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.

Best Mini Golf Game...Ever!

Today on the way back from Y-town (which we had a blast), we stopped by the Family Fun Center to go miniature golfing and so Dennis could race on the go carts. I had my best game ever!!!! On the last 9 holes I actually scored under par which brought my total score to par....I've never done that before!!!! I had a rough start with some holes in the 7 stroke range....but then I pulled through! Dennis had a good time with the carts. He was the only one racing which was kinda funny when you watched, but he thought it was pretty cool.

My sisters b-day part was really fun. Lots of people showed up and it was really nice hanging out with my brothers and sister.....and Dennis too! My oldest brother made 2 pies...walnut (which is very much like pecan) and blackberry. They were both pretty good, but the blackberry was absolutely AWESOME!!! I wished I would have grabbed another piece to save for later.

Well, it's back to work tomorrow. It'll be nice getting back to the grind of things. Happy Monday......and remember tomorrow is April Fool's Day!

Final Day of Vacay

Today I lost track of time by watching my much loved SATC (Sex and the City) series. It was so relaxing getting lost in the world of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte. I watched season 5 disk one and am already longing to put in disk 2. I can't wait for the movie to come out, but I am desperately trying not to read, see, or hear anything about it.....you could say I'm like those famous monkeys.

Tomorrow we hope to go to Y-town. Although, Dennis isn't feeling that well and there is a storm coming in. So I don't think we'll make up our minds until tomorrow. My brother and my sister's husband are throwing my sister a birthday party on Sunday. I miss going to family birthday parties, so Dennis suggested we go. So if I don't end up blogging for the next couple of days, Y-town is probably where we are.

Have a great weekend!

Trees

As my wonderful husband pointed out, I forgot to tell you about our new trees! This weekend (Saturday to be specific) we went out to get 2 trees for our naked front yard. I didn't think it was going to take as long as it did to pick them out. I went there with a pretty firm idea of what I wanted, but couldn't find it. Then when we found a tree that was very similar to what I wanted, Dennis didn't really care for the shape of the tree and I didn't like that it cost $72!....EACH!!! So after going back and forth, BACK AND FORTH, we decided on 2 crabapple trees. They are very pretty and have very dark red leaves and trunk. I even think that they will have pink blossoms which I so desperately wanted! We planted them that afternoon ( and when I say "we" I mean Dennis did most all of the work). I helped by watering the trees and adding cocoa mulch......and if you've never used cocoa mulch, I suggest to go NOW to your local nursery and pick yourself up a bag or two. It smells sooooooo good....just like chocolate chips!.....It took all I had not to nibble on one of those cocoa nubs. Mmmmmmm. Anyway, they look so pretty and we can't wait till they get bigger! I envision Christmas lights in them this year!

Day 2 of Vacay

It felt like I did a lot more today than yesterday, but looking at my kitchen and living room, it appears that I did less! I was able to deal with the stupid WaMu issue in 5 minutes by visiting them in person. I really should have done that in the first place. Anyway, I went to Target and then almost took a nap. Instead, I went to Carie's and we went on a walk. Caleb seemed to enjoy it because he fell asleep pretty quickly. Then I spent the next 30 minutes or so on the phone until Dennis got home. So I guess even though the day went much faster than yesterday, I actually didn't do anything around the house like yesterday. What will tomorrow bring, I wonder?

Day 1 of Vacay

1. Woke up at 9:30

2. Ate a cream cheese and jam bagel

3. Watched "Cat People" while paying bills online

4. Called Dennis at 11am

5. Took a shower at noon

6. Emptied the dishwasher

7. Called lame a** WaMu

8. Called Dennis at 1pm

9. Called Carie

10. Ate some macaroni salad

11. Bought strawberries at Safeway (onion breath and all)

12. Had a yogurt and some strawberries

13. Vegged on the couch until Dennis walked in the door around 4:30pm

I have a feeling tomorrow will follow much of the same pattern. Although, instead of getting strawberries, I have to get tortillas and make an appearance at WaMu, Los Bagels, and the Post Office. Woo hoo!

Hoppy Easter!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter celebrations. We had a gorgeous day followed by some unexpected rain. Because I didn't make brunch, we had breakfast for both breakfast and dinner. Waffles and eggs this morning (actually I was the only one with an egg...on top of my waffle too!) and biscuits, gravy, eggs, and REAL bacon this evening. Normally I buy the microwave bacon, but today I thought we'd splurge and eat the real stuff. Along with our normal Sunday chores we dyed Easter eggs. So very fun! I then proceeded to make macaroni salad and a deviled egg for myself. I love most anything that calls for a hard boiled egg and I would make them all the time if it wasn't for the horrid smell. Actually, I don't mind it so much, but poor Dennis practically yaks at the first whiff of them. So I only make them on Easter.

Enjoy the day!

It's Finally Here!

The Other Boleyn Girl has made it to our tiny town!!!! I'm so excited, but am afraid I will be disappointed as I most always am if I read the book before the movie. To avoid this I've realized if I know a movie is going to be made I will watch that FIRST then read the book. This way I avoid any disappointment.

Open house went well. I didn't have any "cup" incidents but I did have some accidental visitors. They were looking for the sample Math textbooks that were looking to adopt for next year. I did also have some students wonder in to say hello and one who wanted me to buy some coffee for a fund raiser for the eighth grade trip. Oooh, this Thursday was also the day we finished The GATE Gazette! I'm so proud of my students and so so happy we finished on time! I need to try to figure out a way to get it on my blog. I may need to talk to Nancy about this.....I think she may know.

Well, off to buy some trees!

St. Patty's Day

So yesterday I forgot to blog.....Yes, I know it's a tragedy, but I'm back tonight. St. Patty's Day had all the kids bouncing off the walls! I think they were even more hyped up than on Valentines Day! I, along with Nancy, had way more sweets than usually.....I think around 4....but due my sugar rush, I cannot be completely positive about that. I also spread the rumor around in a certain 2nd grade classroom that I saw a leprechaun (it caused quite a ruckus)....but I really and truly did! Then a leprechaun caused all sorts of mayhem in Nancy's class.....(s)he got glitter EVERYWHERE, knocked over cereal, got footprints all over the room, and messed with all of the student "Leprechaun Traps" looking for gold.....I wonder what kind of leprechaun could have done such a thing......hehehe.

Today we worked on The GATE Gazette. I really don't think it'll be finished by this week.....it would be nice, but I don't think it'll happen. But I've realized that it is OKAY if it doesn't get out until after spring break. It's our very first one and we had a lot to do.

I have to go to a student site council meeting tomorrow and I'm a little nervous about it. I haven't been before and I really hope they are not going to ask me any questions. Then, on Thursday, we have Open House. This is another day where I sit in my room (all by myself) and watch people walk by.....I just hope I don't have another "cup" incident.

Don't Forget

Don't forget to wear green tomorrow (otherwise, you'll be pinched into a bruisey mess)!....It's St. Patrick's Day after all. Not sure how the students will be tomorrow.....I think they'll either be no different from last week or over the top with excitement. The trouble with not working on Friday's is that I can't judge what Monday will be like.

Oh, don't forget to stock up on some Guinness or green food coloring!

Nothing Much

Nothing much has been going on, except I got a haircut on Friday and I don't think I like it too much. It's like the picture day haircut.....in fact, she really didn't take much off. I think we had a communication issue and she didn't quite understand what I wanted. Maybe it's because most every time I see her, she's cutting guys' hair.....plus she talked WAY too loud....I don't know what was up with that. Anyway, I don't think I'll be going back.

Our friends came over with the baby tonight. We had Chinese and then oohed and awed over the baby. He's smiling now and has recently discovered his hand makes a good pacifier.....just adorable.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Girl Scout Cookies

This is the season for Girl Scout Cookies if you didn't know already. It is always around the end of February that I begin to have a strong craving for them.....thankfully, they arrived on my desk Monday morning!!! I ordered more than I should have, but I can save them by putting them in the freezer (like that'll actually happen though).

The GATE newsletter is coming along. We don't have as much in there as I would like, but oh well. I really hope we can get them out by next week.....it'll be close....otherwise, it'll have to wait until we get back from spring break on the 30th.

Off to enjoy some GS cookies!!!!! Mmmmmmmmm.

Math Adoption

We went to the county office of education to further research math programs to adopt for next year. I didn't really need to go since I'm not a classroom teacher.....yet......but I wanted to know what they were thinking and what program(s) I would be assisting with next year. Ideally, we are supposed to adopt a K-6 program, but the needs and wants of primary is totally different from the middle grades. So basically primary wants one and middle grades wants another. The whole process really sucks and is stressful.....but then again I'm looking at it more from an outsider point of view.

Anyway, Dennis and I are going to watch No Country for Old Men. It should be pretty good.

Buh, bye!

Happy Birthday Brady!

Today is officially Brady's 1st birthday! It was a great party and Brady got to munch on his own personal cake (above). Kelly made it from a diabetic cake recipe. It really didn't taste very good but we didn't think Brady would have a problem with it. Kelly also made some diabetic frosting and it was really bad so the boys picked up some 50% less sugar frosting at the store....it was actually pretty decent. It was really fun to watch him play and eat his very first cake. The day was beautiful and warm....perfect for a birthday party. And now I will leave you with some pictures.

Cautiously testing his cake...........

Okay, this is good AND fun! (Frosting ended up on the wall by the time he was done)

The cutest cowboy in the world! And yes, that is a real roppin' rope and cowboy hat!

Brady's Birthday Party

Today we are celebrating Brady's 1st birthday!!!! His actual birthday isn't until tomorrow, however, because of leap year, he is 365 days old today! You see, it all works out. The boys are out buying a sandbox and sand for his birthday. Kelly is putting the B-man down for a nap and then we are going to decorate the house. It's all very exciting and I can't believe he is a year old already! They just grow so fast!

Don't forget that tomorrow we set the clocks an hour ahead. This is a bitter sweet event for me. I love having more daylight, but loosing an hour wrecks havoc on my system.....thank goodness it happens on a Sunday rather than Monday. Can you imagine if we changed them on Monday? It would be complete chaos! Okay maybe not complete chaos, but things would definitely be more wonky.

I Finished!

Last night I finally finished The Constant Princess. It was soooo good and I can't wait to read other Gregory books....but first I must read Shakespeare's Secret for my GATE novel study class. I passed out all their class assignments today and some of them didn't get their first choice on the first class offering and they were whining like babies and asked if they had to go to the class. It completely irked me that they said this. I specifically told them if they didn't get their forms in ASAP, they may not get their first choice. And of course it is those who never get their stuff in on time that it affected and complained about it......but enough of my griping.

Tomorrow Dennis and I will be heading over for Brady's 1st birthday party!!!! We are really excited and can't believe he'll be a year old on Sunday! I still remember when we got the call (or voice mail rather) that they were headed to the hospital....and when I called them back he had JUST been born and were handing him to Jonathan!!! We were bummed we couldn't be there for his delivery, but we left at the butt crack of dawn the next day to welcome our beautiful nephew into the world.

Off to pack and what not. Hope y'all have a great Friday!

Bad Case of the Monday's

No post yesterday because I had a very bad case of the Monday's. It seemed like I hit one obstacle after another. The first thing I discovered yesterday morning was that my desks were raised WAY too high.....too high even for me. Now can you imagine a little first grader working at a desk like that? Talk about torcher for all parties involved! Then I had a note from my principal that made me feel like an idiot and I didn't know how to do my job. It basically came down to a misunderstanding, but I'm kinda concerned that he really thinks I didn't know what I was doing.....but I really do! Then I had a teacher tell me something about a student that kinda grated me the wrong way. By that time (10 minutes before school even started) I was in a very VERY foul mood. It was so bad that I ate in my classroom all by myself because I didn't even want to be around people, let alone be social....I really didn't even want to be around myself! Thankfully when I called my husband on my way home, he brightened my god awful day. He had one of his coworkers answer the phone and tell me that he "Henry" had taken over my husband's job. Dennis does this all the time, but has never had this guy answer the phone before. He was so good and kept it going without any hesitation that I was laughing so loud and hard I thought I would need to use my inhaler! And then when I got home and we just chilled out together, it was like my whole day just melted away and I was a completely a different person. Thank you honey.

Today, even though it was as long as hell, was better. I subbed for a 3rd grade teacher while he gave his 4th graders the STAR writing assessment. I was plunged into a world I haven't visited in a long, LONG time. Of course I have been in and out of classrooms (almost everyday) but I haven't subbed in a very long time. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I long for the day when I have my own classroom. With the current state budget, I'm concerned on how long it will be till that day comes.

I hope tomorrow will be another good day. I'm not wanting perfect, I just want good.....I'd maybe even settle for fair.

Happy Tuesday!

New Cell Phone

We braved a new cellular store and were successful! This time the sales people (a young guy and an old guy) were so friendly and helpful. When he looked up my information he ran into the same problem, however, we was able to figure it out within second. I told him I wished the other lady at the store in the mall could have figured it out as easily. Then I told him everything that happened. He felt bad and thought maybe that person was new......but when we described her he was like "whoa," she's been there forever! We were so thankful that this guy was so nice....especially since I was being very indecisive. I decided on the same brand (Samsung) and chose function over style. The other phone I liked was a slider and looked better, but since it was shorter and didn't have a curve when open like a flip phone, it wasn't as comfortable against my ear. The really cool thing about this whole process was that they were able to transfer all of my contacts from my old phone to my new phone. That alone saved me at least a couple of hours! I really hope this phone lasts longer than 2 years....I really don't like having to buy new ones.

The warm chocolate cookies are calling my name....plus, the squeaky space bar on my laptop is starting to annoy me. :)

A New Light

Dennis successfully installed a brand new dining room light today! However, remember how I hoped he would do in unscathed.....well, it almost happened. Everything went just fine when he was in the attic and when he was working in the dining room....until he dropped a screw. The screw landed over by our fireplace, so naturally he bent down and picked it up. Sadly, he forgot about our mantle and hit the top of his head on it! So hard that it knocked him out!!!! Now (poor thing) he has a gnarly red bump on his head. But now we have a beautiful new light over our dining room table. It's so weird, but it's so awesome too! I just love, love, love lots of light!

Yesterday a small piece on my cell phone broke off shortly after I hung up with Nancy. I have a flip phone and the piece that broke hold the phone together while it flips open and closed. Now, when I open it it's all crooked and I have to hold it together. So we went to the cell phone store to get me a new one.....but we encountered 2 problems. One, I didn't really like any of the cell phones available and the ones that I kinda liked were really expensive. Two, the sales lady was completely rude! We were basically told to leave the store. It all started when she was looking up my information to see if I was eligible to get a new phone. After I gave her all my information including showing her my ID, she said there was nothing she could do for me and I needed to call customer service. I asked her why and she said she couldn't give me any information. I asked her if she could recheck the info I gave her and she kinda just shook her head and said she couldn't do anything. I told her I was confused and I didn't understand what exactly was going on and she again said there's nothing she could do.....But this whole time she was so rude! Her tone of voice was mean and she didn't even attempt to fix or look into the problem! It turns out (after I was on hold for 15 minutes with customer service) the zip code needed to gather my info was from when I lived in Ashland 6 years ago! When I had moved from there they had to cancel that phone and issue a new phone number.....so I have 2 accounts when you pull my info up. The crazy thing is that it took maybe 5 minutes for the customer service rep to figure everything out.......and she was sooooooooo nice about it all! She also said that if I go back to the store to buy a phone and they run into the same problem, I need to tell them to look again because I have 2 accounts. Oh, she was so helpful and I totally appreciated it in my frustrated and pissed off state! So tomorrow I will head to a different cell phone store to hopefully buy a new phone.

Peace out!

Bummer

Today The Other Boleyn Girl came out in theaters today, but, we didn't get it at any one of our theaters!!!! Such a bummer! Nancy was really bummed to because I was going to tag along with her and her in-laws. Now it looks like we won't get it for a couple of weeks! Bummer, bummer, bummer.

So I (or rather Dennis and I) did the next best thing....we went over to our friends house (Chinese food in tow) to hang out and see baby Caleb. We had a really great time and the Chinese food was really good. We brought home the leftovers and I'm totally going to inhale them.....not TJ's BBQ inhale, but close enough.

Tomorrow Dennis is going to work on installing a new light fixture in the dining room. I'm really nervous because I don't want him to get hurt or even worse, fall through the ceiling!!! Wish him luck!

.......

To be continued.......

Funny Story

But first some background information:

First, if you didn't know already, I have a fear of snakes (not as bad as my mother's though). I can be in the same room as a pet snake, but I like about 5 feet of space (at least) between me and the snake....the distance gets much further if it is a real snake....you know, one found in nature.....I don't want to be anywhere near one AT ALL. Second, the second grade teacher at our school as a room full of animals like lizards, birds, and snakes. All students may hold the animals as long as they are kind to them....this happens all throughout the day.

Now, the story:

I was walking down the hallway about 15 minutes before school started. It drives me batty to have kids hanging out in the hallway (a school rule, not just my craziness) so I am constantly reminding them to head outside or be in a classroom with a teacher present. So today I approached a group of boys to tell them they needed to go outside. Well, I had stopped about 2 inches from one of the boys (whose back was to me) and then he turned around and was holding the snake!!!! It totally freaked me out and I yelped and jumped back. The boys got a good chuckle out of it as I walked away as FAST AS I COULD....I hid out in Nancy's room. Anyway, I walked down the middle of the hallway to go to my room after the bell had rung and the same boy (still holding the snake) was walking directly toward me. I veered right to get as far away from the snake as possible and the boy (seeing my discomfort) moved to the other side of the hallway too. This was a very sweet move and thanked him several times. When I told the second grade teacher what happened she thought it was so funny.......she has also witnessed my freakouts when faced with a reptile.

Freaky I say.

First GATE Newsletter Meeting

Today we held our very first GATE newsletter meeting. I chose a representative from the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. We (or rather they) hashed out what should be in the newsletter, how long it should be, and who will do what. They came up with great ideas and seem really dedicated to the project. For the next week, the will also be working on a name for the newsletter and a motto.....The motto thing was their idea and I thought it was absolutely fabulous! I'm so interested in what they are going to come up with. We plan on having our first issue go out at the end of March. The newsletter will basically be made up of current GATE classes and how they are going, up coming events (both GATE and school wide), a photo section, and a fun page that will include crossword puzzles, jokes, games, and a contest. They also want to have a section for questions and comments....this too I thought was awesome. I told them that this is their project and I am only there to support them and give guidance when needed. I also let them know they will be on the committee until the end of school. I thought about switching kids around, but since it's so new, I wanted to get a strong foundation for the newsletter before having a variety of kids write it. As soon as we have a finished copy, I'll have to post it. I'm just so excited about this project and can't believe I didn't think of is sooner!

All in all, another great and busy day!......So busy that I didn't get home until 5:45 and we didn't eat dinner until 7pm!!!!

Glad to be back at work

Oh, it was so nice to be back at work today! I'm feeling better and actually had something to do for the first time in almost a week! I hope this will help my sleeping because last night (due to my inactivity from being sick and without Nyquil) it took me forever to fall asleep and stay asleep! However, my day was packed!....which means I should be pretty tired by my bedtime. Also, I got my scholastic book order in today and added 3 more books to my list of books to read. Once I finish The Constant Princess, I'm moving on to all the chapter books I want to read. Because I ordered a set of Shakespeare's Necklace I may choose that for my next GATE novel rather than Letters from Rifka.....but I have to read both to see which one fits better. Ooooo, I also got a good chunk of work done on the GATE application too. I'm not nearly finished, but it feels good just to get anything written out. Plus, I formally decided I am going to be teaching the middle grade summer school (this years 2nd-4th graders) and the theme will be "World Cuisine." I'm pretty excited because I'm stepping out of my box and this will give me new challenges. Alright, that's enough blogging for tonight. My DVR and rice crispy treats are calling my name!!!

Tootle loo!

Feeling Better

I can breathe!!!!! Although, my ears are still plugged and I have an annoying cough. But I feel like I can actually teach tomorrow. You can actually tell I'm feeling better just by walking into my kitchen. I've made peanut butter cookies AND rice crispy treats.....yum-o. I'm even going to make dinner tonight...vegetable pasta. I didn't think I would feel up to chicken fajitas yet.

So Klitschko was victorious last night....woo hoo!!!....but it wasn't that great of a fight. It was almost boring because Klitschko just single jabbed this guy instead of throwing a lot of right hand power punches....therefore you never saw a big explosion resulting in a knockdown (which Klitschko is known to do a LOT). Plus the other guy was about 6 inches shorter and 20 or so pounds lighter so they really looked mismatched. Oh well, I just have to look forward to the next fight.....not sure when it is yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Until tomorrow!

Still Under the Weather

.....but I can see the sunshine through the clouds! Today is the first day I actually could fake that I feel okay.....that is until I talk. I got coffee today from starbucks, and I had to repeat myself so many times I almost gave up on my tall, non-fat, decaf mocha with vanilla.....that's a lot to remember let alone say when I sound like "one of those old ladies with the raspy smoker's voices"...quote thanks to Nancy :) But it was all worth it because my voice and throat are better thanks to the hot liquid goodness. I have only 1 more day to feel like crap before I have to buck up and go back to work. I just hope I don't have a set back like my sister did.....or everyone else I've been hearing about for that matter.

Anyway, tonights another exciting night for boxing. Wladimir Klitschko (my favorite boxer if you didn't already know, and the man on the left) is taking on Sultan Ibragimov on HBO at 6:30. I suggest you tune in for some exciting action! I don't think I've seen Ibragimov fight, but I can tell you without a doubt, Klitschko will be kicking some heavyweight ass! Woo hoo (cough cough)!!!!!!!

Yucky

I'm still under the weather and feel yucky. Today I went to Target, the bank, and the post office to get out of the house.....However, I think Dennis was right, I don't think that was the best idea. After I got out of Target I just wanted to go home and crash on the couch.....but I had checks to deposit and our tax return to mail. I'm hoping this cold goes away soon and doesn't develop into anything worse....like pneumonia, which is what 2 of Dennis's coworkers have now. I'm certain I'll be just fine in a day or so......thank goodness I had this week off. Just like most of the students at our school, I needed this week to recover from a sickness.

Wishing everyone a healthy Friday!

Head Cold

Unfortunately, I have one. I felt it coming on yesterday morning and hoped it wouldn't fully develop.....but it has. Regardless, I went clothes shopping my friend, a fellow teacher at my school. She's super tiny and cannot find clothes that fit her. But today, she was successful. We also ran into Nancy while we were at the mall. Afterwards, Kris got a pair of really cute dress shoes AND a super fabulous pink purse!!! It is so adorable!!!

My Nyquil hasn't kicked in yet, so I'm gonna go lay back on the couch.

Remember to take your vitamin C!!!

Presidents Week

No school this week!!! Woo hoo!!! I'm planning on working on some GATE class stuff. In May I'll have a watercolor class so today I got a gardening book with pretty flowers in it so the kids can recreate them in watercolor. I've made one example so far which looks decent, actually. I'm also working on a second one that is more involved. Maybe I'll figure out how to scan them in or something. I might have to talk to Nancy about how that works.

On a sad note, my very good friend's husband was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. They don't know how far it has spread yet, and let's hope to God that it hasn't gotten too far. Her and her husband need your thoughts and prayers to get through this.

Happy Valentine's Day

A day filled with cupcakes, chocolate, and sugar galore! Each room had a different aroma depending on what treat was being served. Our teacher's lunch room smelled of frosting from all the cupcakes being stored there....mmmmm. The third grade classroom smelled so strongly of chocolate (from the chocolate fountain) you could almost taste it in the air. Then in the kindergarten class, it was all about the strawberries! Oh, it was wonderful! The energy level was so high, you really didn't need any coffee or caffeine......you could just absorb the energy from the kids!

Tonight Dennis and I made homemade pizza which turned out pretty good. For a V-day present, Dennis let me place an order on scholastic.com for books for my classroom. :)

Hugs and Kisses!

Good Observation

That's what it came down to today. My principal said I did a good job and the only critique he gave me was that I need to some how wrap up the lesson.....I didn't think that's too bad considering how nervous I was. Plus, 3 of my most vocal students were out sick and the remaining 4 were pretty nervous having the principal watching them do the lesson with me. Needless to say, it was a pretty quiet and uneventful lesson.

On another note, today was also the day for the 3rd grade cupcake sale. I've been looking forward to this since yesterday because I have been craving cupcakes. And to my surprise and delight, I discovered that Costco makes GIANORMOUS cupcakes!!! I bought one for the bargain price of $1 and savored every last crumb! Their regular cakes are my favorite and the cupcake was exactly the same, just without the cream cheese filling. YUM-O!!!!

Due to the rather large cupcake at lunch, I wasn't quite hungry when I got home and really didn't want to cook dinner. So we grabbed some food from Stars and went to our friends house to visit them and baby Caleb. He's 5 weeks old now and has begun to loose his hair and has filled out a bit. He looks so much bigger and he's even snugglier than before!

Till tomorrow (my Friday, hehehe).

Parking Wars

That's the new show I've been watching. Dennis actually turned it on a few weeks ago and it's pretty addicting. So after Jon and Kate Plus 8, I turned it on. Tomorrow my principal is doing an observation of one of my lessons. My anxiety level is so high that I've been having nightmares for the last 3 nights.....They're mostly about my class not listening and being completely out of control. I know it'll all be fine, but I'm so nervous!

Wish me luck!

Productive Day!

One of my goals I set in early January was to plan out all my GATE classes for the rest of the year....And today, I accomplished that goal!!!! I even have the sign ups ready to give to the students. I was so excited I was woo hooing up and down the hallway and in my room! This was a great accomplishment today and I really didn't think that I would have gotten it finished.....with the GATE renewal application and all. But now that I've reached that goal, I'm moving on to completing the GATE renewal application. This is a huge undertaking and I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing......after all, I've never written anything like that. I think I need to talk with Kris our current 4th grade teacher and the former GATE teacher. She wrote the application last time, so I'm hoping I can use her experience to help me. There's a new addition to the renewal as well. I have to write about the strengths, weaknesses, and improvements since the last renewal for 8 different categories! Yikes! Oooooo, that's a word I haven't used in ages.

To productivity!......Cheers!!!

Zzzzzzzzz

That is what I will be doing soon. I already had a catnap, but after I sleep on a couch for 2 days I'm suffering from a wee bit of sleep. We used to sleep on the hide-a-bed (where I slept like a baby), but Dennis gets super hot so we've switched to separate couches. Thus, I welcome my bed with open arms!

I made another new recipe tonight for dinner. It was from the latest issue of Rachael Ray. The recipe was for a BBQ pork burger with apple slaw, smoked bacon, and smoked cheddar. I replaced the pork with ground turkey and substituted microwave bacon for the real stuff (I didn't necessarily want our house to smell like bacon for the next 3 days). It turned out pretty well, plus I think our BBQ likes all the recent attention. Later in the week I'll be testing out a shallot spaghetti from the same issue. I really hope it doesn't suck. :)

Happy Sunday.

BBQ and Racing

I've never eaten (or rather attacked) meat like I did tonight! We got dinner from the BBQ place again, except we got the family sampler. It included a slab of pork and beef ribs, 1lb of tri-tip, half a chicken, BBQ baked beans, macaroni and cheese (with bacon), coleslaw, chili verde, and 7 cornbread muffins w/ honey butter. I don't remember the last time I ate that much meat! It was soooo good......and the fact that I thought it was good says a lot.......just ask my family. Typically, I'm the one making the weird face when a chunk of meat is placed in front of me. I don't know what got into me tonight, but it was fabulous!!! The tri-tip and the BBQ baked beans were my favorite. MMmmmmmm!!!!!!

Tonight, Dennis discovered the indoor racing track here. He absolutely loves racing go-carts and does so when ever he has the opportunity. So when his brother told him about the track, we couldn't get there fast enough. He had so much fun and it was a blast to watch him! I'm sure we'll make a trip there every time we visit. Here's a pic!

Brady Town

Yes, that is where we are!!! We got here around 6pm and headed straight to dinner. We were starving and looking forward to the BBQ place we hadn't tried yet. Dennis had tri-tip and I had a chicken sammy. Very yum-o!!!

Brady is getting so big!!! He's walking even better than he was back in December (he no longer looks like a zombie trying to attack you). He's also trying to talk a lot more and has a drool river running down his chest! I'll get pics up as soon as we get back.

8pm Already!?

Tonight has flown by. With my Tuesday staff meeting, voting, and cooking dinner this evening has gone by in a blink of an eye. Thank goodness because I'm so sleepy......I've been nodding off and on for the past hour now......just like my father. It's so funny to watch him sit in his chair and move in and out of sleep just after dinner, all while sitting in his chair. Then, around 10pm, he'll head up for bed.....but really he has been sleeping for at least the past hour......it's just so funny.....it makes me smile and chuckle to myself every time I observe his evening routine.

Well, as I am preoccupied by the election results on MSNBC, I must be headed back to the couch to give both of them (the couch and the news) my utmost attention.

I bid you good evening.

Whoa...Caffeine!

Rather than making my own (half caf) coffee today, I stopped by the local coffee shop and bought one of theirs with a shot of hazelnut...mmmmmm. Anyway, my body was in shock from the full amount of caffeine in my cup. So by lunch time, my foot was twitchin' away under the table. It wasn't bad enough to create a Jurasic Park water effect, but close. Tomorrow, I think I'll stick with decaf!

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be at school on Wednesday or Thursday and will therefore miss the 100th day of school! It's a wonderful celebration (especially in Kindergarten and 1st grade) where the concept of 100 is explored in every which way possible. Some projects include putting together 100 piece puzzles, decorating hats with 100 things, and counting to 100! I'm sorry I'll miss it. :(

Only 4 more hours till Monday's over!

Super Bowl Sunday

Since the weather kept us from visiting J, K, and the B-man, Dennis and I had our own little super bowl party hear. Our friends Scott and Carie came over with their son Caleb. Dennis pretty much held him the entire night.....even while he ate a chicken and apple sausage......that was an interesting event. I used my Crockpot for BBQ meatballs....it's been neglected for the past oh, let's say, 12 months or so. It's a gianormous Crockpot, not fit for 2 people really. I also made stuffed mushrooms for the first time. They turned out pretty well considering I didn't even have a recipe. I didn't really watch the game....I was too preoccupied with watching Caleb. Babies are oh so cute....now that he's a bit older he's taking in his surroundings too.....super adorable! If the weather holds out, I think we are gonna try to go out and see the Brady man next weekend.

See ya!

Happy Anniversary.....Oh, and Groundhog Day!

Today is my 6th wedding anniversary! Six years ago I married a wonderful man.....and man oh man did he look good! My dress was more of an evening gown (navy blue with sparkles from head to toe, plus it was backless and had a very very small train). I just love that dress! Funny thing was, I was so sick on our wedding day. Luckily, I didn't feel it until we got home later that night.....but I had no voice. Miraculously, I had just enough voice to say my vows and then it was gone for the next 36 hours. We had ice cream cake and Italian sodas. To go with our winter theme, we had made a Gingerbread house out of graham crackers.....it even had a candy Lego drive way and a Jello pond (shark and all). It was a fabulous and wonderful day!!!!

Stupid Hormones

Hormones are stupid. They make you crazy and irrational. My poor husband got the brunt of them today. When they decide over throw your system (like today) a normal conversation ends in frustration and this case tears (mine, not sad ones, frustrated ones). It was mostly because I knew Dennis and I were having a rational conversation, but because of the stupid hormones, I became irrational. I just can't think or respond normally when they take over.......and that makes me even more upset which sends me into a downward spiral. But enough of female craziness.


Hopefully, weather dependent, Dennis and I are going to head over to see J, K, and B on Saturday. Our 6th wedding anniversary is also that day and on Sunday we're going to have a mini Super Bowl Party there too. I'm really, REALLY hoping the weather and road are good (a.k.a - not closed due to snow). My brother (who teaches metal and wood shop back home) got a snow day today. They are used to getting quite a bit of snow, so there must have been a LOT! We only get flood days....which hasn't happened since 2002 (that I know of).

Ahhhhh, must go......I since the blasted hormones are on the rise again!!!!

Happy Birthday Honey!

My sweet, sweet husband turns 29 today!!! He got a Playstation 3 this last weekend, but I really wanted him to open something on his birthday. So, I got him some drawing paper with a pencil kit thingy and watercolor paper with watercolor pencils. Plus, I had been working on embroidering an outline of Mario from Super Mario Galaxy (it's a Wii game silly) on a hankerchief. I had recreated a drawing that Dennis did on our white board a couple months ago. It turned out really cute and he loved it. So, with his new drawing paper, he's going to sketch out some other drawings from the Mario world for me to embroider. And since he really didn't want a cake or pie, I decided to get him a HUGE truffle from our favorite chocolate shop. Then I chiseled out a hole in the top just big enough to fit a candle. I should have taken a picture because it was really cute. For his birthday dinner I made chicken curry.....one of his new favorites (the recipe is actually only about a year old). Now (while I watched Jon and Kate Plus 8), he's playing his new video game in the theater room. Our friends got him a game for his new PS3 that he'd been eying every time we went to Target.

Well honey, I hope you had a really great day. I love you so very much! And I look forward to celebrating many, many of your birthdays to come!!!

Love,
Your Wife

My Husband.....The Man

So Dennis walked into a very cold house this evening. The house was about 56 degrees and dropping. Freezing, he realized that the pilot light was out on our heater. Pretty easy fix, huh? Wrong. Turns out he needed to get a new part and thankfully the hardware store had it in stock. Then the pilot light wouldn't stay light. So he decided to put the cover on (thinking it might be too drafty) and viola'!!!.....it stayed lit! Isn't my husband wonderful!!! How'd I get so lucky?....I actually have a response to that but it's not blog appropriate :P And instead of feeding my wonderful husband the same old leftovers from two nights ago, I went out and got hamburgers and fries from our local burger joint (and not those gut bombs from the fast food place either, these are fabulous). I guess WW will just have to take a day off today.

See ya later alligator.
After while crocodile.
Surely soon baboon.

Snow Day....Almost

Several schools around the county were closed because of all the snow this weekend. In fact, apparently we are supposed to get more tonight! Super crazy isn't it! On my way to school this morning, it was snowing and hailing so hard that I could barely see out my window. Plus, the road was completely white in several spots on the freeway.....you could hardly see the lines! The kids (and teachers) were all jazzed about the recent weather events of the weekend.

This week at school is kinda chaotic.....I just love that word! Not necessarily the sound of it, it's more the spelling. Anyway, today and tomorrow (in the morning) some support staff and myself will be DIBELing students. It's a tedious process and after a while you feel like a robot giving the same instructions to around 50 or so kids....I might be exaggerating on that number a bit....but it certainly feels like a lot. Goodness, I have a lot of tangents tonight. Back to my whining.....so my morning is shot for tomorrow, Wednesday is normal (woo hoo), and Thursday, I won't be in until noon!.....which leaves Friday......the day I sleep in!!!!! Okay, I sleep in on other days too, but it feels better when I do it on Fridays.

Till tomorrow!

It's Sticking!

Okay, so a few hours after I posted, it started snowing again really hard........and began sticking!!! So Dennis and I headed out to the beach to see how things were out there. Odd as it was, about 2 miles into town the snow had turned into rain. By the time we got to the beach it was only thick rain and the waves were pretty mellow. Then we passed this magical point on the way home where it was like we hit a wall of snow.....it was seriously like we were heading into a wall of snow. So, as promised, I have pictures:

Before:
After:Pretty, pretty snow!

Does my excitement show?

Okay, I've been out here a little to long in the freezing snow....See my forced smile?

SNOW!!!!

It snowed here today!!!!! I'm so excited I can barely type!!!! It had been raining really hard while we were out at Target and the Co-op. But then when we came out of Costco, we noticed the rain drops were looking rather thick and not hitting the windshield normally. So I looked ahead a bit and realized those weren't raindrops......it was SNOW!!!!!!! Living on the coast we do not get snow......thus my excitement. After we came home, the flakes got bigger and bigger. Unfortunately, by the time I got around to my camera (which was after I called my sister, dad, and mom with the news) the flakes had turned back into raindrops. :( If it starts snowing again, I will try my darnedest to post a picture.

OMG!!!

OMG! I've missed 2 days of blogging!!! I just kinda got carried away with not doing anything the past 2 days, that I didn't have the energy to type. Thursday was a crazy day at work....not like hectic crazy, just maze crazy. My Title 1/ELD/GATE/GROW schedule has not been working out at all and I haven't been able to see the students that I should be seeing. Frustrated and having no ideas, I searched for help from Barb and my principal. Between them, we figured out a plan that should work. Therefore, my schedule had to be changed again. I think it will work though.....Just like Zicam, if you believe in it, it will work!

Friday we had several of Dennis's coworkers from his department over for lunch. It was pretty fun and we had plenty of room for all the people. It really made me want to have a party here...although, Dennis and I are not really the partying type. The lunch caused my WW plan to take a slide down hill. I've been trying to maintain, but darn it......when there's pizza in the house it's hard to resist!!!

Last night (another reason for not posting) Dennis and I watched 3 movies in a row!!! Yes, I did say THREE! We watched, "The Nanny Diaries," "Halloween," (the latest one, I can't remember what the specific title was) and "The Wedding Singer" because I needed a happy movie after the previous one. We didn't get to bed until after 2am and I didn't get up until Nancy called me at 11am. I really didn't mind because I definitely needed to get my (pardon my french) ass out of bed! :)

Tootles!

Road Construction Update

To my surprise and delight, we now have our 2 lanes back on the northbound freeway!!!!! It's been under constructions since the end of June! I'm hoping that the southbound lanes will be clear by tomorrow. I think it's wishful thinking though.

Day 3 of WW:
I didn't have as much energy towards the end of today as I did yesterday. In fact, I was down right moody (a.k.a. bitchy) when I got home from work. We went to Target soon after and didn't get back home until close to 6. My plan was to have leftovers but it really didn't sound that great....so thanks to my lovely husband, he suggested veggie burgers. Good choice because it's like I was eating real food. The only down side was I was super full afterwards. After all, it seems all I've been eating is twigs and berries a cup full at a time. Now that I'm fed, I'm a much happier camper.

Day 2

Today is day 2 of WW and it was a lot harder than day 1. I find night time is the hardest, especially with the oatmeal cookies lurking about. I've incorporated them into my plan, but it's not the 4 or 5 that I really want to eat. Therefore, fruit has been making several appearances today. Banana, blueberries, peaches (canned unfortunately), and cherries were all on the menu. Cherries and blueberries are the most filling because they are only worth 1 point for about a cup and they take longer to eat. I've ran out of salad so that's kinda sucky. The one I had today with oriental sesame dressing was pretty good. Last time I was on WW, I was able to get on a routine that made things a lot easier....I'm hoping I can stick it out long enough to establish another one.

Oh, my baby brother is back home and has found some new digs. It is pretty cool because I am now able to call him on his cell phone just because I feel like it. I haven't been able to do that in over 5 years!!!

Well, off to find something to drink that is decaffeinated and worth 0 points! Woo hoo!!!

7pm Bedtime

Last night I ended up falling asleep at 7pm....and that was with a 45 minute nap earlier in the day. I was just so tired. We got home from the office party around 1:30am....a LOT later than I thought we would. I was the DD but still had a pretty good time. I ended up talking to a newer student teacher from my school. I wasn't quite sure it was him, and because I hadn't had anything to lower my inhibitions, I was too afraid to go over and ask if it was him.....So I sent one of Dennis's coworkers to ask for me. Turns out it was him and we ended up talking for a bit. Found out that he has 2 kids, married for 2 years (I think), and is originally from NY (Queens to be more specific).....I thought I had detected an accent of some sort. He's been over here for the last 15 years and hasn't been able to shake the accent. Thank goodness he seems normal, because the last student teacher we had down in the RSP room was kinda.......odd........to say the least.

I'm baking again today. Tonights menu is oatmeal cookies with dried cherries, cranberries, plums, and blueberries. I also decreased the butter and sugar in them.....and man they are delish! Today I also started Weight Watchers......so I apologize ahead of time if I seem cranky and ultra whiny.

Till Tuesday!

Office Party

Tonight, Dennis and I are going to his office party. It should be pretty fun. It's being held at a local casino which gives us options to stay and get our groove on, or attempt to become millionaires. They held it there a few years ago and it was pretty fun. It's at 6pm and I still am not 100% sure what I'm wearing. Wish me luck!

Last night I finally broke down and made some blueberry muffins. They are quite different from what I usually make but still pretty good. Today (actually a few minutes ago) I made blueberry and chocolate chip scones. I've been without my oven for so long, I feel I need to bake and bake. The only problem is that I wind up with a whole lot of sweets that I really shouldn't eat. My stomach, thighs, and a** are starting to protest their growing size. I've been considering going on Weight Watchers again, but I have hardly any will power so after a few days I go back to my old ways. Anyway, here are some photos:

My oh so beautiful oven!!!! So sexy isn't it!

Chocolate chip and blueberry scones. The blueberries look a little weird in this picture.

Paula Dean's Best Damn Blueberry Muffins.....not sure if they are the best, but they're pretty good.

Oven Sweet Oven

We got it! I actually just got out of the shower when the delivery guys knocked on the door. Talk about an inconvenient time. I had to throw on the nearest clothes and hand comb my hair so it wouldn't be too much of a rats nest. Thankfully, they did show up hour before they should have so I could go on about my day without being stuck at home. It is soooo pretty! I've already made the cinnamon rolls and I've been toying around with the idea of making blueberry muffins before bed....but I don't necessarily want to deal with the dishes it will produce. We'll see.

Ooooooo, my sister got her belly button pierced!!!! She went to Medford without children or her husband for the first time in I don't know how long. Anyway, her friend got hers done a few days before and told her the place to go.....so she did it! Woo hoo!!! I used to have a belly AND a tongue piercing. I don't miss my belly one too much, but I really miss my tongue piercing. I've thought about having it done again, but I don't necessarily want to go through the week long healing process where all I can eat are ICEE's and my tongue is twice its normal size.

Hurray! It's Friday!!!

4 Day Weekend

Today is my Friday for a 4 day weekend! I'm really excited but I'm also really tired. It was a long day at work and I also had to go to the dentist......and we all know how fun THAT is. So to unwind a bit, I'm watching all my stuff that I've DVR'd during the week. Because I'm such a light weight, I can't stay up past 9pm to watch anything......therefore I DVR! The best thing since......since.....um.....I can't think of anything except sliced bread...sorry. Maybe y'all can help me out by filling in the blank:

My DVR (TiVo) is the best thing since ___________.

Happy hunting!

Presidents and Ovens

Presidents:

Former President Clinton made a stop in our little town today. Around 1pm Dennis drove by the fairgrounds and saw around 100 people already waiting in line. However, the doors don't open until 5:30 and there is only room for 400 people in that particular building. Upon seeing the crowd, Dennis called me to come home early to wait for our new oven while he waited in line. He left home around 3:30ish and then around 4:00 I heard his car pull into the drive. Apparently, when he arrived, there were around 1,000 people already waiting around and absolutely no way would he have been able to get in......so, he came back home. I guess we'll just have to read about it in the paper then.

Ovens:

Today was the day we were SUPPOSED to have our oven delivered....but our oven never got on the truck! According to THEIR computer, our oven is supposed to be delivered on Thursday.....but my freaking physical receipt (notice the tone in my voice) says TODAY!!! So to make a long story short, we won't get it till Friday. Come on people, get it together. I'm trying to have soft cheeks (hehehe) but I'm going through oven withdrawals really BAD!!!!!

Here's hoping I make it till then......

I Told Ya So

I told you so...Tuesday did not live up to Monday's peppiness. I was very disappointed.....I had hoped I would be wrong. Therefore, I had to work really hard not to let my kids know how tired I really was. Which means I end up being oober peppy and a little wacky. I got the weird eye from a couple of my students too, so I think they knew something was up. Plus I put way too much creamer in my coffee and I didn't have time to fix it before my students arrived.....that in itself put my whole being into a downward spiral......like I put my shoes on the wrong feet or something. So as I still feel a little "off," here is an excerpt from an odd email I wrote:

"Dairy and I have had a rocky relationship and I thought we were on good terms, but after tonight's events, I realize we will have to break up. I'll still be able to see cheddar now and then, but milkshake and I.....well, that bridge has been burned. Goodbye my sweet and indulgent friend. Goodbye. "

coffee, Coffee, COFFEE!!!

My lovely friend Kris brought me a mocha today! I was planning on just having my regular old coffee (which is still pretty good) but she surprised me with coffee, Coffee, COFFEE!!! It usually takes me all morning to drink a travel mug worth, but recently I've discovered something new. Since my mug is metal, I can't nuke in in the microwave. So I turn my lukewarm coffee into an iced coffee!!!!....and sometime around 10:30ish, I've drunk every last drop!!! To say the least, I was pretty caffeinated today....which is really a good thing on a Monday morning. I don't know if Tuesday can live up to today's peppiness.

Tootles!

At A Loss

Today I am at a loss for words....or really things to say. It was a pretty uneventful day. Oh, except for the fox I almost ran over in the middle of town....I guess that's something that doesn't happen every day. Poor fox. I think it was injured because (since it was so close to my front tires) it was holding its little paw up to avoid running on it. Then I saw about 4 teenagers take off after it. One of them picked up something and followed the rest of the kids. I'm really hoping the foxy fox got away and those darn kids didn't hurt it.

The only other remotely exciting this is that I organized my way over crowded purse. It's a very nice feeling to look in there and not be reminded of my mother's old tool box. That's what we called her purse. It weighed at least 10 pounds.....and she had everything in there!....no matter how odd. Now, she's moved from the tool box to a little pouch she can fit in her pocket. That's what I call downsizing!

Well, as I can't find much to write about on this Sunday evening, I will leave you to your family, tv, or hamster (if your in to that). :)

Happy Birthday Kelly!

Happy Birthday to my super cool sister-in-law. That's the cute Brady man sleeping away after a long day. Kelly is super funny and a great person to go clothes shopping with!!!!.....which is what she's doing today! Kelly, I hope you have a great day and I will make sure to call you on your actual birthday instead of the day before. :) For those who are a bit lost, I will explain. Yesterday I called Kelly and wished her (or rather sang to her) happy birthday on the answering machine. When I called back Jonathan informed me that I was a day early. Panicked, I checked my calendar and it said her b-day was the 11th. Well, apparently I had transfered it incorrectly from our last calendar. I felt like such a dumb a**! Oh well, it makes for a good story anyway.

So we ordered our oven today!!!! I'm really SUPER excited and desperately wanting to bake something right now. We were able to upgrade and get the 27 inch stove which is totally fabulous! It should be delivered on Wednesday it feels like an eternity away! As soon as Dennis installs it, I plan on baking the cinnamon rolls Dennis has been waiting for and some oatmeal cookies! Mmmmmm.

Happy Saturday and Happy Birthday Kelly!!!!

Ahhh, Sleeping In

Very very nice to sleep in today. I think Big Kitty and Beaumont enjoyed it too. Dennis and I visited our friends and their new baby, Caleb. He's so adorable and looks so different from when we saw him in the hospital. He has the cutest little nose. A co-worker of Dennis's stopped by too with her 15 month old daughter. I got to play and read with her which was really neat. She's just a doll!

Because Dennis got home from work a little early today, we were able to go window shopping for a new oven. Our old oven (although I don't consider 2 years old very old) shorted out or something and burned a hole in the coil. I thought there was a fire in the oven and kinda freaked out when I saw a super bright yellow-white light. Luckily, our dinner got warm enough to eat. Unfortunately, Dennis has been going through withdrawls from not having any baked goods. We had bought cinnamon rolls the day before and Dennis was so looking forward to them, but then the disaster struck and he's been without. Tomorrow might be the day that we buy a new oven. We could replace the part for around $125, but we've been thinking about getting a better and bigger oven any way. I think this whole thing is a sign that we need a new one. However, if Sears isn't having their 0% interest for 12 month thing, it's a no go. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Happy Friday!

Woo Hoo

GATE Academy has come and gone! It really was a fabulous day though. I had my two wonderful parent helpers AND it didn't rain!!!!! We were 10 minutes late because of a late student, but we were able to find seats no problem. The students seemed to really like their classes and driving them up there wasn't nearly as stressful as I thought it would be. Next year I told the kids we may stop for ice cream on the way home (if there's time of course). We couldn't do it this time because it wasn't on the permission form....bummer.

Today was also the day my baby brother got out of the Army!!!! He should be back home from Colorado within the next week or so.

My head is killing me...well, not literally, but it really hurts. When I got home I only had a slight headache. I thought, well I'm hungry so I'll eat some cherries before dinner and it'll be all good. Not so true. I took advil a few minutes ago and I'm desperately hoping it works. Beaumont Livingston feels sad I have a headache. He's on my lap consoling me right now. He's so sweet and warm...and purry.

Until tomorrow....

My New Addiction

I've become totally addicted to rice cakes....the mini ones. It all stemmed from not feeling well when we were visiting the Brady man. Kelly had rice cakes (which sounded good) and didn't make me queasier. So when we got back I bought a bag....and now I'm addicted. I really love crunchy food and they have great mouth feel. Plus, they taste great. I'm working on a caramel bag at home and I have a whole wheat brown sugar bag at work. YUM-O!!!!

Tomorrow is the GATE Academy!!!!! I have everything all ready and in a box ready to go as soon as you enter my classroom. It is supposed to rain tomorrow, but I hope it holds off until after lunch....I don't think it'll happen though. Therefore, we have the pleasure of eating lunch with 500-700 students in a gym!!!! Does anyone have earplugs I can borrow? I have 13 students going and 2 wonderful, WONDERFUL parents that are driving kids up there and just generally helping supervise the students. Last year I didn't have any parents go, so I'm very appreciative of their help.

Wish me luck (and no rain) tomorrow!!!

Sweet Baby Boy

This sweet 7lb 12oz baby boy entered the world at 7:06am today. He's very cute and has the most adorable little sideburns. His parents were quite exhausted after the 20 hour labor (not all active though). Even more amazing, his mom didn't even have an epidural. Now that's a strong woman! We had a great visit with them at the hospital and enjoyed listening to his baby noises and watching his little baby movements. Super adorable!

Soon

Soon our friends will become parents. Sometime tonight or in the wee hours of the morning a precious baby boy will be born. Will he have her hair or his? Her nose or his? These are the questions that float in and out of the minds of family and friends. But no matter who he looks like, he will be loved more than he knows. It is a wonderful gift when a baby enters the world and Dennis and I couldn't be happier for them. We wish them the best!

Here is a quilt I made for them. The back is made from the same light blue boarder fabric. It's really soft and cozy.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work I Go

Yup, tomorrow I go back to work after an almost 3 week hiatus. I had hoped I would be a little more excited and "welcoming" (thank you Nancy for the inspiration for this word) toward going back to work, but I'm not. I think it's because I'm very nervous, concerned, and stressed about the GATE Academy which is this Thursday. I believe things will get a lot better once that has passed.

Remember how I hadn't read anything all break? Well, last night I picked up a book I've been wanting to read for a long time. I had started "A Portrait in Sepia" but I kept eying "The Constant Princess" sitting on my shelf. So, I put down "A Portrait in Sepia" and picked up the other. I'll get back to APS when I finish TCP.

Well, it's time to get ready for bed. I've packed my lunch and laid out my clothes. It's going to be a huge shock to my system to get up at 6:20 rather than 10:30 which I've been getting use to. Today I really wanted to get up early but 11:15 was the earliest I could peel my eyelids open. I guess it was the last hoorah.

I hope y'all have a great Monday. Also, check out Nancy's blog before heading offline.....very inspirational and motivating.

Organization

Yesterday I got to thinking. What have I really accomplished over the holiday vacation? Nothing....well, almost nothing. I visited family and friends, but yet I didn't read a single book. To my enjoyment I slept in everyday, but did not finish my crochet project. I did however finally finish the quilt (that I should have finished a month ago) and yet my kitchen floors went unmopped. So finally today, the last weekend before work, I organized parts of my kitchen. When we moved to our new house I kinda just put things here and there....in the vicinity of where their permanent home would be. However, everything just stayed put......but today things found their permanent home!!!.....thanks to my lazy vacay and my new Magic Bullet Blender!!! I already have a blender (rarely used because it's a pain to clean) in a bottom cupboard that is easy to reach. So I put the Magic Bullet up higher (a stepladder is needed as I am vertically challenged). I thought that was all fine and dandy until I used the Magic Bullet......and I LOVE it!!!! Therefore, the blender and the bullet swapped places. I got out all my storage containers and took inventory. I then opened my lid drawer. Yes, I have a lid drawer. It's the coolest thing ever! I've always wanted one ever since I was a little girl and saw my Aunt Donna's lid drawer. This way I can stack all my plastic containers together and save room in my cupboards. Anyway, I made sure every lid had a container and vice versa. Then I threw away (yes, you read that correctly) all the old and couple less containers. This is huge for me as I have inherited my mother's "I need to save everything because I may need it some day" syndrome. But in the garbage they went! Finally, I rearranged the things in the cupboard so they can be reached a little easier and put things I don't use very often in higher, unused cupboards.

Now I feel like I have accomplished something. Oooooo, I also updated my Menu. I have a menu posted on a cork board in the kitchen. It has all the meals listed that we like....breakfast stuff, soups, sandwiches, Italian, Mexican, BBQ, and other dishes. This way when we make our dinner and grocery list for the week, I have everything right in front of me and I don't have to rack my brain. It also prevents us from getting in a food rut. Then all the meals for the week go on the white board and all I have to do when I get home is look at it and cook what it says. I have been using it for about 8 years or so and it is fabulous! It also prevents spending way too much in the grocery store on food you don't eat and isle 7 arguments with my husband. Before the system, Dennis and I could NOT go grocery shopping because it would end up in an argument every time. Part of the problem was that we would go shopping when we were hungry and when I am hungry I am a major (pardon my French) Bitch. So, we implemented the system, I ate before we left, and viola'!....no more arguments!

Well, now that THAT tangent is over, I feel organized and calm.
Happy Saturday!

Parking Ticket

I so tried to avoid this today, but it just didn't work out. I arrived at lunch early to do some window shopping, which is great because I found the gift I was looking for. Afterwards (and needed to kill about 15 minutes), I went back to my car to call Nancy to see where upon her travels she was. Before heading to the restaurant, I decided to put more money in the meter because I wasn't sure how long lunch would be. The meter only goes up to 2 hours and I had a little over an hour left. So, I put in a dime (1 hour worth), turned the knob and nothing happened. I repeated the action with no such luck in increasing the time. Frustrated (and without a nickel), I decided to just go to lunch and pray that I make it back in time to avoid a ticket. Well...it didn't work out quite like that. I ended up getting a ticket 9 minutes after my time had expired and I showed up (frantic) about 5 minutes later. Bummer, bummer, bummer. I should have set my phone alarm or something to have reminded myself to leave in time. It's just frustrating because I had tried TWICE to put in more time and it didn't work. I really think it was because the dime would have put the meter over the 2 hour limit. Oh well, I will pay the $20 fine and next time I will set my phone alarm.

Toodles!

New Year's

Here are a few pics from our New Year's eve and day with J, K, and B. Enjoy!

"Rooaarr!!!" Brady excited about his Bug Jug that Uncle Dennis picked out.

Check out those teeth!!! And there's plenty more of them to come!

Happy Aunt and Uncle (although it's pretty early in the morning and Auntie hasn't had her coffee.)

Fish face! This picture would be even better if I wasn't make that face too. Fish faces on adults are not so attractive.

This is about as crazy as I got. No pomegranate martini's for me (he he he).

No More Tree :(

Yes, I took it and all the other Christmas decorations down today. The house seems so empty and sparkle free. It'll all be okay in a week or two when I get use to it. Tomorrow I will try to organize. First my closet and then the kitchen. I really want to watch some chick flicks, but I'm not so sure if it'll happen. I must also remember to buy some chicken tomorrow too. I'm gonna make fajitas on Friday and chicken is a must have for that. But until then, I'm going to eat a piece of chocolate, turn off the TV, and head into the theater room to watch a movie with Dennis.

TTFN

Happy New Year!

I wish everyone good luck on their New Year's Resolution. I have stopped making them as I seem to either forget what I resolved to do or don't follow through with them. But I wish everyone else luck and best wishes!!!

Yesterday with Brady went very well. We took him to the park and Dennis went down the slide with him and then pushed him in the swing (which he absolutely loved). Unfortunately, he got a fever around 4pm and was a very unhappy camper. Poor guy. Teething on top of being sick has to be the worst. We are so sad for him and hope he will feel better really soon.

We got home a little after noon today and I fell asleep about 1pm and didn't get up till 5pm. Dennis was the only one to make it past midnight last night. We all feel asleep way early either because we were exhausted or didn't feel well. I was both as I hadn't been feeling well that day. Sad because we had Chu's Too for dinner (our favorite Chinese). I ate mostly rice with a few bits of chicken.

Happy New Year to All!