Winter is just...

...nasty.

...cold.

...LONG.

...just barely starting and I am already tired of it.  Look what I had to deal with today:

Can you believe it?  Ugh.

So.  To cheer us all up, I decided to treat you to a pictorial of my Christmas decorations.  I LOVE Christmas.  Despite the fact that it is in the winter, Christmas is still my absolute, hands-down FAVORITE holiday.  Not because of the presents, although, I would be a liarliarpantsonfire if I said I didn't like getting presents, but because everyone seems so much nicer to people during this time.  Annnnddddd...I love the decorations. :)

 This is my tree.

 This was my very first ornament.  I believe my Nana made it for me when I was born. :)

 My dad made this ornament for my first Christmas.  It's the partridge in a pear tree.  Sadly, no more followed.  I think it must have been my brother's fault.  ;)

 My Nana made this one, too.

 One of miss raven's first ornaments.

 This shouldn't surprise anyone who knows me. :)

As an interesting side note, my BFF has one JUST LIKE IT.  :)

 I think this was ornament number three or four.  We used to get special ornaments just for us every year.

The angel on the top of my tree.  I love my angel.  She was a cheapy from K-mart.

 I have a thing for snowmen...in case you couldn't tell.

 Can't take the credit for this wreath...my dad made it for me several years ago. :)

Santa door hanging-thing.  

Hehehe...my best Christmas present ever. :)

Tomorrow may or may not be the last day of school before the break.  It will depend on what happens with the weather.  Either way, I won't know until the morning, so I can't sleep in.  As much as I would love to start my vacation a day early, I really don't want the kids to miss out on their parties.  Especially since we would have to do them when we came back from break and NO ONE wants that!

Time to decide if having ice cream is worth it or not tonight.

Toodles! :)

I'm still here...

You know how it gets around this time of the year, though....crazy busy doesn't even begin to describe it!

I took a much needed day off today.  No, I didn't go anywhere.  Well, nowhere except my kitchen.  I think I baked about a bazillion and one Christmas cookies today.  I still have about a gazillion and one more to go.  So far today I have baked eight dozen chocolate chip cookies, six dozen oatmeal/cranberry cookies, and two dozen brownies.  I have made enough Snickerdoodle dough for eight dozen snickerdoodles and enough butter cookie dough for roughly one hundred gobzillion butter cookies.  I still have another pan of brownies to bake and two pans of pumpkin bars.  I think the pumpkin bars will wait for tomorrow.  I have a new recipie that I want to try and I don't have the gumption to do it tonight.  If I find said gumption, I may also try a recipie I found for a version of Starbucks Cranberry Bliss bars.  It looks semi-easy and I do love those bars a great deal.  So...we'll see.

Right now, as you can see, I am taking a break.  It is beyond freaking cold here and my feet feel like ice cubes.  Sadly, I am afraid they will feel this way until, I don't know, April or May I guess.  Sigh.

Funny story:

I go out to get the mail today.  In the mail I find one of those little sample box things.  I think to myself  "Hmmm....I don't remember signing up for a free sample of anything.  I wonder what it could be."  I come inside, putter around the kitchen and decide to check out the mail.  Much to my surprise and delight, it was a wee little box of tissues from Kleenex.  Apparently, my brother decided to send me a wee little box of tissues to help make up for the three ginormous ones that I went through during my recent cold (that I am still not completely over much to my dismay).  I got a good laugh out of that.

Ok.  I guess it was only a funny story to me.  Sorry.

Off to bake more cookies!

:)

Can you believe...

that it is almost Christmas?  Yeah, me either.

I am thrilled, though, because not only is Christmas vacation a less than TWO weeks away, I decided to take this Friday off!  Whoo-hoo for the personal day! :)

I don't know what your weather is like but it is crazy cold here.  I understand that it could be much worse.  I could live in Alaska.  I don't, though, and I hate being cold.  I don't think that I have mentioned that before.

Ahem.

Things are crazy at work but that is normal for this time of the year.  The kids are frantic for the break and they don't seem to understand that we are, too.  Maybe even more so.

Is your Christmas shopping done?  Mine isn't.  And it probably won't be until December 23ish or so.  I'm such a slacker.

Speaking of slacking...I think I am going to go play games on Facebook.

toodle-do! :)

wordless wednesday...

Do you think...

that my life is nothing but a bit of randomness?

Hmmm.  Yeah, I can see why you would.

:)

My posts have been nothing if not random, lately.  You would have thought that I would have blogged more on my recent week off of school, but alas, I did not.  In my defense I was sick for all of my vacation.  I still am sick but not as bad as this time last week.  I have the annoying part of the cold now.  You know, the snotty, runny nose.  I have gone through almost three full boxes of Kleenex and let me tell you something...tissues with lotion are ALWAYS the way to go in cases like these.  Don't let those other tissues fool you.  They are like sandpaper.

Anywho.

How was your Thanksgiving?  Despite my original thoughts way back in August, my Thanksgiving turned out to be very nice.  For the last several many years I have spent Thanksgiving with my "other" family...my BFF's family in Ohio.  Well, as we ALL know, she had to go and move.  I know, rude, right?  Well, that meant that I couldn't spend the holiday with them.  I thought I was going to have to spend the holiday by myself but to my surprise, my aunt from up north invited me to spend Thanksgiving with her, her daughter, and her BFF.  Of course I agreed.

miss raven and I made the drive up on Thanksgiving morning.  The traffic was nowhere near as bad as I thought it might be and we made pretty good time.  My aunt has four cats.  miss raven is not a fan of cats.  I was a little worried.  Not to fear.  miss raven occupied the spare room and the cats went about their normal business.  We had the whole shebang for dinner:  turkey, homemade mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, rolls, and sweet potato pie.  Mmmmmmm!  I proud to say that, although I did eat two rolls and two helpings of stuffing, I didn't stuff myself to sickness.  Yea me!

We watched much football and NO I don't want to talk about it.  At all.  Period.

We came home on Friday.  I did not go Black Friday shopping this year.  At first I was a little disappointed about that but now, not so much.  The deals that I normally got weren't the same this year so I don't feel like I missed out on anything.  On Saturday we put up the Christmas tree.  It looks SO good.  You know, in MY house.  I love it!  I am slowly replacing the old lights with the new LED lights and boy, does it make a difference.  The lights at the top of my tree are the LED ones and they are SO much brighter.  I really like them.  I am hoping that, after the holiday, I will be able to find some on clearance so I can get enough for next year that I don't have to use the other ones at all.  Currently I have six strands of lights on the tree.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Six.  What can I say?  I love lights.

Speaking of Christmas, and, weren't we?  I only have 13 more days until break!  I am taking next Friday off so that I can bake.  Remember my cookie list?  It will take me the WHOLE weekend to get that done.  I am thinking that I am going to have drop something off of there, though.  I am thinking about picking up pretzel bark to compensate for any cookie that I may have to drop off.  It is easy to make and doesn't take much time.  We'll see.

I hope that your Monday was fantastic and that your Tuesday is even better!

One of these things is not like the other...

One of these things doesn't belong.

Can you guess which one is not like the others?

By the time I finish this post?

:)

Oh Vacation...

how I LOVE thee!!!

And I would love thee even more if I wasn't sick! :(  I woke up Friday morning with a cold.  Can I tell you how much that sucks?  I mean, seriously.  It started out as a head cold and now has moved into my chest.  Lucky me.

On the bright side, I *am* on vacation and I *am* getting plenty of rest, which I apparently need.  The time at home has been so nice and miss raven is enjoying it, too.  Every once in a while she will get up from her nap to look at me.  She has the "oh, you really are still here" look on her face and then she will sleepily wag her tail.  It is so cute. :)

Also on the bright side, the weather here has been pretty nice lately.  I know it won't last so I am trying to enjoy it is as much as I possibly can.  I actually had to sleep with the fan on last night because it was a little stuffy in my room.

Thursday is Thanksgiving and I am really looking forward to it; more than I thought I would be this year.  I am not spending the holiday with my BFF and her family, which sucks bigtime, but I do have other plans which I am really looking forward to. :)

The other nice thing about vacation is that I can nap whenever I want.  That would include right now.

;)

Sssssshhhhhhhhhhhh...

Have you ever been afraid to say something out loud about something good because you might jinx it?  Yeah, me, too.

My week has been good.  Actually, pretty much really good.

There.  I said it.  I hope I didn't jinx tomorrow, after all...tomorrow is Friday.  Friday just can't act like Monday.  It wouldn't be fair.

At. All.

That being said.  I think I failed to mention that the COWBOYS WON ON SUNDAY!!!!!!!!  What was that?  I *did* mention it?  Oh.  Sorry.  Well, in my defense, it is such a rare occasion this year that I wanted to make sure you knew. 

I had a thought just now.  I watched the replay of the aforementioned game last night on the NFL network (Dear Verizon, thank you SO much for carrying the NFL network.  Thank you that you are not like my father's cable company that refuses to carry it.  Sincerely, me) last night.  Just in case you were wondering, the outcome was the same.  The COWBOYS WON THE GAME!!!!  My thought was this:  since I watched the game on the replay and they won again, can I count that as TWO victories instead of just one?

Yeah.

Didn't think so.

Miss her much:

Yeah, I thought so.  :)  She is precious beyond words.

You need more proof?  Ok...

Told you so.

:)

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy...

Since many of my posts have been a bit, shall we say, less than uplifting, I felt obligated to let you know when I had a good day.

Today

was

that

day.

I can't really tell you any one thing that made it a *good* day, other than I didn't have a bazillion issues to deal with.  Just the normal every day, run-of-the-mill, comes with the territory, issues.  That kind of stuff I am used to.  No problem.

I even put in for a day off in December.  Now, normally I would be totally against taking an unnecessary day off right before a vacation, however, I need to get some Christmas baking done.  My cookie list is ambitious this year:

Butter cookies (always on the list)

Chocolate chip

Snickerdoodles

Oatmeal/cranberry

Snicker surprises

Pumpkin bars

Brownies

What do you think?  Too much?  It is a lot but I do love to bake.  I will also be making several dozen cupcakes that weekend for the Senior class bake sale.  I only have one minor problem.  The butter cookies take a cookie press.  I have my mom's old cookie press.  The aforementioned cookie press just about gave up the ghost last Christmas so I am not sure what I am going to do this Christmas.  I have a new cookie press but it is plastic and it is NOT my mother's.  If anyone has a metal cookie press that they would like to gift to me, it would be much appreciated.  Or a professional grade Kitchen Aid mixer.  In pink.  Or stainless steel.  Hey, go big or go home.  ;)

And now for some follow-up randomness:

miss raven seems to be over her weekend issues for which I am very thankful.

My brother and his family went to the NASCAR race in Phoenix on Sunday.  A good time was had by all.  Even though Tony Stewart didn't win.

I miss my BFF horribly.

There are only FOUR more days until Thanksgiving break.  I. AM. THRILLED.

The Cowboys won yesterday (finally).  I. AM. ECSTATIC.  Beyond words.  Well, obviously not beyond words, but still...

I love chocolate.  This has nothing to do with anything but I just thought I'd throw it out there.  You're welcome.

Let's hope (and pray) that tomorrow is as good as today.  Perhaps better.

Goodnight. :)

Living with Royalty...

As you know, miss raven is now eating Royal Canine dog food made especially for Chihuahua's. (They also make food for other breeds.)  Royal Canine is *not* cheap, but she is worth it.

I came home last night to find that my royal diva had been sick.  Three times.  In three different spots.  Hmmmm.  I was so hoping that this new food would eliminate the whole "gurgly" tummy thing.  She looked so guilty when I walked in the door.  I know that she was ashamed and there was no way I was going to scold her for something that wasn't her fault.  I cleaned it up and went about my evening.

We slept well last night.  This morning she woke me up desperate to go potty.  On our way down the hallway she had another puky episode.  Not good.  We went outside, she did her thing, and we came back in.  We read through the ads, I drank some coffee, and she needed to go out again.  We went outside, she did her thing, and then had the oddest puke I have ever seen.  She basically threw up a big air bubble.  Interesting.  No more puky since then...knock on wood.

Currently, the diva is resting and barking.  But mostly barking.  Our neighbours have decided to allow their large dog and their medium-size dog outside today, seeing as it is 70 degrees here.  In the middle of November.  NOT that I am complaining.  Me likey the warm. 

Anywho.

They bark, she barks.  and barks.  and barks.  and...well, you get the point.

And now, I must be off to adore the royal....  :)

Ten Things Tuesday...

Ten Things I hate:

1.  Brussel Sprouts...blech!

2.  Being sick...as I was this weekend with my first (and hopefully only) ever case of food poisoning.

3.  Winter...must I explain this?

4.  People who constantly complain about how busy they are but you never actually see them working.

5.  Not being able to talk to my mom.

6.  Parents who think their children are perfect. 

Ok.  So I can only think of 6.  That's good, right?

And just so you don't think I am big complainer:

Ten Things I Love (in no particular order, except number one):

1.  miss raven...duh!

2.  Coffee.

3.  Summer.

4.  Chocolate.

5.  My BFF and her family...whom I miss horribly!!!

6.  My family...duh, again!

7.   My house.

8.  Indoor plumbing and a working heater.

9.  Snuggling with miss raven.  ;)

10.  A day off in the middle of the week. :)

The end!

Senseless Thursday randomness...

1.  Why do women think it is acceptable to wear a black bra with a white shirt?  Seriously.  To all the gentlemen out there, I apologize.

2.  Speaking of female undergarments...in the Victoria's Secret catalogue I got today I saw something remarkable.  They are selling a bra that costs two MILLION dollars.  I'll take two.

3.  It rained all day.  Welcome back little pond in front of my house.  Home Depot, get ready.  I'm coming back for more rocks.

4.  It's cold.  I hate winter.

5.  I have eaten vegetarian meals for the last two nights.  Not because I am changing my dietary habits.  No...I am too lazy to cook.  Annnnnnnnnndddddd...I'm tired of chicken.

6.  I got my school pictures back today.  Hmmmmm......maybe I should change my dietary habits.

7.  I love coffee.  Hot or cold.  But especially hot this time of year.

8.  Tomorrow is Friday and it is dress down day at school.  A-men.

9.  miss raven is still chowing on the Royal Canine.  Two weeks with no gurgly tummy.  I think we have a winner.

10.  I have three orders for crochet hats/scarves.  Look at me and my bad crafty self.

11.  Goodnight.

:)

wordless wednesday...

 

Interesting...

you think you know people but then....well, their true colors show through.

Now, to be honest, I know this already, but I guess I still have a more positive outlook about people and really want to believe that they are who they say they are.

WRONG.

Anywho.

Tonight went kind of how I expected it.  The main concern was what I pretty much knew it would be and what I have been telling the powers that be for the last year or so.  I am still concerned that I am going to end up being the scapegoat for all of this, especially after some things I overheard today from someone who has told me in the past that they have my back.  Uh-huh.  Right.

note to self:  LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE

We'll see what happens.  I am hoping for the best, truly, but, honestly...I am planning for the worst.  I am scared about what may happen in the next few weeks but I am trying hard to not let it consume me.  I truly believe that God has not foresaken me, that I am on the side of truth, and that, although it might not happen the way I would like it to or when I would like it to, the truth WILL come out and those that are working against the truth WILL be exposed.

I have to believe that.

I have to.

I am determined...

to not let this get to me (too much) anymore (mostly). 

Seriously.

I have been under so much stress lately and I have been letting it get the better of me.  I have felt and acted so defeated and so depressed that it was affecting me physically.

Enough.

Is.

Enough.

No more.  I can't promise that every day will bring happiness, sunshine, rainbows, and bunnies, but I can be determined that, no matter what, I will not let it get the better of me.  That I will not let it keep me feeling defeated, depressed, and down. 

They can yell, scream, backbite, and backstab, but I will not let it bring me down.  I have too much to be thankful for, too much to be happy about, and too much to live for to let this stress kill me.

So there.

I know I will need to read this post over and over again in the next few weeks.  And this doesn't mean that I'm not concerned about what may happen in the days and weeks to come but I am going to start applying a lesson I learned when I was still in the classroom:  The naughty children act up because they want attention.  The good kids often suffer because so much of my attention was devoted to the naughty ones.  I always felt bad because I saw that the good kids were getting overlooked.  I started focusing more on the good kids and less on the naughty ones.  They deserved to not be overlooked.    So now?  Now I will focus on the cooperative parents.  The ones who work with me and who want us to keep on with what we are doing.  The ones that are supportive, helpful, and just plain nice.  Because you know what?  There are WAY more of those kind of parents than there are of the other kind.

So.

There.

: oP

A beautiful day...

in my neighbourhood.  How about yours?

Really.  It was a gorgeous day here today and one that won't be repeated for several more months, unfortunately.  Days like these make me wistful.  I hate that summer is over and the long, dreary winter is stuck in front of me. 

So.

Wasn't that cheerful?  Sorry.  How about this:

Cute, right?  This was the best one of the bunch as she is, well, how can I say this....less than obedient.  Nonetheless, this is a cute picture.

**Food Update**

Apparently she still loves the Royal Canine food that I got her.  She has been eating it with no problem, and, after a minor episode on Sunday afternoon, in which she really, really thought she was going to get more of the evil unhealthy wet food, she has been eating wonderfully.  Currently, she is munching away.  This is good and bad.  Did I mention how expensive the ROYAL Canine food is?  And, of course, the bag is teeny tiny.  At the rate she is going, I am going to need a small loan just to keep her eating well.  Good thing she's worth it. ;)

Tomorrow is Friday (as if you didn't know) and I am looking forward to it.  I hope this weekend drags FORever because I am NOT looking forward to the next few weeks at work.

Random thought:  Am I the only one freaked out by the fact that Thanksgiving is only four weeks from TODAY?!?  I only have 14 days of work (after tomorrow) until Thanksgiving break.  Christmas break is only a hop, skip, and a jump after that.

Girlie is done eating and would like you to know that she enjoyed it.  I know this because she just belched in my face.

One more bit of randomness:  I made a pumpkin pie tonight.  And ate vanilla frozen yogurt with fat-free caramel sauce.

goodnight.

:)

Stress, thy name is....

(insert name of my work place here)

No, really.

I mean it.

This week stress caused me to:
1.  Have a complete emotional break-down at work.
2.  Miss a day of work do to a stress-related illness.
and
3.  Wake up yesterday morning with a funky, mysterious rash on the inside of my elbows and arms, as well as my neck/chest-ish area.

Sigh.

I desperately needed to relieve some of my stress over the weekend.  So I planted some mums in containers:

Made a wreath to hang on my front door:

and progressed another step on my front flower bed:

I know it isn't much yet  but this is after six bags of drainage rocks (because, seriously, it was like a little pond out there after each rain) and two large bags of mulch.  I still haven't decided what I want to edge it with.  The people at Lowe's were very unhelpful (I know that isn't a word but let's pretend, ok?) so I am going to give Home Depot a try next week.

I also bought girlie a new food.  I seem to have appalled the helpful salesperson at Petsmart when I told him that I needed to buy some "healthy digestion/sensitive stomach" food for her.  He asked me why I was feeding her wet food.  He asked me in such a way, though, that it made me feel like a horrible parent.  He then proceded to tell me that wet food can lead to tooth and heart problems in dogs.  Especially Chihuahuas, who, apparently, are pre-disposed to heart problems anyway.  He seemed genuinely surprised when I told him that she was eleven.  He informed me that most Chi's don't live past six or seven.  WHAT?!?!  I have never heard that.

Anyway.

He took me to the high-quality (read:  expensive) food aisle.  Who knew that there is a food made especially for Chihuahuas?  Not me.  It is called.....are you ready for this because it is so appropriate...ROYAL CANINE.  Of course.  It couldn't be called anything else.  It comes with a royal price tag, too. 

Salesperson Chris told me that because of her age I probably wouldn't be able to get her to switch over to that food solely.  Ha!  girlie knows a good thing when she sees (and smells) it.  I put some in her bowl and had barely walked away when she was right over beside me again.  I looked in her bowl thinking that she was turning her nose up at it and, surprise! her bowl was EMPTY!  She loves it.  Yea!  It is supposed to be better for her teeth as well as her digestion so I am hoping for no more gurgly tummy.  He also suggested (read:  pegged me for a sucker who does anything for her dog) some healthier treats.  She has had them before and really likes them so I wasn't opposed to getting them for her.

Now I am sitting on my couch.  I have pumpkin soup in the crockpot, pumpkin and apple candles burning, a non-fat peppermint latte on the coffee table, and football on TV.  I am trying not to itch my rash and trying not to think about work.  I am waiting for my brother to send me measurements of the niece and nephew's heads so that I can make new hats for the younguns.  And I hope you are having a wonderful weekend, wherever you are. :)

Psalm 13

How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord?

for ever?

how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

having sorrow in my heart daily?

how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and hear me, O Lord my God:

lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

Lest my enemy say, I have prevailed against him;

and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

But I have trusted in thy mercy;

my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

I will sing unto the Lord,

because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

wordless wednesday....

Ok.  So this isn't going to be a real wordless Wednesday because, really, I shouldn't be allowed to do one of those for a while given my lengthy blog absences of late.

Today kicked my butt.  Seriously.  I think Wednesday decided to be Monday today.  Without getting too specific, because I can't, I had to make the worst phone call I have ever made today concerning a student.  The ramifications are going to be epic and I am not looking forward to it.  I also had to make a few other phone calls to parents today that were no fun, either.  I know it is the nature of my job but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

One thing I still havve not been able to get over is the fact that some parents believe everything that comes out of their child's mouth.  I grew up in the "teacher is always right" generation.  Even if my parents thought that the teacher was wrong, I never knew it.  They just didn't tell me or even act like they were angy with the teacher in front of me.  We were always told that if we got in trouble at school we got it twice as bad at home and they weren't kidding.

It astounds me that I deal with parents who automatically blame the teacher for whatever it is that went wrong.  I don't get it.  I just don't get it.

So tonight, I am going to watch TV, crochet, not eat the whole house and the dog, and relax.

After all, tomorrow is another day.

And it isn't Monday.

Yet again...

another week has gone by and I have only blogged one time.  I hang my head in bloggy shame and as that you forgive me.  Again.

hang on--gotta take care of (read:  clean up after) the diva.....

Thank you.  Currently girlie and I are outside enjoying this lovely Indian summer weather and cursing the coming winter.  Ok.  Maybe not the whole cursingthecomingwinter thing, but nonetheless.

So.  Here's what has happened since last we met:

Thursday:  I really, really wished that it was Friday.

Friday:  I was really, really glad it was Friday.

Saturday:  Went to Annapolis with my good friend Freddie.  Ate fro-yo at Menchie's.  Enjoyed the lovely weather.  Bought some big-girl make-up.

Sunday:  Discovered DuPont Circle.  aaaannnnndddd a new yarn store.  And because I am a yarn ho, bought some more yarn.  Hey--the first step is admitting your addiction, right?  Cursed the Cowboys because they SUCK OUT LOUD ALL DAY LONG this season.  Ok.  Again with the whole...

hang on.  gotta find the diva.  think she is flirting with the boyfriend.  her boyfriend, not mine.  you know, because i don't have one.

no cursing thing because I really don't.  Usually.

Monday:  Paid a visit to Manworld, aka Lowe's (or Home Depot) if you prefer.  The area in front of my house (under the lovely bay windows of my kitchen) is a mosquito breeding area.  The water does not drain off well so I needed to get some rocks to help with the process.  Grossly underestimated the number of bags of rocks I needed and will have to go back and get some more this weekend.  Also bought large bag of mulch, some edging brick thingies, and a lovely purple mum.  Came home and worked in the yard for a little over an hour.  See:

Tuesday:  Back to work will a bazillion lovely issues were waiting for me.  Any ideas on how to deal with bullies?  Feel free to send them my way.  I want to protect my babies as much as possible but I am only one person and can't be around all of them all the time.  Sigh.

There.  Now you are all caught up to speed and I get on with more important things like these questions that I need to answer because I was tagged by Erin.  I can't even begin to tell you how much of a big-girl blogger being tagged makes me feel.  (Holy awkward sentence, Batman!)

Here are my 8 questions and there (mostly) truthful answers:

1.  What has been the most surprising aspect of motherhood in your experience?  If you're not a mom, what is it like to go to the bathroom in privacy?
Going potty in private is a wonderful experience that I highly recommend.  Wait.  Does it count if the dog sits outside the bathroom and watches?

2.  How often do you shave your legs in the winter?
Honestly, I can't stand having hairy legs.  I shave 2-3x a week regardless of the season.

3.  What's your favorite thing to do online?  If shopping, what site?
Obviously my favorite thing to do is blog because I am so faithful at it.  Ahem.  I like Facebook and reading other people's blogs.  I don't do a huge amount of shopping online but when I do I generally hit Amazon first.

4.  If you already possessed the necessary education and experience level what would you choose for your dream job?
I would absolutely love to open a bakery/coffee/craft shop with my BFF.

5.  Share a "last-minute" dinner recipe.  No pancake balls, please.
I'm single, so naturally that means that I am a gourmet cook.  Or not.  Hmmmmm....I am a big fan of soup or breakfast at night if I can't think of anything else to make for dinner or if I didn't plan ahead of time.  Which is most of the time...However, now that I know about pancake balls.....

6.  Do you speed or drive the speed limit?
Depends on who's behind me. ;)

7.  If you could live anywhere, where would you choose?
Texas.  Or you know, somewhere with a beach and cute, available, single men.

8.  What kind of new vacuum should I buy?
One that sucks.  I have a Dirt Devil.  On the rare occasions that it finds it's way out of it's home in the spare room closet, it works wonderfully.  It sucks.

Now I am supposed to tag 8 people and have them answer my very own made-up 8 questions.  The problem is I don't know 8 people to tag.  So instead I will post 8 questions in the hope that someone (or more than one someone) will feel a burning desire to answer the questions in my comments:

1.  What is your favorite go-to dessert?  Posting the actual recipe gets you bonus points.

2.  What is your favorite Christmas memory?

3.  What was the last book you read and did you like it?

4.  Who was your favorite teacher in grade school?  Why?
5.  What do you think your best friend would say is your best quality?
6.  Law & Order or CSI:?  Or do you care?

7.  If you had to choose between summer all the time or winter all the time which would you choose and why?

8.  What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

And here, because I would hate for you to leave feeling at all deprived:

Have a Happy Wednesday! :)

Um....so....

Are you still there?  Do I have any readers left?

I (once again) apologize for my lengthy absence.  Work is crazy stressful and my personal life is, well.....hmmmm.  Let's just say that, of the last 52 weeks, this past one ranks down somewhere around 50-52ish.  So.Not.Good.

ahem.

Let us all pause whilst I pull up my big girl panties and deal with it.

Thank you.

Dear ______________,

Target:  Don't mis-label your pants.  It is no fun to buy the correct size of pants as listed on the hang tag only to discover that the inside tag is a size smaller.  Way to help my self-esteem.

Parent:  Don't say that you agree with the school 100% and that you completely support my teachers....unless the rules apply to your child.  Don't berate my teacher for something completely unrelated to deflect from the matter at hand.  Your child broke a rule.

Parent (#2):  Stop fighting your child's battles.  Your child was wrong.  Your child said something that your child shouldn't have.  Don't run hither and yon and try to get the consequences changed.  You aren't helping your child at all.

miss raven:  Please refrain from leaving presents for mommy.  I love you, but that mess needs to stay outside.

winter:  GO AWAY.  I can't say that any stronger.

Random people that I don't know:  Odd facial piercings are just that...odd.  Please don't think they make you look attractive.  At all.  Not even a little.

Keurig coffee maker:  Thank you for working properly all of the sudden.  I'm not sure what has come over you, but I appreciate it.

Keurig company:  Thank you for putting out your pumpkin spice coffee.  I was about to go through withdrawls.

Cowboys:  Thank you for winning your FIRST game in week THREE.  Let's not regress, shall we?

blog readers:  good night.

;)

Today....

...you are not going to get the post that I want to post.  If I do that I will most assuredly say something that ought not to be out on the Internet and would definitely hurt someone's feelings.  Suffice it to say that I  made a decision that I regret but can't change.

Sigh.

Just so you know, the Biggest Loser is on right now yet I am blogging.  I was reprimanded by the little brother yesterday for going so long between posts, so here I am.

Sigh.

I feel like I should be on the Biggest Loser right now.  The Wii made snarky, rude comments to me when I (finally) got on it last week.  Okay, maybe not, but it felt like it.

Sigh.

Anyway.  I did have an A-mazing weekend.  I got to do something that I have wanted to do for a long time!  Want to know what I did?  Well then, look at this:

Yes!  I went to a NASCAR race!  Does that surprise you?  I like football, NASCAR, AND shopping!  Why am I not married?!?! 

Here's some more pics:

Hmmmm.....I hope this is the right video....

It was an incredible experience and one I hope I get the chance to repeat sometime. My driver (Tony Stewart) didn't win but I still had fun.  Next on my list of things I would love to do is go to an NFL game, preferably a Cowboys game and one that they win.  Not that I am greedy like that or anything. ;)

Are you happy now, little brother? ;)

Ten Things Tuesday...

Sorry, I think I gave you my ten things Tuesday yesterday, so you don't get one today.

: 0P

I'm tired today, both physically and mentally.  I am physically tired because I have been exercising every day.  Well, except the weekend, but still.  And not just for a few mintues.  Most days I am exercising for a minimum of twenty minutes, usually 40-50.  Look at me and my bad self. ;)

I am mentally tired, exhausted from today.  I went to the homegoing service for my friend who passed away.  It was happy and sad all at the same time.  It was happy because I know that he is in a better place and that he isn't suffering anymore.  It was sad because I am going to miss him and because it made me think of my mom.  I cried alot and that made my eyes and my head hurt.  We took some of our students with us and I am so glad that we did.  They knew him either as a teacher or a coach or both and they are going to miss him, also.  They did very well, not that I am surprised. 

The Biggest Loser starts tonight and I am very excited.  I love that show!  I am hoping that I can stay up long enough to watch the whole thing.

Tomorrow is wordless Wednesday and I am kind of glad.  I am running out of things to say......

;)

Ways to know that you are old....

1.  You have muscles you didn't know existed revolting against you.

2.  You have to take Advil PM in order to go to sleep because of said muscles conspiring against you.

3.  You think that 9PM on a Saturday night is FAR too late to be out.

4.  You sound like your mother when you talk to students.

5.  You realize that the student you are talking to (in which you sound JUST LIKE YOUR MOTHER) was born AFTER you graduated...from COLLEGE.

6.  While you are sitting on the couch, cursing your darned muscles that are conspiring against you, you decide that it is far too much work to get up and go to the bathroom.  You will wait until there are a few other things that you can do in order to prevent getting up more than once.

7.  One cup of coffee in the morning is laughable.  You need at least two.  At least.

8.  Reaching for the bottle of water on the coffee table in front of you presents you with a choice.  Get it and be in pain or thirst.  You opt for thirst.

9.  You keep hoping that 10PM will get here soon so that you can go to bed and tell yourself you aren't THAT old.

10.  You can't remember number ten because, well, you are OLD.


Oh. My. Word.

I am sore.  Sore beyond words.  It is like all of my muscles decide to revolt against me and it isn't fair.  All I am doing is trying to help them and they are TICKED OFF.  Seriously...I wasn't even kidding on number six.  I am really going to wait until I have a few more things to do because I can't even tell you how painful it is to stand up and sit down right now.

I did exercise with my new game yesterday.  I enjoyed it.  Really.  I promise.  I enjoyed it so much that, although my thighs HATE me at the moment, I used the game again today.  Apparently, the game was SO impressed with the fact that I came back for a second day that it bumped me up to level FOUR in the cardio boxing. 

Go ahead, laugh with me.  You know you want to.  I don't mind.

Cardio boxing kicked my butt.  And perhaps that is why it, too, is SORE BEYOND WORDS.  Sigh.  I wish I loved exercise as much as I love food.  And coffee.

I went to my box at work today and look what I found:

Awwwwww!!!!!  Thank you, BFF!!  I love Hoops and YoYo and the card even talks to me!  miss raven doesn't like it so much, but that's ok.  It isn't for her. ;)  BTW--BFF did you send it to school on purpose or because you don't have my addy?  Let me know.  :)

What's that?  The yarn in the corner?  Pay no attention to the yarn in the corner of the picture....(it really helps if you say that out loud in the Wizard of Oz-ish voice, trust me.)  Anyway....this:

was the yarn I told you about yesterday.  Sorry the color didn't come through so well.  Trust me...it is a GORGEOUS pink.  I can't wait to work with it.  I have to finish my current project first, though.

And now, number six is coming after me with a vengeance, so.....

laters!! :)

Ahhhhhhhh, the weekend...

I was very, very much looking forward to this weekend.  School has become somewhat....stressful, and I really need the downtime of the weekend to unwind and gear up for the following week.

I didn't have specific plans for this weekend and I ended up doing some old things and some new things.  Both were equally fun. :)

I ended up in across the river and found myself at my new favorite (and expensive) yarn store.  I now understand why some women, once they have felt the good stuff never want to go back to the "cheap" yarn.  I got some yummy hot pink wool that I can't wait to ball up and use to work into a winter hat.  I still have some orange organic cotton left that I think I am going to use to make a flower to go on the hat.  Add a button in the middle of the flower and there you go.

**I am currently watching football.  My team sucks out loud.  This does NOT make me happy.**

I got a new "game" for my Wii.  It is a boxing game that I hope makes me shed large amounts of poundage.  It would help if I stopped eating everything that looks remotely tasty.  I wish I didn't love food so much.  Sigh.  In the interest of full disclosure, I am sucking down a Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte and I just scarfed down a pumpkin whoopie pie.  I am such a loser.  And not in a good way.

Anyway.

The game came with weighted gloves.  I sense sore shoulders in my very near future.  Like, today even.  Seeing as how my team SUCKS OUT LOUD.

I am not the only one scarfing down food, although I am fairly sure that mine tasted WAY better.  miss raven is inhaling some of her crunchies.  I cut back on the amount of wet food I am giving her at night in the hopes that she will eat more of the crunchies thereby keeping her teeth somewhat cleaner and her breath somewhat fresher.  Here's hoping.

Speaking of eating....because I was.  I ate lunch yesterday at a Greek restaurant.  Oompah!  I discovered a few things about Greek food....I love hummus now more than ever.  I do not like moussaka.  It has eggplant in it.  I did like the lemony, rice-y, chicken-y soup.  The spanikopita has a bit more oregano than I like.  All in all it was a good lunch and, I feel this must be said, the waitstaff was AMAZINGLY polite.  No, seriously.  They weren't all that busy when I went and I sat in the garden.  Every time I walked through the dining room, any of the waiters that were sitting STOOD UP.  I am totally not kidding.  I thought that was so cool and very unusual.  Every one of them told me to enjoy my meal and they were always making sure I had enough coffee and water without being annoying.  I was very impressed and I would definitely go back.  It's proximity to the yarn store is also in it's favor.  Me being a yarn ho and all.

;)

:(

I'm sorry I haven't blogged for a few days.  I got some news yesterday that really sucks and didn't feel like blogging.

A friend of mine, actually the person who had my job before me, was rushed to the ER on Tuesday morning because his wife discovered him unconscious when she woke up.  Long story short, he had a brain aneurysm that ruptured and, as far as I know, passed away this afternoon.

Mr. K. was diagnosed with prostate cancer I guess about a year and a half ago.  Through it all he remained upbeat.  He always had a smile for everyone and he was always so positive about the outcome of what he was going though.  Even through what was obvious pain, and radiation, and chemo, he remained positive.  He was always so thankful and so overwhelmingly touched by all the people that remembered him and contacted him to help.  He touched so, so many lives.

When I took over the position that I have now at school, he made sure that I knew I could always talk to him and he would be there to give me advice.  I so appreciated that and I took him up on that offer many times.  He never acted impatient or put-off that I asked a bazillion questions.  He was always willing to talk and give me advice.

He is going to be so missed.  Not just by his family, but also by the many people who he touched and made an impact on.  There are so many students who are mourning him right now.  I can only hope that I have made half the impact with my students that he made with his.

Always when I need it...

The weekend always seems to get here right when I need it.  I know that sounds rather silly because the weekend gets here at the same time every week, but somehow it seems that, just when I really need it...there it is.

It is a little chilly today...for me at least.  I think just about everyone else I know is beyond thrilled with the weather today.  Whoop-de-doo for them.  I have to fight being sad about weather like today because it makes me remember that winter is almost here.  Doesn't it seem like it was just here?  Does it have to come back so soon?  Sigh.

Remember my fall?  Yeah, well, my foot still hurts.  Kind of badly.  I am hoping I didn't break anything.  It doesn't seem swollen but it really hurts.

There is football on today.  Currently I am watching Ohio State kick the crap out of Miami.  I don't really care for either team, quite frankly.  OSU already beat Florida State.  Tonight the Longhorns are playing Wyoming.  HOOK 'EM HORNS!!!! :)

Tomorrow is even better, for tomorrow, my dear bloggy friends, is...

FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA!!!!!!!!!

Words can not even begin to describe my utter joy and happiness at knowing that, all day long, I can watch NFL football.  Please, let us all pause while I wipe a happy tear from my eye.....

Thank you.

miss raven had a bad morning.  She woke me up at four-thirty this morning with a gurgly tummy.  We had to go outside twice in fifteen minutes and then she spent an hour under my t-shirt, skin to skin.  That seemed to help some and I was able to go back to sleep around six-ish for another hour and a half.  She woke me up at seven-thirty with more gurgly tummy.  I feel so bad for her because, no matter what she does, she can't seem to get comfortable.  I finally had to just put her down and get on with my day because I was going out with a friend.  Freddie to the rescue!!!!  She brought my girlie some Pepcid.  Half a pill and some peanut butter later, and my girlie is as good as new.  She wolfed her dinner and both treats right down, along with some crunchies.  I am so glad she is felling better.  I hate it when she is uncomfortable.  Freddie, you are miss raven's she-ro! ;)

Happy FOOTBALL Sunday!!!!!!!!  (BFF, please keep your rude remarks to yourself and out of my comments.  Thank you. ;) )

The land of IfIcouldjust......

I really had a MUCH different post planned for today.  This is not it.  And believe me when I say, this is probably as deep a post as you will ever get from me...

I was sitting in my office today playing solitaire working really hard when I saw a beach scene, complete with palm trees and beautiful sand, on the deck of cards desktop, and thought to myself "If I could just live at the beach, I would be so happy!"

Then I started thinking about how often I say "If I could just _________, I would be so happy."  I must confess, I say it a lot.  If I could just....get married, I would be so happy.  If I could just.....be a mommy, I would be so happy.  If I could just.....have a lot more money, I would be so happy.  If I could just....have no more problems at work, I would be so happy.

And then, I felt guilty.  I keep wanting more and more and am obviously not satisfied with what I have.  As I sat in my chair pondering my attitude, one of my teachers came to talk to me.  At first, I will confess, I was a little annoyed.  I had asked for, and had gotten permission, to leave a little early.  I had some things I wanted to get done this afternoon, including purchasing a small, but yummy, treat for my teachers for tomorrow morning.  I knew that there was no way I was going to be able to leave early now that this teacher was coming to talk to me.

I put my annoyance aside as she came in.  She needed to talk to me about a few classroom related things and then she wanted to speak to me concerning a faculty/staff meeting that we had this morning.  We got some news that we weren't totally expecting that is going to affect all of us financially.  Most of us are living from paycheck to paycheck so this news was not welcome.  Those of you that have been following me for a while know how stressed out I can get over things that are out of my control.  This morning, however, was a little different.  Although this is going to be tough on me monetarily, I am, at this time, not worried.  After all that I have been through over the last year between work issues and personal issues, I have come to realize that God has taken care of me even when I didn't know what was going to happen.  This became especially clear to me during the whole housing crisis I had at the beginning of the year.

Anyway--the teacher was asking me about the news that we got and was genuinely watching my reaction.  I told her how I felt and she looked at me and said "Wow, you are really different.  What's changed since the beginning of the year?"  I told her how I felt and how God had really shown me that He will take care of me through the things I had been through lately.  I have been trying to encourage her anyway because of some personal things she is going through and I was so glad that I had kept up my encouragement.  I wasn't putting on a show for her; I really meant what I was telling her.

As I was talking to her, I kept thinking about my "If I could just..."  I have decided that I am going to work on being more content.  That is not an easy thing for me to say.  There are some things that I would like to have...more along the lines of wishful thinking.  If I could just....live at the beach.  Ok.  I know that isn't going to happen, but I love the beach, so it is nice to think about it.  I don't pine over it though like I do some of those other things.  I have decided, though, to work on putting my money where my mouth is, so to speak, and be more content with what I have.  I have a home that, while it is not HUGE, it is perfect for me and miss raven and I love, love, LOVE my kitchen.  I have a job that, while it still will always have its ups and downs, I genuinely enjoy.  I love the kids I work with and most of the people I work with.  I have enough money to cover all of my needs, even though sometimes it is tight.  I may not be able to buy everything I WANT, but that's ok.  I have a wonderful family, fantastic friends, and a snugglie little puppy that is trying mightly to stay awake on my lap as I type.

I need to start living in the land of Countingmyblessings and less in the land of IfIcouldjust.  How about you?

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

wait.  Did I say the most wonderful?  Tsk, tsk.  Silly me.  What on earth was I thinking?

This:

does not make me happy.

This:

means that fall is here. 

There is a chill in the air in the mornings when I let her:

out to go potty.  Soon I will be able to see my breath and that, my dear bloggy friends, does NOT make me happy. (BTW--isn't that the most adorable picture of my girlie?  I think so. :) )

Right now, as I blog, I am sitting on the couch.  My left foot is propped up and I am giving serious consideration to popping a few more ibuprofen.  Sigh.  I fell at school today.  The good thing?  None of my students saw.  The bad thing?  I'm not as young as I used to be and I hurt something fierce.  I don't even want to think about how sore I am going to be tomorrow.  My foot hurts, my hip hurts, my back hurts.  I. AM. OLD.  Hush, BFF.  You can deny it all you want.  I am a realist.

I have not built up enough courage to go to the yarn store gathering thingie tomorrow night.  I'm working on it, though, so maybe next week.  I'll keep you posted.

On the food front:  I have done well the last two days.  I am hoping that my willpower has finally found it's way home again.  Yesterday morning, when I tried to put on a pair of pants that fit me well at the end of the school year and then felt like I was in that Subway commercial where the pant's buttons go flying off to the tune of the 1812 Oveture.....yeah, that didn't make me feel so good.  So, I have been very diligent the last two days in making sure that I watch my portions and don't inhale everything when I get home.  I wish I didn't love food so much.  Or at least not want it so much when I need comfort.  Boo on you, emotional eating.  Boo and hiss.

Oh and do I have an exciting post for tomorrow.  Wait for it.....wait.....

;)

Ooooooohhhhhhh Heaven is a place on earth......

(My apologies for my absence.  I had plans to blog last week.  I wanted to blog last week.  I did not, however, blog last week.  Sorry about that.)

I will do my best to bring you up to speed.  LOLOL!!!!  Doesn't that make me sound so interesting??  Contrary to what my BFF posted in my comments from the last post, I am rather, um, boring.

So, let's not take the time to go through the whole of last week.  After all, it is always the weekend that is WAY more interesting anyway.  :)

My plans changed slightly this weekend and I remained home.  Not a problem.  I decided to make the best of it and try to find something interesting to do.  I pretty much just stayed around the house on Saturday.  I had some things I needed to get done, you know, laundry, cleaning, chillaxing on the couch.  On Sunday I decided to ,um, try something new....again.  Go me!  I went over into Virginia for brunch.  I found the most A-mazing little Tex-Mex place.  I had scrambled eggs, bacon, and cornmeal pancakes.  OMG!  They were wonderful.  The pancakes came with pecan butter and they were all warm and the butter melted all over the place.  It was fantastic!  Definetly worth going again.  And again.  And maybe, well...you get the picture. ;)

After brunch, and, in order to walk off some of the calories...I walked around Old Town for a little while.  I am so glad I did because I found HEAVEN.  Ok, it was a yarn store.  Yes, Freddie, I am a yarn ho.  I was in heaven!  And the best part is, while there is alot of knitting in there, they also cater to crocheters like me!  Whoo-hoo!  I am, though, seriously considering taking a knitting class there.  You know how much I want to be able to knit a pair of socks.  I am so excited about this place and, since it is easy to get to, I can see myself visiting there frequently.  They even have one night a week where you can go and hang out in their lounge and knit and crochet and meet people.  I am thinking about doing that.  Maybe.  I have to get over my fear of...well, people in general.  We'll see.

:)

Gimme a "B"!!!!....

(hehehehehehe....BFF and WBFF , I know what you are thinking.  Now, stop it. ;P )

Gimme a "B"....for boring.  That pretty much describes me.  Now wait....I'm not having a pity party, I promise.  Just some introspection....

I am the total opposite of a risk taker.  I don't do roller coasters, I don't talk to strangers, I don't try something just for the heck of it, I don't drive in the city (Which is going to be a HUGE problem come early October.  If you are a female and used to live with me, please don't say a word.).  I should wear a a "B" on a cape or something because, seriously, I am boring.

I like safety.  Alot.  I like knowing what is going on.  I like a plan.  I like to follow said plan.  Spontenaity?  Not me.  I triple {heart} a schedule.  In the past several years I have been trying to learn to be flexible when it comes to a "set" schedule, but it isn't easy.  Change, me no likey.

Oh.  Please don't think I am having a pity party.  I promise I'm not.  Just giving you some insight.  Honest. :)  I'm actually pretty peppy right now.

**BTW--I tried to post this yesterday.  I got the WHOLE way through the post and it wouldn't publish.  Worse, it didn't save most of it.  If you heard a really, really loud scream last night, it was me.**

Well, yesterday I was seriously wanting real Chinese food.  You know, authentic, not Panda Express.  I'm not hating on PE, just wasn't wanting it.  So, where do you go when you want real Chinese food?  Duh!  Chinatown!  So, I took my (normally) boring self to Chinatown.  Calm down.  I didn't drive.  ;)

I got to Chinatown and looked around before deciding on a restaurant called (insert silly, girlie giggle here) Ping Pong.  They are known for their Dim Sum.  You don't know what dim sum is?  Ok.  Let me try to explain.  Ummmmm.....it's kind of like tapas.  What?  You don't know what tapas is, either?  Ok.  (lol!)  Tapas is little "bites" of food.  Kind of like different kinds of appetizers.  Dim Sum is the Chinese version.  So, Ping Pong has many different items on the menu to choose from.  Each "dish" gets you 3-4 pieces of the same thing.  They suggest that you order 3-5 dishes per person, depending on how hungry you are.  They also have "Set" menus.  On the set menus, you get a sampling of some different things.  I chose the vegetarian set menu not because I am a vegetarian but because I didn't like any of the other options.  So, here is what I got:

2 baked vegetable puffs (these were in a puff pastry and were A-mazing!)
2 steamed spinach and mushroom dumplings (tasty)
1 steamed vegetable bun (interesting in a good way)
2 steamed spicy vegetable dumplings (spicy?  oh, so true!  delicious?  yes!!)
1 steamed vegetarian sticky rice (this was the one I was the most apprehensive about, but, as it turned out, it was delicious!  who knew?)
2 fried vegetable spring rolls (i know, i know.  fried.  sigh.  but they were tiny.  aaaannnndddd delicious.)
1 side dish of water chesnut and cabbage pickle (yeah, that one, not so tasty)

All of that was on TEN dollars!  Can you believe the bounty that I got for such a low price?  It was totally worth it.

I can't promise that I am done being boring and will be a huge risk taker person from now on.  Baby steps, people.  Baby steps.

:)