Apple Harvest Festival

We went to the Apple Harvest Festival today!!! It was a beautiful day too! We had lots and LOTS of apple cider, a tractor ride through the apple orchard, more cider, and a sampling of apples....and that was just one stop! We got on a hair raising hay ride that took people from place to place throughout the town. The ride got interesting when they stopped to switch drivers and our old driver was explaining to the new guy (actually he was probably in his 70's) how to drive the tractor! He drove like a bat out of hell.....but it was really fun! Actually, we think that this specific tractor was a newer model than what he is use to. At our second stop of the day we found Miranda's Rescue that had really cute lab puppies!!!! Oh, we both wanted one so bad...but we're just not ready yet. Our day ended at the same place we started....the apple orchard. I had a crappy cheeseburger but my husband was nice enough to share is Big Dog with me. Thanks honey! The crazy thing is there was this guy standing several people behind us in line and when he finished ordering I was still waiting for my order. About a minute or two pass by and this guy is freaking out because he doesn't have his order yet. Well, his wife is telling him that he was behind us and just to wait for his order.....but does he listen?....absolutely not! He very rudely pushes his way in front of me (I'm like 4 inches from the counter) and is questioning where is order is. If that wasn't bad enough....a lady who just finished ordering is asked to wait to the side (where I'm standing) to get her order. This time I'm standing even closer to the counter to avoid another fiasco....but it doesn't work. She backs her way in front of me! Am I invisible people!!!!!???? Because I sure do feel like it at this point. Anyway, I've just spotted my cheeseburger and go to grab it and THE LADY STARTS TO TAKE IT!!!! So the chick taking the order and myself are telling this lady that THAT is not her order it's MINE!!! It takes her a good 30 seconds to realize what where saying before I can take it from her grubby hands. And do I get an apology? You guessed it....nope! Whatever. If I knew how crappy it was going to taste, I wouldn't have even cared :) We left soon afterward. And that was my day....how was yours?

Feeling Better

I'm feeling better today. No fever so far this evening, but I still have a sore throat. I feel a bit off too. It's like my head is in a bubble......I don't have a stuffy nose or anything, I'm just a bit fuzzy. Didn't have to work today so I was able to sleep in till 10am. I took our big kitty (all 13 pounds of her) to the vet to get her nails clipped. She was very unhappy with me but I think she's over it now.

It was Safeway soup again for dinner this week. We've tried 4 different varieties (not all this week of course) and all four of them were...um, how should I put it.....edible at the very least as you really didn't want anymore than the one ladle full. Just buy the stuff in the can....you'll be much happier believe me.

Happy weekend to all!

Lucky

Beginning on Tuesday I had a very slight sore throat. Wednesday, it was pretty non-existent except in the evening. Today however, it has been lingering off and on all day and this afternoon (around 1pm to be precise) it came back full strength. So now I am sitting here all achy and rather chilled (which, unfortunately, probably means I have a stupid fever). The lucky part of this comes into play because I don't have to work tomorrow......... ......therefore, if I feel horrible tomorrow, I don't have to worry about calling in sick! On the flip side, it totally sucks to be sick on the weekend. :(

Long Day

Today was a very long day. I was in a meeting all day and I feel so drained. Every time I go to one of these meetings I feel like I need to sleep for the next 24 hours to recuperate. So, here are some odds and ends:

*coffee pot is working out well
*new top exposed my girls a little too much
*sleeping soundly through the night
*learning to deal with my ultra short hair
*changing my work schedule for the 5th time in 6 weeks
*did I mention my coffee pot is working out well?

Cows

Everyday to and from work, I pass fields and fields of cows. And every morning they always crack me up. Most of the time it is a singular cow walking along the fence line headed back out to the fields for a long day of grazing and sunshine that really makes me laugh. No one is herding them....they are just creatures of routine. How they know it's time to be milked or time to head back to the field is beyond me. Yes, I know they probably feel full (of milk) and know they get fed when they go, but... darn it, I can barely remember what day of the week it is. Also, they are just too cute! The cows that make me laugh out loud (all alone in my car) appear to be Jerseys and not Holsteins (the black and white ones). Yes, there are hundreds of cows around in a variety of fields, but it is these specific cows that I just find hilarious. Maybe it's because they are close enough where I can look them in the eyes and see their big brown eyes and how content they are. Or, maybe it's because I'm reminded of my cow Emily who looked so much like them. Whatever the reason, these cows just strike a cord with me. It is one of the things I look forward to on my way to work. More over, I'm not the only one cracking up at these cows.....just ask Nancy. My friend Jen also had a fascination with some animals a little way down the road.....it was goats though.....not at all as cute as my cows.....Sorry Jen. :)

Thanks for reading!

Disappointing Monday

Today started off pretty decent. I have a brand-new coffee maker in my classroom with cinnamon flavored coffee...very Yum-O. We had beautiful weather....blue sky and the air was as "crisp as an apple" to quote one of my junior high poems. The disappointing part began with CELDT testing.....otherwise known as the California English Language Development Test. Basically, I (along with the bilingual aide) test all English learners on how much English they know. It's disappointing because some students don't do as well as I hope they can......Also, I had been looking forward to going to yoga for the first time with my friend, but because it's Bikram yoga you can't eat for so many hours before you go and you have to drink a LOT of water........since I didn't follow this I couldn't go tonight....also my friend wasn't feeling that great today. A total bummer....but it might be a blessing in disguise because I'm kinda having second thoughts about going because of the intensity of it all. So, to add these things on top of having trouble finding a doctor for my husband or myself has lead to a disappointing Monday......Hunger might have had something to do with it all too. It was salad shmalad again for lunch today, but I feel much better after eating dinner.....one of my favorites....taco soup. Also, I want to thank Jon, Kelly, and Brady for the comments and Jenny for the email.....those have also brightened my otherwise disappointing Monday. I also can't forget my husband.....his hugs seem to melt everything else away.

New Poll

I've added a poll to the left. Be sure to make your mark! :)

Things to look forward to....

1. The premier of Dexter

2. The beginning of 4 day work weeks

3. The premier of Dexter

4. Cooling temperatures

5. The premier of Dexter

6. Rain

7. The premier of Dexter

8. Wearing my new tops

9. The premier of Dexter

10. Wearing my new Holly Yashi jewelry



11. Did I mention the premier of Dexter?

Bad Chinese

Tonight my husband and I had dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant but it was so bad we couldn't eat it. This is the second time we've gotten bad Chinese from there. Looks like we won't be eating there again. I wish we had a Choos Too here. Their dry braised chicken is to die for!!!

So I went to talk to our neighbors who cut down Steve (our hedge). I asked them why they cut him so short and he said it was to give us more sun. Steve isn't a canopy! He grows straight up and provides much needed privacy between the US and THEM. Besides, the sun moves! So to cut Steve to provide us with more sun is ridiculous!!! So I told our neighbor we like Steve tall and next time they need not to cut him so short. I seriously hope they consider that option. They don't want an unhappy Cindy on their hands.

Oh, boxing is starting......I must go! Taylor vs. Pavlik......not sure who I'm pulling for yet.

Holly Yashi

Tonight I went to the Holly Yashi sale!!! My friend and I got there about 5pm and we didn't leave till after 8pm. For those of you who don't know what the Holly Yashi sale is, well, it's basically jewelry that is 50%-80% off. You can only go on Friday night if you have a ticket because it's the so called "preview sale" and they serve wine and cheese. There are so many women crowded around these tables looking for the perfect earrings or the best buy. You can tell some of them want to shove you to the side to get in, but instead wait patiently with their jaw clenched. However, there are a few who do just butt right in...they can get down right mean when fighting over jewelry. Oh, but some of the pieces are just so sparkley! I'm like a moth to a flame when it comes to things that sparkle....but I am afraid of moths (thanks to my brother) so I guess I'm more like a mosquito to a bug zapper. Anyway, I only ended up spending $70 unlike my friend who spent over $200. We were both in shock at the total and thought the lady made a mistake, but she went through it all again and it was right! We just kept laughing about it because she was in shock at what happened. She really did get some nice pieces of jewelry. One of which was my birthday present....a really pretty necklace to go with earrings I bought last year.

On another note....remember how I won on the radio yesterday? Well, today I was entered into a drawing for the races and I won that too!!!! I was so excited, although, I don't think I'll end up going. Boxing is on at the same time tomorrow night and I can't miss that!

Smokey the Bear came to school today. He completely freaked me out. I have a fear of people dressed in costumes like that. At one point today he was waiting in the hallway by my room and I couldn't bring myself to go by him and into my room.....so, I ended up going over to the main building to wait him out. Luckily, when I returned, he was no longer there. Too freaky for me!

The 40 Year-Old Virgin

That was the winning trivia answer today.....and I got it!!!! I love to listen to the trivia games on the radio. Most of the times I know the answer but just can't get through. I've discovered that if I call as soon as they say they are going to play the game, then I usually always get through. However, I've been hanging up because I haven't known the answers.....until today!!!! They played a preview of a movie and I was 100% sure the answer was The 40 Year-Old Virgin and I was getting so nervous while I waited for them to answer the phone. I was the first caller and he asked the typical questions: Who is this? What are you doing this morning? and if you say school or work they always follow up with And where is that? I answered each and every question with my usual "peppiness" Nancy says I'm always full of and then the DJ asks how school is going and I say GREAT! He said something about how chipper I was and that he would have to check back in in February to see if I was still feeling the same way.....little does he know....that's always how I sound. So after I got off the phone I run into school at tell the Kindergarten and both 1st grade teachers to turn on their radios......Why I do this to myself I have no idea.....but of course everyone is laughing at how "chipper" or "peppy" I sound. I just got carried away in all the excitement. After all it's my first time winning a prize on the radio!!!

Salad Shmalad

Just like the beginning of summer brings realizations of how much weight was gained during the year, Fall also brings those realizations. Thus, I went to Costco on Monday and bought the 1 pound container of salad. Now, instead of enjoying the carb and calorie loaded leftovers from the night before, I have to suffer through a SALAD for lunch. I try to accessorize as much as possible. A little tomato here, a little avocado there, several nutty nuts, and viola'.....a nicely dressed salad. But really that's all it is....nicely dressed. You end up being hungry about an hour later and scarf down a leftover cupcake, thanking God you had a birthday in your room that day....or so I've been told because that's so obviously something I have never done. Therefore, I've been trying to do some healthful snacking before and after lunch to avoid the cupcake incident as mentioned above. Thank goodness for those 100 calorie packs. I carry at LEAST 2 packages on me at all times....I need choices after all. But these things have saved me let's say around 3pm when my stomach takes control and starts doing the talking for me. I've just recently discovered the Alpha Bit cookie ones.....I like to alphabetize them...........and then..........
spell things.

Thanks for reading!!!

Over the Hedge

In our backyard, we have a hedge that separates US from THEM....we'll call it "Steve." Today Steve is getting a haircut and like my haircut, it is way WAY too short. Several feet of Steve is currently being whacked off and it appears that he will stand just a bit over 5 feet. So instead of admiring Steve (a beautiful wall of greenery), we will be privileged to look at the house behind us and a dilapidated apartment building several hundred feet off. Lovely. I feel so naked without our hedge.....and they've only gotten as far as our next door neighbors house! Hopefully, Steve grows quickly.

I must warn you now....I have a story to tell.....

Every morning I see a group of 4th graders for reading intervention. The group I had today responds well with humor, so to keep things lively and moving along I like to make jokes and be a little silly with them. So....I asked one of my students to tell me the time. She looks up and says that it is 9:15. I know this is incorrect because I only see them from 8:30 to 9:00 and I knew 45 minutes hadn't passed already. So I asked her again to check the time. She responds by telling me it is 8:15. At this point the rest of my students are cracking up because she is obviously not fully awake and in school mode yet...she of course realizes this too and starts laughing. Then I ask her if she needs some of my coffee to wake up. She says no because she doesn't drink it, so I praise her for making a good choice.....A few minutes pass by and I got really excited at something (I can't remember what) but that same girl says to me "Now Mrs. Taylor, I think you've had a little too much coffee!" This made me start laughing so hard I had to end class. This is one of the reasons I love teaching. Kids say the funniest things!

Premier Night

The beginning of fall brings cool weather and the changing of leaves. It also brings premiers of both old and new shows. What new shows will I watch this year? What time are they on again? For someone who likes to go to bed around 9pm, this presents a problem. Thank god for DVR!!!! I don't know what I would do with out it. This amazing little device can search for the shows I want to watch and record every new episode for me! This is perfect for someone like me who can never remember what day and time my favorite show airs. Yet, at work, I have the most confusing schedule, see around 42-47 students per day, and still remember (most of the time) where I need to be, who I'm working with, and what they are working on.....but that's besides the point. I am so spoiled with our DVR. It's so weird to think that kids growing up now, will not know a time before DVR or TiVo......or even 8 tracks. Oh, now they were cool! My mom had one in her green Oldsmobile way back when.............
.........Sorry...I got distracted by Heroes.....see ADD......however, I haven't had coffee thus there's no "H."

I hope y'all had a great Monday!!!! Gotta love 'em!

Back home

We got back home around noon today, began our typical Sunday routine, and headed to a local craft fair in hippie central. Actually, it wasn't bad at all. It was a beautiful day and there was great music playing. My husband's co-worker had an African food booth (as he is from Ghana) and it was sooooo good. He served fried plantains, a peanut stew, and a tomato based sauce all over white rice. The flavors were so good and different from what we are use to. After we ate, we walked around getting a head start on Christmas presents. I saw one of my fellow teachers selling her wares in a booth. She was totally hippied out, a huge difference from her day to day teaching garb. I bought some really cute earrings from her and I think I may buy some more.....we'll see.

Now that the weather has changed and today is the first day of fall...I'm FREEZING!!!! Our house was 62 degrees when we got home. My brother-in-law called our house a meat locker....it's pretty cold actually. So I just turned on the heat a few minutes ago up to 68 degrees. Now that we have doubled our square footage with our new house, our heating bill will be crazy expensive. Although, in our old place we just had a wall heater so it was only really warm in front of it. In our new house, we have central heating so EVERY room is warm....it's such an odd and wonderful sensation compared to what we were use to.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Nancy caused a ruckus on Saturday by posting a belated birthday message to me. Thank you again Nancy for the post....it was laugh out loud funny!

Baby brother

I have been having a great time hanging out with my brother-in-law and family this weekend. Kelly and I went shopping all day and got some really cute things. Sonic was our dinner tonight and it really sucked....if I were you, I would avoid eating there....ever! But probably the best thing about today was I got a call from my baby brother. I guess he's not such a baby since he is 26. Anyway, he is in the Army and stationed in Iraq. This is his second tour there and he should be home in 45 days. I haven't talked to him since February, I think. He sounded so grown up, which he said was probably the phone distorting his voice. It was more than that though....and as I was realizing this, I began to cry. I hope he didn't notice, but I was so happy he called to wish me a happy birthday. It took me about 30 minutes after we hung up to stop crying....I wasn't like sobbing or anything (I was in public after all), I was just really REALLY teary and it was difficult to talk. I so miss him and hope he stays safe while he's over there. His call really meant a lot. Thanks dude!

Well, Kelly and I are off to Target.....we're gonna get our shop on!....again.

Picture day

Don't you just love picture day!!! Well, I don't. I know it may sound a little silly, but a few days before picture day I practice smiling in the mirror...this is to avoid that crazy smile or the twitchy eye or any wobbly bits. Last year the lady caught me off guard and made me laugh just as she took the picture. It was the funniest looking picture ever!!!! Anyway, so I've been practicing my smile with my head slightly turned to the right because this is my better side. My plan was to have my picture this way because I knew how to turn and smile every so slightly as to avoid exposing any wobbly bits or flabby areas. The staff picture was at 8am this morning. I arrived promptly freezing my a** off while the camera people got ready. Then, to my horror, I realized my bad side was facing the camera. I pleaded with someone to switch sides with me, but all the other shorties in the front row were too miffed at having to stand there year after year, so I was denied my plea. As unhappy as I was at this, I figured I would have my solo picture taken on my good side. Wrong again! As I walked up to the photographer I saw I would have to expose my horrid right side again. I pleaded with him if I could do something different and his response was that I could lean up against the fake tree!!!!! I am all for the environment, but I am so not a tree hugger!!! So my hopes for a decent picture went down the drain. So, so sad.

Remember my longing for a birthday party with family? Well, my husband and I drove over to visit his brother, wife, and nephew. When we arrived they had decorated the house and had cake and presents waiting!!! Thank you guys!!! My nephew also showed off his new skills of crawling. Actually his crawl is more like an inch worm's right now. Super cute!! He is oh so adorable and has to be the happiest baby I have ever seen!!! Tomorrow we'll hang out and then Kelly and I are going shopping!!!!

My 28th Birthday!

Today is my 28th birthday. It is a little more difficult than I expected. A few days ago I found a neon white hair on my head....I almost cried. Now I'm officially in my late LATE 20's. Many of my students today thought I was turning 32! I almost fell off my chair! Actually, I thought it was a pretty good guess since they didn't guess anything in the teens or anywhere close to 100.

My husband gave me a wonderful card with illustrations of our cats and a bee (he draws very well). I also got balloons, flowers, and a bird feeder delivered to my classroom from my mom and sister. Thanks you guys!!!! Plus, my friend Barb gave me a mini cake (which I've always wanted) and I may or may not share it with my husband. Most likely I will though. He's too sweet not to share a sweet with. When I got home, I had all these wonderful cards from my family. I so love birthdays! It's not the gifting part that I love, it's the celebration and socialization that I love. And on that note, I am a little sad I can't be with my family in Y-town on my birthday. I haven't had a birthday nor have I been a family birthday party back home for quite some time. I truly miss them. However, I have a very loving husband who will spoil me rotten today. He just walked in the door with a beautiful flower arrangement too!....so I will have to go for now.

Thank you for all the birthday wishes!

Fred

I have a new tomato. His name is Fred. My friend Nancy gave him to me. She laughed and laughed at him. The other teachers did too. I felt sorry for him so I moved him from my table into my cupboard, that way no one could laugh at him anymore. Fred liked this idea. He began to show is gratitude towards the move. As I began to move him, something struck me. I saw it. Fred WAS different. He wasn't like the other tomatoes. I started to realize why all the other girl tomatoes were so fond of him and what caused the laughter.....Fred had a really big nose.

Bunco Night!

I'm so excited!!!! Tonight is Bunco!!! Our group started back in January and I have only won ONE time!!!!!! It was last month so I am hoping to continue the streak. In fact, I always wore my favorite horse shoe earrings for every game, but last month I didn't......and I WON!!! So of course tonight I can't wear them because I have a darn superstition now. I'll let you know how it turns out. Plus, it's a pizza and pajama theme....It's gonna be so cozy! Can ya tell I've had way too much caffeine today? I've used like 17 exclamation marks! Make that 18. I swear coffee gives me ADHD. I talk WAY too loud and WAY too much. As Nancy says...I'm very peppy. Although today I started with decaffeinated tea but I was soooo sleepy and I wasn't feeling very "peppy." So at recess (9:55am) I made an emergency trip to one of the 1st grade classrooms to get a cup of coffee. Thank you again Deb for help putting the "pep" in my step!

Happy day to all!