Ever have one of those days where things just go your way?? I had one today. Lots of things went right, and lots of those things were due to some hard work I've put in. That feeling of accomplishment is just so awesome. I thought I'd celebrate them with you! First, I finished my lesson plans for next week. My goal every week is to complete the plans on Thursday so that I can use my time on Friday to go over them and make sure I have what I need. Sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesn't. Today it actually happened, and it happened very smoothly! It's such a good feeling to go into a Friday knowing that my lessons are planned for the following week. I'm the junior homeroom teacher, which means that the planning for prom and the junior/senior banquet falls mostly on me. I gathered the other teachers who are on the faculty committee and we had a fantastic meeting. We hammered out a bunch of the big items, so now we can hand a lot of it over to the student committee and let them make decisions on most of the details (with guidance, of course). It felt really good to get those things down on paper, so they can stop swirling around in my head! This is the biggest thing that happened today... I received the nicest, sweetest card ever from my sister Beezneez (the one who's getting married) in the mail today. She's so good to send random cards that are just hilarious. She writes little notes of encouragement to me, and they always seem to arrive exactly when I need them most. Well, this one was just like her others, just explaining some of the things that she appreciated about me. I got all teary-eyed, and then actually bawled out loud when I got to the end because she asked me to be her matron of honor! It was just so incredibly sweet. I totally have the fierce love-loyalty-pride-protection thing going because she's my little sister, and I'm just so honored that she would ask me to stand next to her. I'm going to be the BEST matron of honor, EVER, just for HER because she totally deserves it. (Love you, Beez!) Last, but definitely not least, I had my Weight Watchers meeting tonight. After last week's gain (that I still believe was mostly due to the jeans and sweatshirt combo), I worked really hard all week, cooking well, riding my stationary bike, and paying attention to what I was eating. I made sure to wear the clothes I usually wear (jogging pants and a t-shirt), and... drum roll, please... I lost 5.2 pounds!!! I know that 5.2 pounds is totally unrealistic for a one-week loss, but that just confirms my thoughts that the clothes last week were definitely a part of the gain. Still, I know I lost some actual weight this week! Yay! Now, it's to bed and (hopefully) to an early sleep. This first full week back is wearing me out... :)
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Today was a GREAT day
Sunday, November 11, 2007
It's the little things in life
Last Christmas, my three-year-old, still-making-monthly-payments-on-it, out-of-warranty car decided not to start. Knight is experienced in car maintenance and parts and stuff, and he decided it needed a new starter. He found one and installed it himself.
A few months ago, it pulled the same stunt. The remedy this time? New battery.
A couple of weeks ago, it did it again -- twice in one week. My parents have an extra car, so I borrowed it to get back and forth to work. My dad and Knight took my car to a trusted mechanic. He kept it for a week, but couldn't figure it out. He couldn't get it NOT to start. Figures.
Finally, we decided to call the dealership. I detest dealerships. We bought our car from a GREAT dealership when we were living in Dallas. Then, we moved here, and I can't stand the local one. Fortunately, the next town over has one, too.
I called the service department and described the problem, keeping my fingers crossed that it wasn't something ridiculously expensive. The guy on the phone said he thought it was the ignition, that they've seen this problem before. He said that the part is $30, and the installation is one hour of labor at $100. I asked if it was something that Knight could install, but he said that it has to be programmed due to the security features on the car. Truthfully, I was dancing on the inside because $130??? Is nothing in the world of car repair. They were able to work me in for yesterday a.m.
I didn't really like the idea of spending my Saturday morning at the dealership, but... on the other hand, it was an hour of uninterrupted reading. :) So I drove the 45 minutes to the dealership, checked the car in, and headed to the waiting room. There was only one other man there, reading the newspaper, and the TV blaring Saturday morning cartoons.
I sat on the couch and cracked open my book, which, unfortunately, wasn't something I was looking forward to all that much. I also turned down the TV.
About 30 minutes later, the receptionist for the service department came over to me. "You'll never guess what it is," she says to me. She had a smile on her face, so my heart didn't drop into my stomach like it normally would have, had a mechanic fed me that same line.
"Your key."
Whaaa??? My key had somehow gotten twisted a bit, so it wasn't making contact every single time. This explains the randomness of the starting issues, as well as why Knight was able to start it every single time. Also, the mechanic that had been looking at my car had Knight's key the whole week.
The damage? $7.21. That dealership has a customer for life, because they could easily have ripped me off for $130.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Well, it's better than the alternative.
I think thirty would be better if I was well.
I was okay most of the morning, when I had to sit through a video for inservice. And I was mostly okay when 10 of my co-teachers went out to lunch with me to celebrate. I was especially okay when one of them suprised me by ordering a slice of strawberry cheesecake for me. I only felt guilty for about a nanosecond... and then for a few minutes more after I actually put it in my points calculator online after we got back to school, but by then I was so stinkin' tired, I didn't really care.
Finally, about 2:00, I gave up and called the doctors' office. The nice appointment lady didn't have anything with my doctor today, but finally consented to let me slide in and see the PA (who I really like anyway). She let me bring Jet to be seen at the same time, since he was the one who brought this crud home.
I left my 10-mile-long to-do Post-It dangling from the monitor and took off, promising myself I'd either go back to work tonight, even though it IS my birthday, or come in early tomorrow. Because, HELLO, the KIDS COME TOMORROW. FOR SCHOOL. And I think they are expecting a PREPARED TEACHER. Or, at the very least, the tuition-paying parents would probably appreciate it. And I think I'm a work-aholic. I prefer to call it a "very strong work ethic."
(Lemme just tell you now that I'm already contemplating putting on my PJ's. It's 7:30 p.m.)
Of course, Jet is mostly fine, so she had some samples of decongestants for him. Me?? Ohhhh, no. I don't get off so easy. Sinus infection. Yaay.
So, thirty dollars in office visit copays and EIGHTY dollars in prescription copays later, here I sit, having not had an appetite but drinking some chicken broth (zero points!) to hopefully stave off antibiotic-induced nausea. I think I'll see if Knight will just let me cruise on to bed and drift into dreamland while he takes care of Jet.
I'm SUCH a party girl. See what getting old has done to me?
Friday, August 10, 2007
Can you tell that school started?
I started going back to work a little on August 1st, and we officially started inservice this past Wednesday. It's par for the course for the rest of my life to suffer for this period of about three weeks... family, blog, house... you name it. Several years ago, I finally realized that this is just how it is and I stopped feeling guilty about it.
However, I do have some great news to share. First, I joined Weight Watchers last week. My second meeting was last night and I'd lost three pounds! Yay! This all came about because my Granny usually likes to take me shopping for clothes when we're together. Now, usually, I don't mind one tiny little bit. This time, though, I wasn't ready to buy more clothes in my current size.
I'd been looking at joining WW for a couple of months. (I don't make fast decisions in areas like this. I want to be sure it's what I'm really ready to do before I make the financial and time commitment.) So, I told Granny about it and she offered to pay for my first three-month package. It's been really easy for the first week, even with the new chef at school providing lunch. Of course, I'm a data-driven, form-filling person, so the points system really works for me. Knight has been riding my coat tails a little... we figured out how many points he needs, and he's been paying more attention to how he eats. So, thank you, Granny!
Also, I have a cute Jet story (of course). He went back to his playschool on August 1st. I had not slept well the night before, which is rare for me. I had woken up a few times, and, well... everything is so much scarier and more emotional in the dark when you're exhausted, you know? I kept asking God for peace about our decision for me to go back to teaching this year. I was actually worried more about me missing Jet than about his health and safety and well-being at his playschool.
When we walked in the door, all of his friends were jumping up and down and ecstatic!! to see him after the summer. The whole class lined up to hug him. I had tears in my eyes as I watched him embrace each of his friends. There is nothing sweeter than the joyful emotions of three-year-olds, because they don't hold anything back.
After the hugs were done, he and three of his little boy friends stood in a circle and started talking. The conversation immediately turned to who was wearing big-boy-underwears and who wasn't, and, more importantly, what was on those big-boy-underwears. I caught Jet just before he pulled down his shorts to show off his baseball underwears.
I got back in my car and thanked the Lord for showing me what my Mommy-Heart so desprately needed -- that my son his happy and well-loved at school!
One more story before I head to work!! Jet was doing very well with potty-training, but he's had a tough time at school. It seems like he forgets until it's too late and then has an accident on the way to the potty. Last Friday, Mrs. P (the playschool director, who is good friends with my mom and who we know from church) was cleaning him up and had this conversation...
J, pointing: That's my pee-nit.
Mrs. P., seriously: Yes, it is. I heard you had an operation this summer?
J: Yes. The dop-ter fixed it.
Mrs. P: Oh, yes, that's good.
J: How's it look!?!?
Mrs. P, sputtering a little: Oh, um, it looks just fine.
J: Thank you.
Monday, July 30, 2007
The Nickel Tour
I finally have pics of the new decorations! The large window over the couch (note the snazzy throw pillows): The new rug: And the overall effect when walking in the front door is, I must admit, quite pleasing:
The window over the kitchen table:
Yay! A big, BIG, HUGE thank you goes to Knight for hanging the valances. Thank you, Googly-Bear!
Here I am!
Once again, it has been forever since I've posted.
I took a road trip with my sister and Jet to visit our grandparents. The 7-hour car trip with Jet was not nearly as painful as I was expecting it to be. In fact, I still have about half of the 15 or so little toys I had bought to distract him throughout the trip there and back. (Yay for the Dollar Spot at Target!!) I was budgeting on giving him one every hour or so, but it wasn't necessary.
Also, we are officially potty-trained!!! (Well, I've been trained for a good 27 or 28 years, but JET has finally gotten the hang of it.) He made it all the way there with dry underwears, and only messed his pants once on the way home. We had stopped at a park for lunch and to let him play, and I think he was so excited to be able to run around a bit that he just forgot.
I have some cute pics from the trip that I hope to post soon. I managed to pack the USB cord for my camera, along with some batteries, but NOT THE CAMERA. Duh. I also forgot to pack something to sleep in. I ALWAYS forget to pack a nightgown. I honestly think that most of my pj's are from road trips.
Luckily, though, Tinkerbell brought her camera. She took some fantastic pics, and I'll post them as soon as she uploads them to her Facebook. (Andale, Tink!) Wal-Mart saved the day, er, night, with regards to the sleepwear.
I can't believe that summer is actually ending. Jet will start back to his playschool on Wednesday, and I'll go back to work. We'll have some short days this week, to wean me off of being home with him all day, everyday. I think the thing I'll miss the most is being able to scoop him up and get hugs and kisses anytime I darn well please. I know once inservice and school actually start, I'll be really busy. I usually don't even really think about how much I miss him until around 2:00 in the afternoon, and by then I'm two hours from heading home, so it's bearable.
I did get the valances made before we left town. The handsome and uber-talented Knight helped me hang them. In fact, the poor man had the entirety of his Saturday taken up with honey-dos. Don't worry, though, he was paid handsomely. With DINNER, people.... Sheesh. (Sorry, Dad.) I will post pics of the window treatments, soon. I also bought sheers and throw pillows and rugs, oh my! They are really beautiful.
My dad mentioned that it looks less like a college dorm now, with the windows done. I have to agree. I didn't really realize how much it would help me to feel like we live in a home instead of someplace we're renting. Everytime I walk in the door, I have a big sigh of "Oh, that's just SO NICE!!! And PRETTY!!" It just rilly, rilly, rilly makes me happy!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
So much time, so little to do
I've not posted in a couple of days, and now I have a herd of things galloping about in my head, demanding to be described. Things about...
- new hobbies (knitting)
- how irritated I am with neighbor's barking dogs (extremely, but that really is a whole post on its own, given the history involved)
- the fun I've had and money I've spent on decorating the living room (tons on both counts)
- how well Jet is healing from his procedure (very)
- my new adventure in cutting calories (two days in a row, I've been under my goal - yay!)
- more cute phrases for the Toddler Dictionary
- other little things that would make great blog fodder had I nothing else to say
So, saddle up and prepare to follow my thoughts as we attempt to round them up into some semblance of order.
You know what they say about pictures and words, so let's start here:
I found this book at my mom's house last week. I think it belonged to one of my sisters. After reading post after post of Barb knitting totally adorable things, I decided to just go for it. I read the book (self-proclaimed nerd, here - everything I do begins with a book) and ventured to Hobby Lobby to purchase necessary items for every knitter's first project - the scarf.
The first attempt yielded a too-small gauge, but was good for practice. On the next trip to Hobby Lobby, I got bigger yarn AND bigger needles. Still not quite right, but still practicing. A lot.
I'm hoping to have the scarf done for my niece's 11th birthday, which is at the end of October. Three months. Think I can make it? I dunno. I'm visiting my grandparents next week, and Granny told me to bring my things so she could help me.
At any rate, it's fun. I enjoy it because, unlike my other hobby (reading), I don't block out the world.
Next:
This is the yummy fabric that I bought to make valances for my living room and kitchen windows. (Actually, my mom took pity on me and my living room, which is currently a study in neutrals - white walls and brown furniture. Every. single. piece. of our furniture is BROWN.) I had picked up a swatch of this fabric over a year ago (maybe even more than that), before we were even ready to buy a house, and have been drooling over its $27.99/yard yumminess ever since.
I've found this project to be like the Mouse and Cookie story. First, I wanted to make valances, which required two trips to Hobby Lobby for fabric and batting (they were out of the fabric the first time), and one to Home Depot for boards and various hardware.
Mom was generous and told me about this great rug she'd found for my sister's apartment at Wal-Mart. She also gave me money to buy it, so first I went to Wal-Mart and got a rug (slightly different from Beez's rug, but similar).
During the trip to Home Depot, I realized that I really wanted sheers to put on the windows, and I'd better go ahead and get the rods to do that because once those valances are up, it'll be impossible to hang sheers behind them. So I decided which rods I needed and picked those up.
My dad accompanied me (and Jet) to Wal-Mart and Home Depot, and then helped me cut the boards to size in his shop/driveway. In the process, sticky pine sawdust (Texas snow) coated my car. So, we washed my car.
This morning, I spread out the rug and compared it to the fabric. Not quite right. Wonder if Target has rugs? I know they have sheers! Jet and I loaded up and went to Target.
But first, I went to the jewelers and dropped off my ring so it would be ready before I leave town next week. While I was at it, I took my pearl earrings to be re-glued (the pearl fell of of one of the posts) and had them solder my wedding band to the ring. Should be ready by Tuesday.
At Target, we first made the obligatory stop at the Starbucks. (Mom, I felt your pain today - the THREE people behind the counter took 12 minutes to get my iced chai together. No steaming or brewing required! Just pump the chai in, fill it up with skim milk and add ice. TWELVE MINUTES.)
Next, the curtains. Jet was being his normal, active three-year-old self, so I peppered the walk with various forms of "stop that, get up off the floor, walk, don't touch, let go, put it down" and a hefty dose of "why can't you just ACT NORMAL" thrown in for good measure. All of that became unnecessary in the curtain aisle because we could hear some OTHER little boy in the next aisle pitching a wall-eyed fit and his mother telling him that he was "not getting a toy" and they were "leaving RIGHT!! NOW!!"
He stood very still right next to me while we listened to three or four minutes of this. (That was nice, because I could browse sheers in peace for a bit.) Then he solemnly looked up at me and slowly said, "I get a toy because I beed good, right?" I'm not above bribery, so I told him that he would if he didn't pitch a fit like that little boy.
Found the sheers. Next: rugs! I found the perfect rug. I called mom to see if she could come to Target because I needed reassurance that it really was the rug I wanted. I'd been burned before. Unfortunately, she was unavailable -- working. I'd forgotten that some people have to do that during the summer. :)
I forged ahead and loaded up the rug, with a matching small one for the kitchen just in case. In case of.... umm... spills. Yeah, that's it. Spills.
Everybody knows that if you buy fabric for valances and rugs and sheers, then you might need... throw pillows for the couch? Of COURSE I need throw pillows for the couch! Picked up four -- two in red and two in sage green. And some cup towels. I briefly considered an apron, but thought it might be carrying things a bit too far.
By this time, Jet has had enough, so we head to the check-out where he picks a happy treat. I paid for everything, after picking my jaw up off the floor from the shock of the total, and carted everything to my car. I managed to successfully wedge a 5'x8' rug into my four-door Saturn Ion.
At home, the sage green pillows are too dark with my BROWN couch, but they'll have to wait to be returned until after Jet's lunch and nap. I get him down and staple batting and fabric on four valances, and batting on the fifth before my staple gun gives out. I needed about 10 more staples from the dumb thing, but it has up and died on me.
After Jet's nap, I wedge the OLD rug into my car to return it to Wal-Mart and pick up a new staple gun. Then we go BACK to Target to exchange the sage green pillows for gold-ish ones, where I successfully resist the temptation to buy even more STUFF. (Purses and shoes and clothes, oh my!)
Back at home, again, Knight confirms my belief that the old staple gun really is dead (he takes it apart first, though), and informs me that the staples I have are too big for the new staple gun. *sigh*
I cannot stomach another trip, so he stopped on his way home from worship team rehearsal at church. I loooooooove this man.
I hope to have pictures of the finished product on Sunday!Tuesday, July 10, 2007
I'm so glad that God qualifies the called...
...and doesn't just wait until we're qualified to call us.
Our church does Backyard Bible Clubs instead of Vacation Bible School. For the BYBC, the youth break up into teams and learn a set of curriculum. Then they go to various places in town, assemble a bunch of kids from the neighborhood, and love on them and play games and teach them the curriculum for four days. This year, they are doing two, two-and-a-half hour clubs each day (in the past, they've done up to four, one-and-a-half hour clubs everyday). It sounds fairly simple as I write it, but it's really not. The youth have been preparing for this week since May, and the whole church gets involved in one way or another.
Last year, I helped my mom cook two meals a day for 65+ people. That was actually kind of neat; I've had 25 or so years of practice in the kitchen with my mom . We work well together. Plus, it was fun to spend time with my mom.
This year, they're doing things a bit differently, so they don't need people in the kitchen full-time. So, I was hit up to go to the Spanish-speaking club and help translate for the youth. (See, Dad! I DO use that major, at least once a year!) I speak textbook-Spanish. It's great, but I feel like I sound like a dweeb. Ever met someone from a foreign country who only learned English in class? They speak differently - kind of stilted, difficult to understand at times. I'm a bit slow at first, but can catch on quickly when I'm using the language. For example, we go to Mexico to shop sometimes... it comes in handy, there. I've been known to translate a bit for people in stores or at the pharmacy or a restaurant or whatever. It's also handy for eavesdropping. :)
This situation is different, though. It's kids. Little kids, as in 6-10 years old. I have never felt so stupid as when listening to a 6-year-old rattle off a question in a language in which I struggle so hard to communicate the basics. You know how sometimes kids have their own words for things? Yeah, throw in some of those and a ton of slang while you're at it, and I feel like a total moron because I'm trying to talk to a little kid, for pete's sake, and he's looking at me like I grew a third eyeball in the middle of my face.
Oh yeah, and there's the added stress of holy-crap-what-if-I-mess-up-and-tell-this-kid-that-God-is-a-cow or some other such nonsense. Maybe that's what the Bible refers to when it talks about the Holy Spirit as an intercessor. I don't really think so, in fact, I'm pretty sure that's referring to a prayer, but ... I'm sure He's working hard as I trip through explaining the gospel to these adorable children. Fortunately, I'm not the only translator. We also have this wonderful woman from our church who's a native speaker. That helps a ton, because I can always turn to her and ask, ?Como se dice fill-in-the-blank?.
You know what, though? It's amazing what has happened to me in the last couple of days. By merely making myself available to God, and telling Him that I'm willing to be used, I'm more at peace, despite the blows to my pride. It's very difficult to put into words...
One of the things we've been struggling with lately is budgeting. We went though the period of absolutely no money because Knight was looking for a job (God took care of us, though, through odd jobs for Knight and the generosity of my family). Then he got a contract (hallelujah!) and the first couple of paychecks gave us this kind of heady feeling of Hey! We have some money! Yay! and maybe we let go of a little control and spent a bit too much. So then we were back to broke. In the last week or two, though, we've come back around and are better.
I've still struggled with contentment, though. Maybe part of this peaceful feeling has been brought about by a realization that I am grateful for what God has blessed us with, after working with these kids in a poorer part of town.
Maybe it's also a letting go of pride as I struggle to communicate with these kids. I'm not all that all by myself. The only way I can be the best I can be is to let God work through me. It's so freeing to come to that realization. Again. To just let go of my ridiculous expectations in the various areas of my life, and remember that God will provide. All He needs from me is surrender.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Fantastic Fourth
We had a house full of people for the 4th of July. Jet's Aunt Deanna and Uncle Karl, Grandpa, cousins Big and Little Daisy and another cousin all came over to celebrate. We had lunch, worked puzzles, watched movies, blew bubbles, took naps, and had some fantastic burgers for dinner. In fact, I was a little nervous when she decided to accept my invite to come. What if it's all weird and uncomfortable?, I thought. What if we don't really have anything to say to each other? Our lives are so different these days... Jet and Knight are my world, and she's still freewheeling and single...??? Most of the towns in our area canceled festivities for yesterday. The whole reason for everyone coming to our house was so we could go wander around the festival in the park and see the parade, but the ground is just too soggy. I had been all excited because it seemed like the first year in a long time that we weren't worried about it being canceled due to a burn ban. It's usually so hot and dry this time of year.
Another friend of ours, whom we hadn't seen for a long time, also came over. She and I were trying to remember when we had actually seen each other, and determined that it had been about five years. (Five years?!?! I thought, Am I actually old enough to have friends that I don't see for five whole years?!?!? And we're old enough and mature enough to still be friends after all that time?) She and I have one of those really cool friendships where you don't have to talk every day to maintain the friendship. We've emailed sporadically over the years, but not regularly.
During this not-writing-much phase of mine, we've had literally tons of rain. The main river that goes through our town flooded its banks by 31 feet. My parents' lot backs up to a smaller river; they're in a 500-year flood plain. The water rose really high at their house, too. Their house didn't flood, but the water was probably about 10 feet from their back porch.
Our swim lessons were canceled for several days because the pool is in the park where the river is. The whole park was closed, and then the pool had lost power, so the filters couldn't run... we were supposed to be finished with lessons last Thursday. They were rescheduled to extend into this week, and we finished on Tuesday.
One last thing... Mir referenced a column by Nora Ephron called The Six Stages of Email. Go read it -- it's hilarious!!!
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Saturday
The ending to the refrigerator saga (or, at least, what I hope is the ending) is rather anticlimactic. Also, brace yourselves for the stunning revelation of my intimate knowledge of the inner workings of refrigerators.
The guy said that when they replace the thingy he replaced last week, they ususally replace another doo-hickey, too. However, when he tested our doo-hickey, it tested fine, so he didn't see the need to replace it and charge us for it. (Thank you!) Howsomever, that doo-hickey was the one that went out on Thursday.
Fortunately, he had the new doo-hickey in his truck and was able to replace it right then for a mere $35 (who knew doo-hickeys were so cheap?!?). He didn't even charge labor. Thank you, Lord!!
Funny how when you don't have to go to work on Monday, Friday just kind of bleeds into Saturday. Yesterday, I realized that tomorrow was Saturday, and the habitual gut-instinct of oh-crap-I-have-to-clean-the-whole-house-before-Sunday-night hit me.
And then... (savor this with me now, folks)... I remembered. Ahhhhh, yesssssssss.... Summer Vacation. :) Pure, relaxing, unadulterated joy. Hallelujah.
I think we're taking the kids to see Surf's Up today, because I'm not chained to my house to do laundry!! Yay!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
It's official
My status as temporary stay-at-home-mom began this afternoon when I picked up Jet from his last day at playschool.
I'll admit that I'm a little scared. I know I don't have to keep him entertained 24/7 -- he's really pretty good at playing on his own. I just don't think I can compete with his playschool in regards to having his friends there and constantly switching tasks. I even had his teacher copy their schedule for me. I'm hoping I can get some fun ideas from the internet so we have some activities.
We will be taking swim lessons. I have two choices through our local Parks and Recreation department. One is the "Starfish - Parent and Tot" (up to 3 years old) and the other is "Frog I - Preschool" (3-4 years old). My issue is that Jet will turn three on June 21st, so I don't know which one to take. The Starfish course description says, "This class is for parents and tots to learn general safety and swimming techniques while enjoying the water environment"; the other one describes a lot more activities, such as submerging the face for 3 seconds, blowing bubbles, move through water comfortably, etc.
Jet has never been much of a water kid. He likes his bath, as long as it's in his bathtub, with his toys and we keep the routine. He's never liked "Splash Days" at his playschool because he doesn't like to be splashed. Knight can't believe this is his kid -- he grew up on a shrimp boat. I, on the other hand, have never been a strong swimmer. I'm thinking the first one will be more beneficial to both of us. :) They're both 30-minute classes, four days a week, for two weeks. They only cost $30. At least it will be something to get us out of the house!
I went to the jeweler this afternoon. He took one look at my finger and claimed that my ring was too tight. I told him that it wasn't, and he decided to measure my ring and finger "to be sure". It's not too small. He said he couldn't do anything about it, but cleaned it well for me. I never realize how dirty the poor thing gets until someone does a good scrub on it! He did send home some cleaning fluid and advised me to clean it every evening to clean off the body oils. Maybe I should get a second opinion?
I also got this new phone today. I was eligible for a $150 credit for my old one, and I picked this one for two reasons. First, it is red. And red is fun. Second, it's bluetooth enabled. I could get them to waive the activation fee if I bought an accessory, so I got the headset to go with it. I've really gotten nervous about driving while holding my phone, and I think Texas is going to pass a law that says you can't anyway (if they haven't already done so...?). Hopefully I can adjust to using the headset pretty easily.
Off to play with my new toy!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
In which I screamed like a little girl
... or at least wanted to rilly rilly bad.
Confession: We have a cockroach problem. It's not a big problem, numbers-wise. I've seen maybe 5 since we moved in last October. It IS a big problem, squicking-out-wise, because these suckers are so big they should be able to drive Jet's trucks around. And maybe they do in the middle of the night. ewwww, *squick, squick, shudder*
I've mostly seen them in Jet's bathroom, which happens to be where I get my beautiful self ready every morning.
We bought those little bait stations and Knight put them down about a month ago, even though we hadn't seen them in awhile. I'm dubious that they work, however, because the openings to those things are so small and our roaches are so frickin' huge. They're honestly 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. ewwww, *squick, squick, shudder*
This morning, I saw another one. I've taken to gingerly reaching in to switch the light on with one finger before stepping foot in the bathroom. That way I can inspect the place without possibly coming into contact with one of the enemy. (I actually did that once, but it's not appropriate to be shared here. This is, after all, a family blog, and many dirty words were uttered that fateful morning.) I followed my normal reconnaissance method this morning, and I saw some movement out of the corner of my bleary, still-sleepy eye. That eye quickly snapped to attention, ever ready to mount an investigation. Sure enough, there he was. ewwww, *squick, squick, shudder, do the don't-touch-me-dance*
I backed away slowly, though not gracefully. I have a live-and-let-someone-else-kill-it stance when it comes to cockroaches. I can't stand to squish them because they *shudder* crunch. I think of it as, "Hey, Roach - you can have this space, for now, and I'll just go in the other room and make my coffee and post about this while you find your way back home. Then I'll come in here and get ready, but later? Yeah, you can bet your crunchy butt I'm gonna sic my Knight in Shining Armor on you. Then you'll regret ever messing with me!!!"
Monday, May 21, 2007
Yessssss!
You are now reading the blog of a Master Chocolatier! You should feel honored that I deign to share my opinions and tidbits of joy with you, o humble non-master-chocolatier. *evil laugh* Hahaha. HA!HA!
On a side note: The music didn't work for Jet tonight. He ended up drinking some warm milk and falling asleep on Knight's lap.
On another side note: I actually had a student write "tits" instead of "teats" on the fetal pig lab practicum today. Really makes me wonder if I'm having any impact at all. *knock, knock* "Anybody home in there, McFly?" :P
Oh, well. Ya win some, ya lose some. *sigh*
One More Monday
Today is my last Monday at school! It's also my last full day -- tomorrow we start final exams, and those days are half days.
I'll be pretty busy today, though. I have to type up the fetal pig practicum for my anatomy class, and write four exams. Whee.
Jet is wearing big boy underwear to school today. I'm asking Knight to send about four extra changes of clothes... I'm really hoping that having him in the underwear at school this week will help.
The music worked again last night, mostly. We had to help him back to bed once, about 20 minutes after he laid down. Actually, Knight did that, and I was asleep by the time he got back to bed. :P Hope it went well.
Ya'll have a happy Monday!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
This made me laugh
Email from my sister:
Took (and dominated) my VERY LAST COLLEGE FINAL today!
Goodbye scantrons...
Helloooooooo Chocolatier.
:) Love you! Let's talk soon.
Also, Mom informed me this evening that she never should have bought the game. She started playing it when she couldn't sleep last night, and discovered the addictiveness (addicitivity?) that is Chocolatier... :)
Monday, May 14, 2007
Word to the wise
Whatever you do, don't download this free trial because your sister told you it was a blast.
Even if you do that, don't mention it to your Mom. She might buy it and send you the code.
Then you'd be up really late playing it, when you should be going to bed because you have to teach five classes tomorrow.
Just sayin'.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Mother's Day
I'm sure there are a zillion posts out there about Mother's Day, but somehow that doesn't seem like enough. So now there are a zillion and one.
I have had a fabulous Mother's Day, after a little scheduling snafu before church this morning. Knight and my brother, MusicMan, had a little misunderstanding about who was supposed to do the sound board this morning, which resulted in a phone call from the music director at 7:30 a.m. because nobody was at rehearsal. They worked it out, with my brother agreeing to cover so that Knight could sit with me for Mother's Day. (Thanks, little bro!)
Also, we had our nieces (ages 10 years, "Big Daisy", and 1.5 years, "Little Daisy") and Knight's Dad with us for the weekend so that my s-i-l and her hubby could have some quality time.
I dashed out at 7:00 this morning to pick up cinammon rolls and donuts for breakfast. Basically, I rolled out of bed, poked in my contacts, brushed my teeth, and threw on a hat... and ran into my high school English teacher at the grocery store. Natch. She was nice and understanding, and we wished each other Happy Mother's Day and went on our ways.
The pastor gave a very nice sermon about the many hats that we mothers wear... some ladies in the church had decorated the stage with bunches of ladies' hats, and that was very cute. The pastor's sermon was titled something along the lines of "How Mothers Can Maintain the Right Hattitude" and we all groaned appropriately when he announced it. :P
After church, we met Deanan and her hubby at a local Mexican food restaurant for lunch. It was early (11:00) in an effort to beat the lunch rush. Little Daisy, who honestly had been a perfect angel all weekend, promptly melted down for her mother. We ended up getting all the food to go and taking it back to the house to eat. I think Little Daisy was just overstimulated; once we got back to the house, she settled down and played. The food was yummy, as always. It's one of my favorite restaurants!!
Then Deanna and I headed to Coldstone Creamery to pick up ice cream for everyone. Yummy! Their clan headed out shortly after that.
Knight and Jet settled on the couch, and Jet promptly crashed. He and Little Daisy played really hard this weekend, and I think it finally caught up with him. I headed off to our bed for the Traditional Annual Mother's Day Nap; three and a half hours later, Knight's phone rang and woke us all up. I can't believe Jet slept that long!!! I slept so hard I dreamed, and I thought Knight's phone was my alarm. I woke up in that panicky-holy-cow-why-is-the-sun-already-up adrenaline rush (my alarm usually goes off at 4:45 a.m. -- still pitch black at that hour).
My parents came over so that Knight could borrow my dad's pickup truck to go get some stuff for work. While he was gone, they took us to dinner -- nothing fancy, but it was fun to be out with them and Jet.
Knight came home with a bottle of wine and some chocolates, and a very sweet card. :)
He's currently getting Jet to bed, and I'm looking forward to my promised Mother's Day foot rub... and we'll see what happens after that! ;)
Oh, and P.S. Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, Granny and Mokie!!! I love you!
Monday, May 7, 2007
Three weeks and counting
Technically, I have two full weeks of teaching/reviewing and then exam week, and exam days are half-days. Yippee!!!
Except for the fetal pig dissections for my anatomy class, I'm not giving any more labs. The anatomy class is great, though, because they'll get everything out and clean up after themselves everyday. I don't have to do a thing.
I'm so ready for summer, when I'll finally be able to catch up on housework. My first big goal, though, is to get Jet potty-trained. He's so very ready, but I don't have enough days in a row to really work on it. Just last night, he was sitting in my lap watching a movie. Twice, he said, kind of panicky, "I'm tinkelin'! I'm tinkelin'!" and then he'd run into the bathroom and finish his business in the toilet. It made me laugh, though.
We made another trip to the library yesterday, where Jet picked out three or four books. Mommy and Daddy picked up some books, too. My granny used to take me to the library a lot when I was a kid, and I loved it. We're looking forward to establishing that same love in Jet. The library is going to have several things that I can take Jet to go do this summer, which is lovely because the library has AIR CONDITIONING. That's a priority around here!
Knight actually starts selling in his new job today. Up to this point, he's been working on IT stuff for his new boss. I'm praying he has a great first day. He's set some good goals for himself, I think... not that I know the first thing about selling or quotas, but the money part looks good! :)
Off to work ... only two Mondays left after today! Is it sad that the teachers count down with more excitement than the kids?
Sunday, May 6, 2007
I think I'm getting old
That's what I said to Knight when Jet came into our room this morning to wake us up at 7:30. (BTW, he's been sleeping all night in his bed all night most nights! Yay!)
Anyway, my school had its prom last night -- I was on the prom committee. I love our students in situations like this because they are such good kids. We had about 55 students come to prom (out of about 100 high schoolers), and I only had to tell about four couples that they were dancing a little too close. There weren't any disgusting moves on the floor or anything.
We had a fabulous DJ who knew our requirements for the music and followed them beautifully -- no profanity, vulgarity, no Britney, etc.
It was our first one that we had someplace else besides the school gym, and the place we found was amazingly perfect. It was just the right size for our small group, and very elegant.
However, Knight and I didn't get home until 1:00 this morning, and I don't think I got to sleep until about 1:45 a.m. I realize that I got about 5 1/2 hours of sleep, but... I really do need my 8 hours. I feel like I've been run over by a truck (and probably look like it, too).
Hopefully a few extra cups of coffee will hold me through church and until I can get Jet down for a nap and crash this afternoon! It was worth it, though. The kids had a great time, and it was so fun to see them all dressed up instead of in uniform!!
Saturday, May 5, 2007
I'm back!
I wish I could add something fun like "... from vacation!" But I can't. I mean, I guess I could, but if this has been a vacation, then I think I'll just stay at work. :)
I have felt bad for not posting, but mostly because it seems to be a very healthy thing for me to do for myself. I enjoy writing out my thoughts and recording things that have gone on in our lives. Of course, I also enjoy reading the comments.
After much praying, we've decided that I should teach next year. I'm very excited about it! There are lots of reasons why:
- Knight is looking at a career change, and I feel that I can best support him by continuing to work. My heart's desire is for him to have a job where he's satisfied, and I feel that I'd be hanging him out to dry if I didn't support him this way. He'd be trying to find that job, along with worrying about totally supporting our family.
- God has given me a job that I love and am very passionate about. It's not like I have to go work at Wal-Mart to help support our family! I've also been brainstorming ways to make things run more smoothly at work, and have come up with several ideas that have been approved by my principal. More on that later.
- Jet is in a fabulous child care situation. It's not like I'm worried about him being safe, happy or loved. He's made friends and is learning! I'm actually kinda worried that I wouldn't be able to compete with the stimulation that his playschool provides. :) It seems like it wouldn't be all that beneficial to take him out of that situation, only to put him right back into it a year later for preschool.
- This is probably the thing I'm the most excited about: Depending on Knight's income, we're going to work really hard to put money in the budget for someone to come clean the house about twice a month. The real reason I feel guilty for working is because I'm NEVER caught up at home. I feel that I'm not being the wife and mom I should be because my house is ALWAYS messy. If I can get someone to come in and scrub floors, bathrooms, kitchen, and do the dusting every other week, I'd be in heaven. Those are the things that don't get done because I'm exhausted and wanting some family time after I spend all day Saturday picking up and doing laundry! (This also ties in with my unhealthy obsessions. See #1 and #6 here.) Our house isn't all that big, so hopefully it'll be affordable. My mom already has someone who does her house, and I'm hoping that same person will be available for me!
- I'm going to stay home with Jet this summer. I feel like that will give me a chance to catch up on some mommy/son time, as well as finish getting the house organized (we moved in last October, and I haven't had time to get us really "settled in"). I'm so excited about being with him! I've taught for 7 years, and I've never taken a summer off. I've taught summer school for three years, then had Jet one summer (which doesn't really count because I was so, so sick for the rest of the summer after he came), spent one summer taking two semesters of physics in preparation for my composite science certification exam (which was a guilty pleasure because I could be a career student), and then last summer I was actually up at the school about 20-30 hours a week working on the new lab. I have visions of us going to the park to feed the ducks in the mornings and napping together during some afternoons and having playdates. Fun!
I have a million other things that have been going on that I want to post, but laundry and budget and mopping (oh, my) await my attention. Hopefully I can post some of them intermittently today.
It's great to be back!!!
