have anymore of it as of 5 months ago...and need some again??????? Why the only Kindergarten teacher at my school who hatched ducks that is!!! See, no names. :) So anyway, I made two batches of the stuff today.....2 loaves and 22 muffins. I saved 1 cup in the fridge so I can make waffles next weekend, 1 cup of regular starter, and the rest you ask????......down the sink. Really it was because I didn't have any 1 gallon ziplock bags and I didn't want to go through the hassle to find someone to take the rest off my hands. I completely understand why Nancy is against the stuff.....it's like rabbits.....it just keeps multiplying!!!!!!!

There being taken away!!!!

Ducks I mean!!! The cute little ducklings in Nancy's room will be no longer come Friday afternoon!!! Two were taken to a good home yesterday and I almost cried!!! Only three are left and they are soooooooooo adorable....but very VERY messy I do have to say. Poor Nancy has had to clean up after them and the bigger they get, the bigger their mess gets! Oh, you should see them swim too! Super cute!!! Nancy brought in a little kiddie pool and they just swim and peep-peep all around it!!! The kids are so fascinated by them and just love them!!!...I mean come on, who wouldn't? I so wanted Dennis to see them, but as they got bigger and more adorable, I just knew he would want to take one home! I used to have a duck growing up. Her name was Daisy and she was a Mallard duck. In the winter she flew away and then when spring came she came back! But I do remember how messy she was! Our driveway was always a mess and had to be sprayed off all the time!!!!.....that is why I don't necessarily want a pet duck again. Anyway, I'm going to miss those ducks (sniff, sniff). I just have to look forward to next year.....I hear it'll be chickens.....I just might take a few of those home!

200th Post!!!

I can't believe this is my 200th post already! Remember my exit issue yesterday? Well, because I had a baby dr. appointment this morning I was able to take my time with the blasted exit and finding my way to school. This time, I just let the road take me where it must and I eventually ended up where I needed to be. Tomorrow I may take the exit BEFORE the blasted one because I don't think I'll have to take any funky turns.

Baby is doing well and has a strong heartbeat. We'll be able to (hopefully) find out the sex of the baby around the third week in June. It seems so far away! But by then, I'll be half way through my pregnancy.....and in that respect, time has flown by!

Oh my...

It's all Monday's fault! Today was....well...just one thing after the other. It started off by me taking a different exit off the freeway (because I thought mine was closed) and then realizing, I had no clue where exactly I was going or if I was even going in the right direction!!! Frustrated, I flipped a U-ie and took my regular exit (thankfully it was opened). Then it was kinda just one thing after another so by the time I got home I felt like I'd been run over. Not by a steamroller (I wasn't feeling that flat), I think it was more like a gianormous SUV......maybe a Hummer? Thankfully, tomorrow is just a little over 4 hours away!!!! Plus, I actually have a good lunch tomorrow...cous cous (today I brought chips and nacho cheese.....I don't think I'll be doing that again any time soon).

Best wishes on this maddening Monday!

I tried, honest!

I totally tried to blog yesterday, but for some reason it wouldn't let me post! It's been sooooooo hot here!!!!!....in the high 80's to low 90's for some places. Now to the average person this might seem like a wonderful temperature.....well for people who are used to the highs being in the 60's, we're melting!!!!! The students at my school were dropping like flies because it was so hot! I live in jeans weather, not shorts weather and my white legs prove it!!! Since I'm starting to show, I have no shorts (of the 2 pairs I own) that fit, nor do I have any tank tops that cover my baby belly! So I resorted to staying indoors as long as possible on Friday to avoid the heatwave directly. It didn't quite work as well as I'd hoped.....and I've realized my annoying little headaches that I've been getting for the past few days are coming from the heat. I had a gnarly one today, but a few minutes after we were in the wonderfully air conditioned store, it had gone away!!! Woo hoo!!!

So Dennis and I went to the annual Coast Guard yard sale today. It was mediocre and I didn't see anything I couldn't live without. Then we went up to the farmer's market. We had breakfast at a bar (yes, it's odd, but it was really good and inexpensive) and then strolled through the plaza. I was really hoping for some fruit or something, but it's too early in the season for that yet. My mouth is already watering for the peaches that will show up in July sometime!!!

Until next time!

Baby Bump

I'm at the stage in my pregnancy where my jeans don't fit and to the average Joe I look like I have a bit of a gut. However, to those who know I'm pregnant, it's like "Wow! I can tell your pregnant!" It's quite exciting but I feel a little self conscience in public because I don't want people thinking I'm just fat.....I think I need to wear a button that says "It's baby belly, not belly fat." Whatever. I'm just really excited I'm starting to show!!!!! And I'm even more excited because my sister-in-law (Brady's mom) is having another baby!!!!! She's due January 2nd which puts me about 7 weeks ahead. It's so very exciting!!!! We're gonna go maternity clothes shopping on Memorial weekend which is going to be a lot of fun! She knows where all the good spots are!

STAR Test Day 2

Completely chaotic! The second grade began their testing and I was in complete panic this morning because I couldn't find my testing manual in the principal's office.....and since he wasn't there this morning, no one knew where it was! This immediately put me and bad, BAD mood. Then my students' teacher didn't have their test, so I had to go back up to the office to figure this whole f*#@&^* thing out! Finally, I found them in a little pile on the floor in a corner. Relieved, and in a better mood, I was able to gather my children and give the test. In the second grade there is a LOT of verbal instruction!....and I forgot how tedious it can become. It was also frustrating watching students just fill in bubbles when you know if they took the time to actually read the passage, they might do okay. Anyway, tomorrow is a new day and I just hope it'll start off a lot better than today.

STAR Test Day 1

Yup, it's that time of year again....and it sucks, for everyone involved. One of the things that the kids love about taking the STAR is that they can chew gum. So you have rooms filled with peppermint and wonderfully sweet artificial fruit flavors! Because I had some 4th graders in my room I didn't get to take lunch until 12:20pm....an hour later than normal. It really isn't that big of a deal, but I didn't get my scheduled snack, and you know what happens when a PG lady doesn't get her food. I survived my munching on trail mix. Tomorrow, I will be prepared!

Cake Batter

Mmmmm....cake batter! That is the new Ben and Jerry's flavor we bought today. It is really good. It even has that floury consistency that regular cake batter has. Plus it has a chocolate frosting swirl! Dennis felt it overpowered the yellow cake batter taste and although I kinda agree, I really liked how chocolatey is was.

And that's about it.....for now.

Tootles!

Bad Dinner

Today I had (or rather, still have) a headache. It started around 3pm and has just kinda lingered on like a bad hangover. Anyway, it was in full swing while I was making dinner (fajitas) and the bell peppers and onions were making me nauseous too.....so I wasn't cooking with "love" as Dennis likes to put it. He said he could tell because apparently I had left on the thin skin on the outside of the onion that never cooks and has the consistency of paper. He also said it was on the bland side, which makes since because I really didn't taste anything as I was making it. I felt bad, but being the wonderful husband he is, Dennis said that's just gonna happen from time to time and I make so many other good dinners that it really doesn't matter. Isn't he so sweet?! I think I'm making pasta tomorrow night so I know I can't screw that up! :)

Costco Cake

So the day before my horrible neck injury, I bought a birthday cake at Costco. I bought a white cake with an apricot filling. I read the label SEVERAL times to make sure I was getting what I wanted.....a WHITE cake with APRICOT filling. Anyway, I called Nancy on Tuesday afternoon to complain about my neck and ask how my questionable tortellini salad was. That was when she informed me that carrot or spice cake wasn't her favorite. Puzzled, I asked what she was talking about and she said the cake was a carrot cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so upset, frustrated, annoyed (you get the picture)!....and I was so glad I wasn't there because I probably would have been even more annoyed. So I called Costco to tell them about the incident and (thankfully) they said if I brought in my receipt they would give me a refund. On Saturday, I got my refund and ended up ordering another cake for 2 birthday celebrations on Monday at school. This time they got it right and it was wonderful!!!!! It actually was the first time dessert tasted good and I didn't feel like I wanted to yak it right back up! :)

As for Nancy's suggestion, I will start posting belly pictures as soon as it is obviously baby and not just a beer gut. :)

Baby Makes Three

Yup, it's true! Dennis and I are having a baby! I've known since March 7th which has made blogging oh so difficult! I'm eleven weeks and due mid-November. My original due date was November 11th, but the ultrasound I had at 6 weeks put me at November 19th. We are so excited!!!! My morning sickness began on Good Friday ( at the post office to be more specific). All of a sudden I felt like I was going to get sick all over the guy....luckily, it didn't happen. Working has been challenging especially since I didn't tell them until last week. My students must think I'm crazy because I'm always eating something while teaching to avoid (or get rid of) that horrible queasy feeling. The last two days have been somewhat better. I haven't felt as queasy and it seems to go away a little faster. But enough of that....I'm just so excited I don't have to keep this a secret any longer and I can shout it from the rooftops!!!!!

Pain in the Neck

Literally that is what I have....a pain in the neck!!!! I woke up Tuesday morning around 5am with a sore neck. Slowly, I moved my head to readjust it and then WHAM! I was in total pain and could not for the life of me move my neck!!!! Freaking out, I didn't move hoping it would settle down...but oh no. Around 5:30 I got up (which took like 5 minutes) and got an ice pack. I iced my neck for about 30 minutes and then tried desperately to get some sleep....that didn't work out so well. The alarm went off at 6:30 but I couldn't reach it to turn it off. Finally, I scooted over far enough to turn it off and realized there was absolutely no way I was going to be able to go to work. Annoyed at having to use a sick day, I told Dennis the news. Then I realized, I WAS IN CHARGE OF BRINGING A BIRTHDAY CAKE TO SCHOOL THAT DAY!!!!!!!!!! So slight panic mode set in and I called Barb (the first grade teacher) to ask her to pick up the cake and my pot luck contribution. Because she is so wonderful, she agreed. The rest of the day was a blur... full of pain and discomfort. However, I was absolutely certain through the miracle of sleep, that I would be feeling good enough to work on Wednesday.....wrong again! I almost attempted it, but Dennis said I was crazy and there was no way I could drive in my condition. Disappointed that he was right and furious at taking another day off from work, I stayed home. Desperate times call for desperate measures........enter the CHIROPRACTOR!!!! Chiropractors completely freak my out and I had only been to one 12 years prior (I only have a vague memory of it). Anyway, my neck popped so loud and so many times that I wound up just laughing on the table because there was no way all that came from me! Then he put these heated electrode thingys on my neck and shoulders, which felt really good. I felt pretty good the rest of the day and not so stiff when I woke up the next morning (Thursday).....so I headed off to school, thank goodness! Friday was pretty good, but today is not fairing out so well. I got a Chinese massage from the mall guys and I felt pretty good for a while but then I developed a bad headache and was getting all stiff again. I have another session with the chiropractor on Monday and I hope that will help. The worse thing is I haven't been able to sleep very well AT ALL!!!! I'm starting to feel a little cranky.

Thank you Sashi!

I must thank Sashi ( an elementary school friend and the first vegetarian I met) for pickle sandwiches! She introduced them to me in 7th grade and I have loved them ever since! It was such a strange combination at first and I thought she was crazy. But then her mother was making them for me and I knew I needed to let my mom in on my guilty pleasure. I never ended up making them as often as I wished (as I didn't have the ingredients), but the pickle sandwich has never left my mind. Within the past several years, I've switched to buying pre-sliced pickles which has saved a LOT of time and prevented funky thicknesses. Well, today I decided to have one using the only white cheese I had, shredded mozzarella. This cheese difference didn't seem to make one bit of difference because it tasted as good as I remember. So good in fact, I began to dance while eating it......I didn't realize I was doing that until Dennis asked me if everything was okay....and why was I dancing. I concluded it had to be the deliciousness of my pickle sandwich to cause the dancing. So, if you want to do the "Pickle Dance," then make a pickle sandwich.

*Two slices of bread (one if your making a half...but why?...you'll end up making a second have anyway because the first was so good)
*Enough sliced pickles to cover the bread (dabbing off the liquid will prevent icky soggy bread)
*Mayo and mustard
*Lettuce (if readily available...I go without most days)
*Jack, Provolone, Mozzarella, Munster, or any other white cheese you like....EXCEPT processed....that should never EVER go anywhere near a pickle sandwich!

Assemble: bread, condiments, cheese, pickles, lettuce, bread......and ENJOY!!!!

Bad, Bad Blogger!

I know, don't tell me....I've been a very bad blogger recently. What with Brady visiting and work, I just haven't had any desire to regurgitate what's been going on......But today, I have gained back my....my...whatever it is that makes me ( or anyone else for that matter) want to blog.

We had so much fun when J, K, and B were visiting. We went to the park, zoo, and beach. We ran out of time for the mall, but that's okay. We were very lucky because we had one of the sunniest and warmest weekends this year! It was so beautiful which made going to the beach all that more fun! Brady just loved stomping around in the water and only fell down once! The zoo was fun too, but it was close to nap time and the B-man wasn't too interactive with the animals or us for that matter.....but Uncle Dennis made his day with a stuffed fox. It was rather cute and the look on his face when he got it was priceless!. So here are a few pics from our weekend!

I'm so handsome!

I wonder if this flower is edible?

Look! It's the Donny Darko bunny!

Awe! How sweet!

It's MY big stick Aunt Cindy!

Coming Soon

J, K, and B may be coming over this weekend. They have a few kinks to work out, but I'm staying optimistic. There is 3 things on their to do list while they are here:

1. Go to the ocean.
2. Go to the zoo (Brady's second zoo visit).
3. Go Brady clothes shopping!!!!

I'm pretty excited about #3 because children's clothing is always so adorable, but #2 is going to be pretty fun. The B-man seemed to like the zoo last time and now that he's older and more interactive, I'm sure he's gonna have a blast!!!!....along with the rest of us!

New Flavors!

To our surprise and delight, Dennis and I discovered two (yes, TWO) new Ben and Jerry ice cream flavors. One is yellow cake batter with a chocolate frosting swirl and the other is brownie cheesecake. We bought the brownie cheesecake and it is quite good....mmmmmm. It's always so exciting to find a new flavor! It kinda feels like Christmas! Woo hoo!!!

Garden

Yesterday and today Dennis planted our garden. He mowed, weed whacked, and rota tilled a new garden spot. He planted a dwarf Fuji apple tree, 2 blueberry bushes, and 12 strawberry plants (from our friends Nick and Becky...thanks!). He still has 2 thornless (yes, you read correctly) blackberry bushes. I'm really excited about them.....I've never seen a thornless blackberry bush EVER! I hope the berries are good and produce a lot!....I'm totally craving a blackberry pie.

Happy April Fool's Day!!!

I wish I could come up with really cool stuff to do to people on this day, but I can never think of anything to do....so I always end up helping someone else out. Today we made our principal think no one was showing up to the staff meeting by going to a different room. I'd say it was about 70% effective. We weren't all there yet and one of the staff was going to tell him we were all heading up to the county office for our meeting. But just that fact that no one had shown up so close to the meeting time, came as a big shock anyway. It was really all Kris's idea (the 4th grade teacher) I just helped coordinated it with the primary staff and our guest presenter.

Well, it's off to clean the fridge (it's trash day) and to watch a movie.