Happy New Year's Eve 2006!

Sunday, December 31, 2006 No comments
I use this time to reflect on the past year, and to make resolutions for the new year ahead, and then by February I start thinking about chocolates, and hearts, and vacation and it'll be 11 more months before I get this time of reflection again. I also write down my resolutions, so some years it's a little disheartening to read Dec 31. The sermon this week at church was a great thought launch pad for me, it won't be the projections we make on this side of the old year, but the principles that will impact our life in 2007 and if we change what needs to be changed, hold tight to what is going well and utilize the next 365 chances we have to change the directions of our life, and/or carry through with the course we have set that is right for our life it should be a "Happy New Year!" One thing that keeps getting emphasized in my heart this holiday season as I wrote and received all the well wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, is the fact that in 2007, though I knowI will have a great year of wonderful adventures to report next December, and my prayer is for that in each of your lives, there will definitely be times of difficulties, but I need to keep my eye on what God is doing in my life regardless of the circumstance in my life at any given day, or year, I can embrace the future with confidence and hope. Philippians 1:6 "[For I am] confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

I stole this from Nicole's site :O)

Thursday, December 28, 2006 1 comment
What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The West

Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.

The Midland
Boston
North Central
The South
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

2 Thumbs, and 2 Toes Up

Wednesday, December 27, 2006 2 comments

How great is Dream Girls? If I haven't seen it, and don't KNOW how great it is, you must go, it's so good....it better win 'something.' I LOVED it, it's been a season of fabulous movies, but I can definitely see why they are whispering awards for this one!
A few other small updates, I've had the chance to catch up with old friends over the last few days, which is always a good thing, and one that has yet to be featured on my blog....Kristina! She made her way down from Austin and took a little time away from biking and computer talk to say hello....we haven't determined the exact year we met, but I think it was the summer after kindergarten when we played on the Bad News Bears together...and for the next 10 summers. We were pretty frightening in those yellow uniforms year after year. We had to stick together to survive the team's tempers.....I dare say we were the most mellow in the group.....I now teach at the elementary school Kristina attended.....it's a small world.

Merry Christmas

Tuesday, December 26, 2006 No comments
A few photos from my family Christmas.
Mom and I spent Christmas Eve with the family attending services, eating dinner at my Aunt's, and checking out lights. Christmas Day everyone came over to my house and Jason and his family joined us. I felt spoiled having everyone here...running out of chairs is my very favorite issue to solve at any holiday :O). All family members eating at my table on Christmas were subjected to torture via my new video camera. The interview questions for the year? The five best things that happened this year and their predictions/hopes for the coming year. The plan is to watch it next holiday season and see what a difference a year makes and be able to reflect back on this year with a smile. Thus far, I am the only one who knows what each person said...for a large bribe I could probably be convinced to reveal the findings early, but I doubt my price can be met....

A Day in Big D-Lydia, Holly and Christy

Saturday, December 23, 2006 4 comments

Today Lydia, Holly and I headed out to lunch at Antares-A Dallas must....we spun around the city once and ate lunch and then headed off to the Nashar Sculpture Center (I have a slide show for those of you wanting more photos, most of them are not what one would normally find at the museum :O)....I'm including a few on the blog so you get the idea. When I first went to the Nashar, the sculpture "Walking to the Sky" was the big deal, it can be seen from the highway....and the picture doesn't do it justice, but you get the general idea. We studied a little "Art Appreciation" for the first

two and a half hours of our journey in and around the museum, but about 15 minutes before closing time, we decided to try our hand at a little "Art Interpretation." These are just a few of our thoughts and ideas, I'd hate to see what a little more time would have done for our inspiration. After the Nashar we headed back towards the American Airline Center where we met up with the rest of the family for the Mavs Vs. Clippers game, it was a complete slaughter and at one point (before the forth team and, what I suspect may have been some random fans from the bleachers came in to play) we were up by more than 40! All in all-a good day in Dallas!

Sandye and Wolf's Simcha

Thursday, December 21, 2006 1 comment

This evening Sandye became a Mrs. It was a very unique service, I have been to "Jewish" weddings before, but none of anyone as devote as Sandye, I learned a lot. Wolf is from Mexico, his family immigrated during the holocaust, but he considers himself a Mexican first, so in honor of his heritage, a mariachi band played and I got to witness the bedecking, which was very beautiful, I could tell how much Wolf loves Sandye. After the Rabbi gave a speech we then entered into a room for the ceremony that took place under the huppa. The procession was very different from any I have seen before, and there were a lot of chants and symbolic exchanges and a signing of the Katuba (spelling?). The few lines that Sandye recited were some very beautiful verses from the Old Testament "I am my beloved, and my beloved is mine..." After the service we followed the couple out and they went to another room for some alone time (this has a name, but I don't know what it is). We entered another room for dinner and lots and lots and lots of dancing to begin the evening. I got a small lesson in the steps that lead you around the circle surrounding the couple, and it was fun to see the couple lifted into the chair next to the groom. Sandye was an absolutely stunning bride. My camera did not do well in this environment, this is the best shot I have, but you can get a feel for the back of her dress that is bustled here. She wore a smile throughout the reception. I left before the evening concluded out of sheer exhaustion, but it looks like they were dancing it up. I can't wait to watch them grow as a couple and as a family.

A Quarter of a Century

Tuesday, December 19, 2006 No comments
Jimmy reached the ripe old age of 25 yesterday I didn't check for any gray hairs, or test for memory failure (yet)....but obviously he's young enough to still enjoy a wild evening of birthday cone hat wearing, skipbo playing, candle blowing fun with Lydia and the rest of the family.....and the Mavericks were nice enough to pull up a relatively stress free win to round out the evening....it looks like this will be a fun year!

Not too much....

Saturday, December 16, 2006 No comments
There isn't a whole lot to report....it's been a busy week at work for office referals, 'we' just need to get through the next three days, and I think everyone will benefit from a long break, hopefully some of the kiddos will forget some of their 'plots and plans.' Other than work.....today I went and helped Angie out again with some flowers for a wedding-red and gold, I didn't remember my camera b/c I headed over so early in the morning, BUT....I didn't have to do any coursages, yea! When I got home, Jason and the kiddos had come over for lunch. Mom had invited them (probably b/c she wanted to make this one dish I'm not crazy about, but he is, so it was a good excuse). I've been raking the last few hours....there is still a lot more to do, but I think it's time for a movie break, there are plenty of weekends left before the spring and more leaves appear :O). I have a busy week ahead of me.....and if I remember my camera, I will be adding a lot of little post...

Memory Lane

Monday, December 11, 2006 No comments
This year I am really excited because the very first class of students I taught will be graduating in a little over a year! In fact, the group I taught as a student teacher (who were in 4th grade) are also graduating at the same time! So, I ran across autobiographies they wrote (my kiddos from the district I'm currently in) and they have been in the back of my mind for years b/c I think I remember telling them I would be getting those to them somehow before they graduated (I have since wisened up a bit and started sending them home with their parents at the graduation ceremony). In their autobiographies they talked about their past, present (that good ole sixth grade drama and pals) and future (which was the most fun). So, I wrote up a little letter, copied some old school pictures and included their biographies and individually sealed each little bundle. I spoke with the principal of the school that those that continued on the path they were on would be attending and she was really excited to deliver them. I included my work email and have received the most precious emails over the last few days from some of the students letting me know how they are doing (with hopefully more to come). I've been really pleased by the number of NLE alumns that are still there, and the successes they have made....it gave me a little glimmer of hope. They had so much to overcome, and having done so....being the 'first' they hold a special spot in my memories. I have two more students that moved after sixth grade, but were just old souls and so incredible, I'm on the hunt to locate them and get them their autobiographies....I know they are doing well, I'd just love to know what they are doing :O).

Christmas Tree, Oh, Christmas Tree

Whew....it's been a whirlwind of holiday events. I feel like for everything I attend, I don't go to two....but I guess it could be a much worse situation! I had a Christmas party last Thursday, which was a lot of fun, with so many parties, it was a blast to do a white elephant....man, did I get some great ideas for future white elephant parties! It was the first of three invites I actually attended. Friday I went to see the movie "The Holiday" and I really liked it! Saturday I went to a Christmas brunch where I exchanged ornaments (the second one of those this season). I did rake for a couple hours when I got home, but I can't say there was much progress, I have a lot left to do....and I will....at least before next fall! Saturday evening was a traditional trip to see the Living Christmas Tree, we go every year, and it's neat, imagine a Christmas tree as tall as your churchceiling that the choir climbs and sings in with a little mini Transyberian Orchestra light show choreographed to the songs. Sunday was church, then a long winter's nap..... Sunday evening I went to something called Gloria with over 1000 choir members singing, it was pretty cool, the singers were amazing, per usual....tomorrow evening I have a Christmas party for work, and there are several more upcoming events....attendance TBA later....

Texas, Our Texas....

Tuesday, December 05, 2006 No comments
....I just got home from a short trip to Austin. I went down yesterday with my principal, counselor and our Instructional Specialist. My name was 'drawn' from the teachers that give TAKS to tag along and accept an award for the school. It was a good time getting to know the 'new' principal....I feel like I got to know her as more of a person and see a lot of strength I think will be emerging as she gets her feet wet this year as 'The' Principal of the school (we don't have a VP)....we participated in a seminar, and got fed at an awards reception, then we shopped and ate our way home after spending the night. It's rare that teachers get to 'travel,' so it was nice, though I'm pretty tired now....I'm looking forward to at three day week! I also learned a lot about some of the other principals and how they do their jobs....there were some very interesting revelations, and I'm glad to be where I currently am.

Sandye's Bachelorette

Sunday, December 03, 2006 1 comment

It's about time for my weekly Sandye update (she won't need a blog of her own with friends like me!:O) Today was Sandye's Bachelorette, about 17 of us met up at BJ's Pizza and ate dinner, and Sandye opened lingerie. We then headed across the street to Pete's Dueling Piano Bar, Sandye was brought on stage and serenaded by one of the piano players and everyone else at the place, and later she led a little dance with other people celebrating that evening. The next Sandye related post with be her swiftly approaching wedding!

In The Meadow We Can Build a Snowman....

Thursday, November 30, 2006 No comments
...or at least in my backyard! Yea, it snowed today....and sleeted, and rained last night so it didn't stick to the ground, which is a good thing because we had school. I know it seems a little cruel, but I'm not a big fan of the snow day because we have to make it up later with one of our spring holidays (usually Good Friday!).....but I am a fan of the late morning starts....just in case Jack Frost wants to create a slippery slide just long enough to delay school starting tomorrow, the 'snow' moved in about 9 o'clock this morning, and because I remember the torture of sitting in a classroom and getting a rare glimpse of snow out the window before it melted by 3 when you finally got to go out to view it up close...I took a mini field trip outside to touch snow with the kiddos. It just so happens it fell on a day when I was doing a unit on Holidays around the world and today was Christmas and I had planned hot chocolate....talk about a thematic person's dream come true. How fun is it to say it's snowing on November 30th in Texas?! I remember how magical it was to wake up as a child in the middle of the night after it had started snowing, and to look out and the world was so bright with all that snow on the ground. It's such a bizarre season, as I drove home today and looked at all the fall leaves still daggling from the trees, and the snow covering the ground.....I figured this would be an interesting weekend....shoveling snow, then raking up leaves :O)...by the end of the weekend I'll probably be sun bathing! If you have any request for me to eat a snowflake for you, let me know quickly before Ole Man Winter heads out for a bit!

Patience

Monday, November 27, 2006 No comments
I definitely struggle with being 'patient' with just about everything from Christmas, to summer vacation to pay day and major life changes.....I have to be 'patient', because I don't want to settle for anything less than what God has promised us if we wait for His timing, His plans, His way...but I guess I would call it more 'tolerating' the time lapse on my part....Yesterday I stumbled across this little perspective on patience by Jim Smoke "Patience is enjoying the distance between promises." How true that is...I'm definitely going to work on that 'enjoying' part to turn the foot tapping wait into patience! For my fellow patiently challenged friends.....it gave me a little 'ah ha' moment.

Weekend Review

Sunday, November 26, 2006 No comments
I was going to create separate post, but the time has gotten away from me, so I'll do a summary of the last few days.
Friday morning I woke up, not feeling so hot...I went shopping, but not at the crack of dawn.....it was a few hours later, and thus, I didn't spend as much as usual, which can be a good thing.
Friday night Kelly and I went to dinner and met up with Ann and Lizette from High School, then we went down to McKinney Ave afterwards. It was nice to catch up, but by the end of the evening I was feeling really sick. I woke up at about 4 am and got s-i-c-k! Yuck. I stayed in bed until two, when I rolled out of bed and met up with family for Brian's Birthday festivities. It is his 17th birthday, AND Roslynn's 28th! We went to Main Event and went bowling, played Arcade games, then went and had dinner followed by cake....I came home and went back to bed, woke up long enough to chat with Roslynn and then called it a night. This morning I got up and went to church, Kelly came with me, and then I came home and mowed my lawn and got out my Christmas decorations....my Mom and I were laughing over that contradiction earlier :O). It's almost time to rake again, the leaves have really piled up, but there are so many left to fall, I want to make it worth my while before I get out the rake for the first time, usually they are all bagged up by this time, but the seasons have been really odd here in Texas. Anyway, it'll be a fun holiday season b/c we have a full month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which gives me plenty of time to enjoy the anticipation. It also means four more weeks of work until the holiday break....I think I can, I think I can.....

Gobble, Gobble

Thursday, November 23, 2006 2 comments
Holly came over yesterday and we did a little pre-Thanksgiving baking, including the pumpkin shaped pumpkin breads (this year's table decoration). We also baked some cookies, just for fun, that I saw in the Sunday paper, I already had most of the supplies and thought they looked fun (and delicious), they are little turkeys, some people didn't seem to recognize their shape. Everything turned out well, the food was good, Jason and the family came over along with the Mariams(Jason hung the Christmas lights on my house while I 'supervised'). After a game of basketball 'Turkey' we headed out to see the new movie-Santa Clause 3-The Escape Clause, it was a cute, especially for a THIRD sequel. Now it's time for me to skim the ads for a reason to get up at 4 am tomorrow....I'm sure I can find one :O) I hope your Thanksgiving was full of reasons to be thankful.....and that you have a little wobble in your step tomorrow because you had so much fabulous food!

Star's Game

This past Wednesday night I headed out to a Star's game, they beat Nashville, yea, and we were on the jumbo vision b/c the boy in the seat directly in front of me was completely covered with body paint (compliments of the rowdy guys that brought him along)....it was a good experience, a win is always fun.....and I never get tired of looking at Mike M (number nine in the picture, for those of you who haven't spent more than 5 minutes with me)! I haven't been to a Star's game since the strike! I definitely hope to get back before they strike again, or M M retires :O).

Sandye's Shower Part Two

Sunday, November 19, 2006 No comments
Today I attended Sandye's shower, hosted by some ladies her mom is friends with. I got to meet her future Mother-In-Law, who seems so kind, and her adorable, future cousin, who will be a junior bridesmaid in her wedding. The ladies had a dessert buffet with these cute little custom mint tins for favors (as seen on the cake). It's been a week of wedding showers, I went to a shower for Mary Anne last week, though I didn't bring my camera.....the festivities just keep going :O)...with many more to come in the near future!

Driving School....

Sunday, November 12, 2006 2 comments


Jason finally took his drive around the speedway. This was his 30th birthday gift from Mom and I, and according to him "the best experience of his life." I know he loved the driving part (ten laps around), but the riding part was the thing that really threw him for a loop, he said the g forces were so strong, and they were so close to the other cars they were racing, it was an incredible experience for him. The first picture is him sliding into the car he drove, and another of my Mom and him before 'class' began, the last is of him actually 'driving' by...I guess all he has to do now is wait for Nascar to call him for recruitment ;o).

Introducing Sandy Carrie M

Saturday, November 11, 2006 No comments

No, she's not mine, but she sure is cute. This is my cousins' new dog, Carrie (name pending)? I don't think her last Mommy taught her how to chew with her mouth closed...she looks like she's laughing about the whole situation.....? Santa came early this year (she looks just like the puppy Brian had on his Christmas list)....Brian, we will talk later about how you pulled that one off, he has YET to bring me a puppy....

The project I'm working on....

Friday, November 10, 2006 2 comments
This is a part of the quilt I'm currently working on...and the dog I'm currently looking for a home for b/c he stood on the quilt I was working on.....big jerk. I'm making this quilt for myself this time......I'm debating on whether or not to add a border (my quilting 'expert' friend says yes, but another gal who quilts says I don't have too), I still have to sew the border, and backing, then take it to be 'quilted' then sew on the binding....so it's quite a ways from being done....but it is actually starting to look like a quilt.....I've only had it since last March ;o)....I'm sure it won't be the last time you see it, but I thought I'd send a little picture of what I've been doing in the evenings lately :O).

Nascar Race

Monday, November 06, 2006 No comments
Yesterday we headed out to the race. We left home about 6 am (which was actually leaving 'late' compared to when Jason went last year) and swung by to get Jason and Tonya. We arrived a little after 8 at the Texas Motor Speedway, met up with some friends of my Mom's who were staying out there the whole weekend and then walked around 'shopping'. The race was delayed b/c of the rain (see the cloudy sky for the picture of the day), but after drying the track (with JET ENGINES) they were finally able to start. It was a true miracle that it did not rain anymore b/c it would have been a huge delay if it had. In addition to what turned out to be a nice day, Jason's driver, Tony Stewart, won for the first time in Texas! It was a lot of fun, lot's of wrecks (though nobody was hurt).....he stayed ahead for some unseemly number of laps and the end ended up being really exciting. I snapped WAY too many pictures, but here is one of Jason listening in on the driver's radio frequencies, it's 'the thing' to do at the races. You can hear them talking with their pit crew and vice versa. Afterwards we ended up eating dinner while a storm blew in, but we wanted the traffic to die down. It literally is at a stand still for HOURS afterwards. Even after waiting almost 3 hours to leave we got stuck waiting. I guess releasing 200,000 people at once can be a bit of a problem, but the parking was FREE, how about that? It can be b/c the tickets were so outrageous. It's something you should do at least once. I think my ears still hurt though, even with ear phones and ear plugs it was rough on the hearing. We finally managed to get home about ll. I didn't get anything done, INCLUDING a call to Marie, who's birthday it was yesterday, I'M SORRY!!! Carla got a call a day late too (Saturday).....in fact, I don't know that I've actually hit anyone ON their birthday, the last week and a half there have been 5 and if I didn't call the day before, I called the day after.....BUT it's a VERY important day, Marie is a very important person....and next year I'll call at least 28 times and she'll be BEGGING me not to call her on her birthday anymore! Happy Birthday, Marie! This last picture is a shot of Tony Stewart drivin behind the pace care during a caution, my favorite line of the day is "This is about the only car that's been in front of Tony Stewart all day." So what did he do? He started tapping it with his bumper, and they had to call down and tell him to cut it out.....which I think pretty much covers his personality, you love him or hate him, Jason loves him. ALMOST as much as I like Marie, did I mention I'm sorry I didn't call on your b-day?

Boot Scootin....

Saturday, November 04, 2006 1 comment
I know, I know, it's been awhile, I'm going to try to be a little more faithful about blogging (though I know it's more than some, it's not meeting my usual standards for updating ;O)). I'll have more to post tomorrow, but I thought I'd fill in a few little tidbits of the week.
Halloween-Went well, tmy students were relatively behaved, though the sugar definitely hit in as the week progressed and there was a big stir on Friday, but hopefully we will live through it, you never know the parent's reactions when you send home paperwork regarding misbehavior. It's getting to the point in the year where I'm a little tired and we all just need a break and hopefully they will forget some of their bad behavior habits over the break ;o)...or at least I'll be refreshed for what they throw my way. I've had a lot of classroom visitors this last week as well, but I think that's another blog for another time, and there are more stop in's planned over the next few weeks.
Friday-I met up with some old pals that formerly worked with me before the big turnover last year, including the ex principal who is happily leading a new and amazing (distant) school. We all headed out to Trail Dust and had a fabulous meal, some participated in a little line dancing to a fabulous band, and then we ended the evening at Obzeet's for dessert and coffee. It was a really tame night considering some of the attendees, and what they have done in the past. I know they are planning a future outing that is slightly less tame, but more so then spring time outings. Some of these gals have hit a little something known as a midlife crisis. They are trying something new out every month (or at least that was the goal). Which in itself isn't bad, but the things on the list are a little silly at times. It's been interesting to hear about (and experience) a few of their adventures.
Tomorrow is the Nascar race, we are praying for no rain until the race is over, and then I hope the heaven's open.....I can't wait to share more pictures because it may be a one time thing....it's a little pricey and I can think of quite a FEW things I'd enjoy more...but it's good to try things once.....

Monica and Matt

Sunday, October 29, 2006 No comments
Today I headed out to see Monica and Matt's (not so new) house. They have been in it for almost a year, and in town even a bit longer, but I finally made it out where my good intentions planned to go months ago! It was a good afternoon. I got the grand tour of their gorgeous home, and had a nice catch up chat over lunch. I enjoyed getting to know Matt better, and meeting their dog Sam who I had to woo into liking me, but he napped on my shoulder at the close of the afternoon, so I had success :O) It's good to catch up with an old childhood pal :O).

Halloween "Boo"ffet

Saturday, October 21, 2006 No comments
Tonight we had a family get together and ate some old favorites with new names-swamp, crusty boogers, tombstones, sliced bones, wrapped mummies, eyeballs, pumpkin guts, beatle juice and spooky sandwiches. I'd tell you the secret ingredients....but I wouldn't want to give you nightmares....
Holly's Graveyard-very cute, very delicious, but a little bit unsettling to see your name on a tombstone....so I ate it...

My witches' hat cookies....missing about ten steps, but still yummy....I'll use any excuse to buy a few oreos...I mean...hat brims :O)

Another 5K down....


....for breast cancer research :O). This morning Mom, Lois, Holly and I headed downtown to do the Dallas Susan G Komen.....it's well worth the walk.

Will work for pizza.....


My old teaching partner, Angie is starting up a floral design company. She's done quite a few weddings, and I go and help her with the weddings in town....because I love spending time around flowers :O). Last night I headed over, again, for another wedding bouquet/lapel flowers/coursage and center pieces extravaganza. We literally worked from the second I stepped out of the car until past midnight. She pays me with a pizza dinner each time, and the knowledge gained in invaluable. I now know flowers cost a fortune, can't be stored in just any old room, require a LOT of supplies, take HOURS to arrange just right, but smell and look fabulous! At the end of the evening I usually like to make something crazy with left over pieces, and this time I made a little 'scratch' pumpkin. The wedding is 'fall' and the flower girls are carrying these baby pumpkins down the aisle, they look a lot like this one, though we spend more time on theirs, you get the idea. It was fun .

I LOVE FALL!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 No comments
I absolutely LOVE fall, there is NOTHING like it.....I'm in the best mood because the weather is so fabulous, and there are so many THINGS to do, see, experience, look forward to! I know it should be depressing to see the leaves change colors and fall off the tree (and have to be raked into leaf bags for HOURS on end)....but....I LOVE it all....even the raking! Even with kids going to the office because they are getting a LITTLE too comfortable to remember to be respectful, meetings from here through Christmas break almost nightly.....and another losing season for the Baylor Bears....it never fails to gear me up for the slide into the new year! I love it when you don't count the days by the number of days in a row it hits 100, and when you can turn the AC off (and maybe start paying back the loan sharks for the money you had to borrow to pay those electric bills this summer). I love the anticipation of the holidays.....I love it when it gets dark early, and football is on every Sunday so you have a reason to order, and eat pizza every week.....and the best part is you can wear a sweater to cover up the extra calories. I LOVE the State Fair, the Balloon Festival, The local Art Festivals and pumpkin patches. I love Halloween candy....high school football games on Friday...or at least the memory of the games and dances and friendships....I'm pretty sure I'm fond of the other seasons as well, but right now I can't remember why because I'm enjoy this season so much.

Scrapbooking

Saturday, October 14, 2006 1 comment


This evening I went out with a friend from work, Amber and we met up with some of her friends and scrapbooked. As you know, I like to scrapbook, but because I don't know any local scrapbookers, I usually do it solo...and it gets really dull....I just want to finish QUICKLY....and it's more of something to check off the to do than to enjoy DOING! Tonight....I really enjoyed it. I only did six pages in six hours, but I enjoyed my hobby...sometimes I forget it the rush that I started this because I like it. Page one of Hawaii!

Homecoming....

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 1 comment
I think I pretty much just live to amuse myself most days....Today I went to Hobby Lobby to meet my friend Mary, who has a daughter who is getting married, and we picked out glass containers etc....but that's another story....for YEARS I've been promising her I'd make a mum for her kids for all their homecoming dances etc, and then every year the time gets away from both of us and her sons and daughters have ended up spending 75 bucks for the basics at the mum shop....so THIS year....we finally hit the right timing. Her son didn't care, he just wanted cheap.....he's a real doll, so just know...he works hard for his money but he's a guy, and his idea of a mum is a one time thing that then gets trashed. Anyway, I made Mary save all his old mums (he just wants to toss them), b/c I told her we could use the old parts....and we did. I didn't add anything that wasn't already on any of his other mums (if you guys were around in high school, you'd know my Mums are usually more elaborate than even this, I don't add this picture to impress you with craftiness, but rather the price). I even used the center off one of his old mums! It's a good thing he has a new girl friend every year...I used some of the letters from the last four girl friends, wouldn't you just DIE if you found that out?....but....for 10 bucks....he's got a mum....Did your high schools do mums (if you weren't at Pearce, if you were at Pearce, you KNOW we did!) If so, did you keep them? I still have all mine...I need to chunk them, I probaby have ten. We didn't just give mums for dates, we gave them to friends etc etc etc....and it wasn't just the one mum suckers, it was 2 and 3....OUTRAGEOUS....how easily manipulated society is ;o) It was fun though.....those cow bell noise in the hall :O)

Animal Update

Monday, October 09, 2006 3 comments




What I appreciate about my animals is how 'helpful' they are. Before the shower I cleaned up and Lilly didn't like the pillow arrangment in the guest room, so she added a few personal touches. I bought a basket to hold my chocolate dipped fortune cookies and Muffin let me know it made the perfect cat bed and just really helped open my eyes to some alternative uses so I wouldn't get to just use it 'one time'. Unfortunately, she didn't rsvp to the shower so she didn't get to stay....(don't worry, she was removed, it was cleaned and the fortune cookies were in cupcake holders....for those of you who don't have cats and still worry about sanitation ;O).

Sandye's Bridal Party

Sunday, October 08, 2006 2 comments
Today was Sandye's bridal shower. As much as I love throwing parties, and I do....I get so caught up in the planning, it's almost a relief when the party has come and gone and I just have the pictures to keep me company.....because, if you know me, and you do....it's all about the details and the longer I have, the more details I include. If you'd like a play by play, picture by picture account of all the details, email me and I'll send you my shutterfly slideshow site, if not, this will keep you company :O). This first photo was taken by her Mom at the end of the shower after 6 girls had left. It was a great turn out. The second photo is the invite and sign in. Everyone brought advice on love (I found a stamp with the chinese character for love and mailed it in the invites), and then they wrote up a little summary on cherry blossom die cuts of how/and when they met Sandye. They pinned their stories to some fans arranged in chronological order with photos from throughout Sandye's life attached. Sandye and Wolf were engaged on a cruise this past spring, and he had the proposal written inside a silver fortune cookie, so the shower theme took off from there. Sandye is Jewish, and she keeps kosher as well, so the menu was a lot of vegetarian cuisine. Veggie egg rolls, vegetable lo mein, stir fry veggies, sticky rice, chow mein, mandarine orange and almond salad, fruit, salmon sushi, almond cookies and chocolate dipped fortune cookies (my personal favorite), tea and lemonade. I think everything went off without a hitch....the food was devoured, and people went back for seconds and third, they ate until the plates ran out. I did threaten to hold everybody hostage until it was gone, and I guess they took me at my word. We ate, played a few shower games and chatted until about 3:30. Sandye went home with quite a loot! It's just 74 more days until her wedding in December!! I can't wait, I've learned so much about the Jewish culture, though I've been friends with Sandye forever, and we've chatted about customs, as she passes through all these stages with so much religious significance, I'm learning boat loads more. The last photo I'm including is Sandye and her Mom. I don't know what it is about weddings, it must be the romantic glow or something, but I think Sandye looks even more fabulous then ever, if the secret is marriage, I need to go find a guy because how precious is she! Wolf is a lucky guy. I've had the pleasure of seeing her wedding dress too, and it's a killer.....I can't wait to share those photos as well :O).

State Fair Of Texas.....

Saturday, September 30, 2006 3 comments
There is a saying
here..."Everything's bigger in Texas." This is so true when it comes to the Texas State Fair, I don't think the 'State Fair' does it justice, you just have to see it to believe it. I absolutely love the Texas State Fair.....I love the food, the sites, and the sounds. Here is an old familiar sight I've grown up looking at, you can see it outside of the fair grounds, it's HUGE....and it's worth a trip around to go on a ferris wheel this large! As you might have guessed, this is how I spent my Saturday morning :O).

Over the Hill....at high speeds...

Monday, September 25, 2006 No comments


Jason's 30th birthday was today. As I've mentioend before he was given his option of quite a few things, but what we settled on was a gift of 'driving.' October 15th we are head out to the Texas Motor Speedway (a few weeks before the race) and he's taking 'driving school' and then he gets to drive and be driven around the track at speeds up to 150 mph....should be interesting. So....the theme this year (based on the Nascar cupcake holders we found) was......Nascar. Anyone that knows Jason knows he lives
and breathes sports.....especially Nascar and Tony Stewart....

Pitiful Paw....


Lilly had her vet visit this afternoon, the vet had to snip her nail off, it was broken to the quick (he had to take her to another room b/c her being upset would have upset me...and she was), she's been limping all weekend :O(......so now....to keep it from getting dirt up into the sensitive opening he wrapped it, we've been through this before, under different circumstances. I figured this was a situation that needed a picture. What were the vets only recommendations?-That she leave it on for 48 hours.....as you can see, Lilly didn't listen. Notice
Max in the background going nuts over the 'Vet' smell, never did a dog love the vet so much, most dogs pull out the door, Max has to be dragged out pulling back towards the vets and their assistance.

Muffin's Big Day

Sunday, September 24, 2006 No comments
Today was Muffin's 15th birthday.....I let her 'escape' for a little while and sniff the grass, which is usually a big no no, she also had a few special meals, which is really what birthday are all about.....
Not to lesson the glow of that big news.....the Plano Balloon Festival is now over. The positive is it was gorgeous weather, the negative is that I don't think any balloons were able to ever go up, they are really beatiful when they launch them, but it's not the only time they do....it's just not in such mass amounts with such unique designs the rest of the year.....but....I enjoyed the wind, and the sunshine?
Lilly also had a big adventure, she got her toe nail caught in one of my wrought iron lounge chairs, she was trying to get up next to my Mom, usually that would be fine, but the cushion wasn't in the chair. She paniced and ended up ripping her toe nails, one in particular bled for a long time and is still hanging on. She's limping and not feeling good, and on her way to the vet tomorrow (I haven't told her that yesterday)....if we survive the car ride (she is a terror) all should be well.
Jason also turns thirty tomorrow.....whoa....that's so old I have to go sleep off the shock of it!

A Week in Review

Saturday, September 23, 2006 1 comment
I know, I know....the burning question in everybody's mind is WHAT has Christy been doing this week?
1. I SAID, "NO!" Yes, I, Christy, who stress about my workload, promise next time I'll say no to a project, and then say yes to three more actually said "No." to teaching Saturday school this fall (though it's required in the spring). I even had to say "No" to two different individuals and then just disregarded an email to a larger group. Hold the applause....I'm not done yet. Notice my "No." Only has a period and not an exclamation mark because I almost said "Yes." I almost slipped off the wagon.....next time it'll be "No!"....get in your request now before I get too good at this :O).
2. I'm almost, kinda, but not quite caught up with my scrapbook for the year! I have not started on my Hawaii album yet (which is going to be a MUCH bigger project, which I'll enjoy), but I'm to a point where the photos I haven't put in my book are still on my camera so I can't do anymore now and I can put it up until after Sandye's shower (in two weeks-time to clean).
3. I don't really have a three, but I didn't want the number 3 to feel excluded from my blog: So, this week I had lots of meetings, LOTS.....but nothing really life altering.....but it's only Friday :O). I do have a few other events early in the week I'll be sure to post about! Hold on to the edge of your computer chair for those little kernels and tidbits!

Happy Birthday, Mom :O)

Saturday, September 16, 2006 1 comment

Today was the '23rd anniversary of my Mom's 29th birthday' (I figured I'd help you out before you attempted to count the number of candles on her cake). I'm so full right now I can barely type over my big belly. Jason and Tonya started out the day by coming over to eat breakfast (with a side of laundry and Nascar, what every Mom dreams of...), but they did spend several hours over visiting and eating. Next, Mom and I stopped at a few shops, grabbed a bite to eat (Do you see the trend here?) and then met Holly and Lois for a swim....everyone in the family is a little addicted to water. I swim so much, usually on MY birthday, the gift I ask for is not to have to swim ;o). Then.....old people need a lot of sleep, so Mom and Max laid down (I am, of course, only referring to Max, who is 35 in dog years now, and has 11 white hairs in the middle of his chest) and watched some recorded court TV (their favorite, according to Mom, Max likes the shows, but she watches them with him to keep him company). We spent the evening at Lois'.....shocking as it may seem, everybody is required to have a 'theme' for their birthday. Another mind blowing fact is that my Mom wanted something pink....Pink Superwoman plates and decorations was right up her alley. There was more eating, a 'sheath' cake....another family tradition, mostly the tradition there is it's a great cake as long as Lois or Holly make it. There are two reasons it's good 1) The rest of us couldn't make it if we tried (and we've tried) and 2) Yum, chocolate cake, from scratch, covered with homemade icing. We also played the traditional basketball game (Brian won, per usual.....until further notice, or Jimmy and Lydia visit.....that's pretty much the outcome of every game so I won't bother mentioning the outcome, I just 'play for fun'....unless I win....and then....of course it was skill)....Lastly, we took a walk.....note-two exercises in one day....and still....I think I'll be spending the rest of fall working off all these sweets.....but it's worth it to celebrate a birthday with my very favorite Mom :O)

A few fun facts for Monday....

Monday, September 11, 2006 1 comment

There are a few interesting facts I didn't know until I started teaching, some of them, some....not so good. Did you know that in Texas all students say the Texas State Pledge right after they say the Pledge of Allegiance in the morning? I didn't even know there WAS a Texas State Pledge! I remember it shocked me when I started student teaching b/c we never did that when "I" was in school, I wonder if all states do, or it's one of those 'Texas' things...it's so true, if you ask someone while traveling abroad where from Texans will say "Texas" before they will say the United States. We also have a moment of silence each morning, which I really appreciate. There are also a lot of legal things we have to do as schools, one of them is celebrating Constitution Day (did you know there was such a day? I didn't until now....). So...this year, your's truly was selected to get this going (nobody else would do it I would imagine)......I have a couple little announcments my kids are making and then I've created our 'school' constitution, based on our mission statement. We have those little feather pens for the kids to then sign their names to the bottom, first names only b/c it is illegal to post a first and LAST name of a student ANYWHERE in the building (things have definitely changed). Law suits have been won over students passing out other student's papers (and seeing the grades) via the right to privacy etc etc etc....I think it's silly when I hear other teachers say it's almost impossible to get fired....ha, I could have thought of 15 different ways today to have put my job in jeopardy. Not that the reasons aren't a little silly, but it's all to easy. Remember how they used to put your name on the board with a check for each additional 'offense' you committed? I think that would make the news.....I was listening to this really big 'debate' the other day on the news station about a girl that got sent home b/c they actually 'measured' her skirt in school and made her go change it b/c it was too short....and.....? I always heard education was a cycle and things come in and go out and then you see them again 20 years later.....in some cases....I certainly hope so!

I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar....

Saturday, September 09, 2006 2 comments
This is my theme song for the day, I didn't select it, my memory did as I was 'slaving away' at a very Home Depotish project. Oh the horror.....I do so hate home repairs, but I hate paying 10 plus times the cost for someone else to do something I can do.....So....a few months ago my tiles started popping off, to give you the short version of the story, I'll skip past the whys and go to the solution. I had called to see how much it would cost to have someone else do this little home improvement for me because I realized the dry wall was going to have to be replaced as well (absolute TORTURE). The guy quoted me for four rows of tile at 600+ dollars (I want to say it was more like 8, but I'm trying not to exagerate this, so I'm low balling my memory). He went into this long explanation about how he would be using this really great material called Du Rock....if you really want to know what that is, I can tell you in person, I'm skipping that too, but just let me say I was able to buy the same 'special' board for 8 bucks and I have over half of it left! In the end I would say the projects ended up costing me a whole day (sorry for all the missed calls) and about 50 bucks. So last night I gutted the area that was falling apart, sawed away at the old sheet rock. Then this morning I started cutting this DuRock (total pain the butt) and hammered it up (I hate hammering).....then came the 'stuff' that sticks the tiles up, tiles, grout, caulk....wa la, it's almost finished. All I have to do now is go and clean up the old tiles blah blah blah......and I have to repaint some areas that were ruined by a bathroom fiasco awhile back....but the bulk of the hard stuff is done.....BUT as I was nailing that Du Rock up, that old 70's song "I Am Woman" started going through my head. I'm pretty proud of myself, if I do say so myself. My Mom kept saying, "Ask Jason to help....I'm going to see if Jason will come over and.....Why don't you get Jason to....." I appreciate Jason's help, but I also think we are all more capable of doing things than we realize, I wanted to know I could do it. Ha, but I might ask him to help with the next project, especially if it involves wood.....I don't like saws and he keeps collecting them in my garage. Oh, or anything dead.....that's a Jason job. So, the bottom line is, did I do a 'great' job? Not so much. Could I go into business? Not unless I want to get sued. Will it hold? As long as nobody takes a bath in it...but really, who's counting, the point is, I did it alllll by myself! ;o)....I'm hoping to someday replace the tub, but I put something in I hope will hold for another five years until I can pay cash to do that, I have other more 'pressing' things to take care of now! Tomorrow I don't have anything quite as dramatic planned, but a lot of cleaning I had on my to do list three months ago......

Birthdays :O)

Wednesday, September 06, 2006 No comments
Today is Lilly's birthday, she's still waiting for a few gifts, but so far, so good, she got to run around in the sunshine for the first time in a long time.....and a big ole stick fell in her yard at some point this afternoon, I can only IMAGINE the excitement....
AND in other, equally as important news, it's a month full of some of my favorite people's birthdays: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TERRI G (September 7th!). Make this day one of 365 fun-filled, joy-packed, life-changing days! Everyone should be so lucky to have a friend so great.....lucky me, lucky Houston, lucky world because of friends like you! :O)

The Cliff Notes of Lilly's Big Adventure.....

Monday, September 04, 2006 1 comment
This morning I heard this racket, imagine thousands of marbles, boxes being moved and a clackety clack.....being a pet owner, I instantly knew.....one of the animals did something. I got up and watched a yellow butt wearing a plastic litter box lid in lu of the front of it's body run past my room. Lilly in her BAD GIRL attempt to get kitty crunchies (Kelly lingo) somehow walked her head and her two from paws.....and shoulders into the litter box. The litter box barely allows her head in, I don't know HOW she got the rest in. She was running around with half of her body under the hood she must have ripped off the bottom of the box trying to get out of it. She was a good girl for me while I tried to figure that physics problem out, it was squished around her upper torso with little room for my fingers, much less pushing her legs out. After a lot of squeezing, and strange angling I was able to BEND her legs back one at a time. I thought for awhile it was going to be a really interesting emegency vet visit b/c there was no way to cut through the THICK plastic. The scary thing is to wonder what she would have done had I not been home. There is no way she'd be getting out of it....and she couldn't have sat down unless she was to sit on a thick rim. ARGH! Max would have been too busy eating a shoe or sprinkles to help her.....NO, there are no pictures, I wasn't cruel enough to ask her to pose.....I was as frantic as she was trying to figure out how to get it off.....

Henry Ray

Sunday, September 03, 2006 No comments

This cute little baby belongs to Carrilee (a fellow Baylor grad), who now lives a in Washington most of the time, but came to the metroplex to visit grandparents and friends. Getting to meet Henry in person was definitely one of the highlights of an already great weekend :O). I watched cute Henry wiggle, wiggle, wiggle and taste every toy and body part in sight and caught up with Carrilee on the last five months of being a Mom. I know by the time he comes back this next winter he'll probably be showing off his running skills....he has a very busy agenda, no doubt he's got a lot of talent to put to use inherited from Mom and Dad. He is such a happy, sweet baby, he must know what an amazing Mom he's got :O).

Celebrating Mom....

Friday, September 01, 2006 No comments

A year ago today was a much different experience.....but.....a year has past, and a lot of things have changed, for the better. This day, this year, this month is all about celebrating life! My Mom and I went out to dinner somewhere we've never eaten DINNER at before (though I've eaten lunch there quite a few times, including my Sweet 16 with a bunch of friends, three or four that might be reading this) ....Antares in Reunion Tower. I've mentioned it in past blogs (I think) for those of the non-local people-it's the big 'ball' in the skyline of Dallas. Dinner was good, and then we headed up to the Observation Deck (though dinner is just one big rotating observation deck anyway). It was a windy/nice night. I had to use my night flash, and with the wind etc, the skyline is a little blurry in the background, and the flash was bright...but you get the idea...this year is about smiles :O) OK....on a side note with smiling in mind, there was a Japanese Anime festival with literally HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS of people attending in their Anime costumes at the same hotel.....I really don't think I could do it justice....but you can be sure I'd be more than HAPPY to describe this episode in person, I was out of place without my mouse ears, tail and leather outfit....if it's not Kappa Weekend (only Marie will get this one), or National Rodeo Finals on vacation (you should have seen the airport metal detector with those belt buckles), or the Miss Texas contest (we order a pizza and the security escorted the delivery man up to make sure it wasn't one of the contestants staying at the hotel getting it).....it's Japanese Anime....I CERTAINLY know how to keep a smile on my face through some pretty impressive timing...I've got a million of them. Stick with me if you want to vacation/experience some of the more bizarre things in life :O).

Question of the Week.....

Wednesday, August 30, 2006 1 comment
I have a lot going on this weekend, nothing life altering, unless you want details that would put you to sleep about the happenings/meetings/projects of the week, so in the gap of time between here and real posting material, this is a question I've been pondering for awhile:
If you had a theme song for your life, what would it be?
I saw this episode of Ally McBeal (sp?) a million years ago where she had this theme song and she'd be walking along and just need a boost or courage etc and she'd start hearing that in her head. For the last year and a half, mostly in the morning, when someone ask me at work how things are going I usually sing them a stanza of "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John.....we usually chuckle about it. Before that I figured my theme song was "Dancing Queen" by Abba, not because I am that, but because it got me moving, hyped me up etc. Last night I heard "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"......I thought that was fun. I'm undecided on the question. Now it's your turn, I'd be interesting to know, what would be the theme song for your life, or just this year? This week? Whatever.... Go ahead, be BRAVE!

Thoughts of the Day....

Sunday, August 27, 2006 6 comments
-Holly went back to college this weekend.....I'm excited to hear about your year, Holly, but miss you a lot when you are gone!
-I heard about this book today called Marley and Me, it's supposed to be this amazing, cute, true story about a man and his bad lab, I know in the end the dog passes away, as all dogs do, so I don't know if I can read it, I know it's a part of having a dog, letting them go, but I know too I'm going to have so many connections with 'Max and Me'....who would have thought someone could have written our life story :O).....and so many people could connect with a bad lab story! I sure do love that little large boy, who chewed up ANOTHER pair of my dress shoes while I was at church today.....
-Lastly, I just purchased 4 Nascar tickets for the race in November. Sme of the other people don't even know they are for sure going yet ;o).....though they knew I was supposed to be getting them. It may be my first, and last race, unless someone else is buying, but I wanted to see what my brother loves so much about this sport.....at least once, right? It should be interesting....Nicole, are you guys coming down? You know you are welcome here anytime if you need a place.....though the welcoming committee can be a little overwhelming, in November they should be fine with spending most of the day outside :O).

Weekend Update.....

Saturday, August 26, 2006 No comments
Yesterday I headed to Mr. M's wife's funeral. It was a really nice service, VERY long, which I'm not used to, the pastor gave a full cermon, but listening to it I knew, from what I know about Mr. Middlebrook it was something he needed the most, and we all needed to hear. I've never seen so many people at a funeral, it completely filled a very large church, I can't estimate how many hundreds of people were there, I'd say well over 400. We waited in line for about an hour, but we finally had to leave b/c subs were holding down the fort in our classrooms. Several of us are going by Monday with dinner, so I'll chat with him then. They are both pretty amazing people, his wife started a women's crisis center in the area years before they were even a common word to hear. It's good to know great people.....it gives me a goal and a hero.
Friday afternoon I met a friend of mine for coffee, Angie, who used to work with me. She's working and trying to start a floral business on the side, it looks like she has two weddings lined up for October that I may go help her create bouquets for. I enjoy being around flowers, so I'm always excited when she has a wedding :O).
Tonight I'm headed out to a concert by this local Women's singing group, one of my Mom's friends that I know well is in it and we have been saying we will attend a concert sometime, and tomorrow is church in the morning and lunch out with Mary and Sonia. Life is busy, life is good....

Blogger Junkies....

Wednesday, August 23, 2006 2 comments
This one is for Marie.....just so I don't disappoint the masses (all both of you).....I have committed to Marie to blog a lot more....I've been a little lax b/c I didn't have much to say, but you know....I'm REALLY good at talking about nothing. Actually, I left all my digital cards to have all the digitals developed and so I don't have any new pictures to post, so I haven't posted anything in awhile....but here goes a few things going on in my life: 1. I went by and bought more sprinkles today....stupid dog. 2. Feeling blue for my classroom volunteer, Art, his wife passed away this Monday from leukemia. They are the most AMAZING couple in the world, when I grow up I want to be just like them. She was 74, and led such a full life, but it never seems like enough time unless people as kind and wholesome as they are can be immortal....but then I remember.....they are, it's not the end of her story, her story has a very happy ending indeed. I'm taking by brownies tomorrow and we have arranged dinner every night next week with other gals at work, though I know we will be competing with a whole crowd of well wishers! My kids LOVE him and all wrote the sweetest letters, did I mention how sweet this group was? They just can't do homework worth squat, but we are working on that.....I also really like the new principal, she just 'listens' and I felt like she's there to make my life easier! 3. Have I ever mentioned I love this show called Miami Ink? I would never in a million years get a tattoo (nothing personal to those of you with them, it's just not 'me' as if that shocks you...with a bunch of other issues tied in as well), but for some reason this show, which is all about this tattoo parlor and the stories behind the tattoos these guys are doing on individuals just totally fascinates me, season two has started....don't be surprised if I won't talk to you on Tuesday nights ;o) 4. Guess what September 1 is? My Mom's one year anniversary of being cancer free, yippee!

Puppy for sale.....

Saturday, August 19, 2006 2 comments
Free to a good home....scratch that....free to ANY home other than mine. I'm going to seriously be put into some sort of doggy jail for what I feel like doing to Max. Those of you that know me well (which is all of you, hello, not just ANYBODY got the email with my blog site ;o)) know that it's all the about the details for me. I've been searching for months for the perfect sprinkle to go on this little dessert I'm making for a shower I'm hosting a month from now. I go into this gormet cake shop less than a week ago and low and behold, the perfect sprinkles. I got myself a big ole bottle of sprinkles....think of those little rainbow sprinkle bottles on steroids. It's all good, I can use that puppy for years to come. TODAY WHEN I GOT HOME MAX CHEWED OPEN THE THICK, PLASTIC BOTTLE AND ATE ALL 20,000 OR SO SPRINKLES...in the process he also stained parts of my carpet pink. I guess he couldn't finish them so he left a thousand or so on the carpet. This time, as soon as he comes out of his sugar coma he and I are having it out. On the other hand.....if sprinkles are the worst of my problems this week, I guess you can chalk this one off to a successful week. I think I'm going to go see about selling an organ on ebay to raise funds to get enough gas to drive out and buy MORE SPRINKLES!!!! OK....I think I'm done....yep.....pretty much finished with the story.

A Week in Review.....

In the teaching world they always refer to the first few days as the 'honeymoon'.....I'm planning on letting my honeymoon last until next June. It was nice to get a fresh batch! No drama within the four walls of my classroom, though there is a lot of talk amongst teachers regarding all the change this years. I tried to go out with everyone on Friday evening, but it was too negative, I want to avoid that for awhile, and I feel really bad for the new teachers. In college they always said to avoid the teacher's lounge b/c all you heard was gossip and negativity....that popped into my head Friday night as well. I definitely don't want to be one of those examples!

Five Hundred, Twenty-Five Thousand, Six Hundred Minutes....

Sunday, August 13, 2006 No comments
....how do you measure a year? The song is spinning through my head as I prepared for my 'first day' of school with the students back. It's really cute to see the kiddos on the first day in their new little outfits no matter WHAT age they are, by day two it's all too easy to become immune! I even bought a new outfit for the occasion (a shopping trip with a great discount just happened to coincide with this Monday, so I'm taking advantage of it). I look forward to posting the latest as the year progresses.

Thank you, Jason and Nicole :O)

Saturday, August 12, 2006 4 comments

Thanks to Nicole and Jason, I now have a LIGHT in my closet (and no reason not to attempt to look super cute every day of the week now that I can see the clothes I'm picking out!). Three years ago I was standing on 'something' in my closet....probably very unsafe and unstable knowing my climbing choices and I started to tumble...I grabbed the, oh so sturdy, light pull to catch myself and pulled the whole thing down with me. SO, for three years I've had no light (b/c I unscrewed it) in my closet and a light socket stuck on 'on.' About four months ago I was going to be really handy and repair it myself, anything that inexpensive shouldn't be too hard to fix, right? 4 months later I had opened the box and mentioned to Nicole I had this plan to fix it (people have taken over whole countries with less planning and in a lot less time), and I told her I was contemplating whether or not the electricity needed to be turned off.....she gave me an emphatic 'YES,' and told me the next time they came into town she might could even swing by if I hadn't done it yet.....it's nice to have someone care enough about you not to want to see you electricuted :O). So, today they came into town, and BIG SHOCK, I hadn't done it yet. They agreed to overlook my very neglected, dusty house and dead plants (I've been away for three weekends, and lazy for even longer!), and they repaired my light in about a tenth of the time it would have taken me (Jason did wire duty and Nicole held the flashlight very steady ;o) and gave commentary for my benefit and entertainment and I located my pink tool kit for them to use, hey, a girls gotta do her share of the work, you know?). I have now seen a light socket replaced, and though I hope to not have a need to replace another anytime soon, I now...maybe..could do it. Trust me when I say this is one of the biggest accomplishments this year.....it'll feel good to cross it off the 'to do list'....though technically I didn't 'do much'....other than establish bonds with the right friends :O). It's good to know people, it's even better to know good people! We also hit the ice cream shop (of course) and Muffin appreciated some attention and petting from Nicole and Jason, she appreciates people that appreciate her!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho It's Off To Work I Go....

Sunday, August 06, 2006 No comments

It's my third post today, but I have a lot to say, after a semi drought in blogging! I know this is going to induce a lot of sympathy in you guys (as Marie called to express on Friday with her "HA HA" comment starting out the conversation as she called to rub in the fact that I have to 'return' to work ;oP). Yes, it's true, tomorrow is the first official day back for all the teachers in the district. If it makes you feel any better, I've been back, pretty much full time for over two weeks, and there have only been about two weeks during the summer that I haven't had to present a workshop, or attend a meeting several days....if not all of them, but it was a nice summer and I definitely enjoy this perk of my job! AND I have a REALLY long summer to look forward to next year b/c they just passed a law that school can't start until Labor Day! I'm already planning my vacations! In the meantime, I am looking forward to the school year, so far so good, send up a prayer for my students and I as we begin a journey through a year in the life of 6th graders! AND maybe I can actually return some of those calls you guys have been making since I won't be sleeping late and staying up later....I'm sorry, I'm sorry.....I'm gonna try to call you guys like a bill collector from now on!

A Blue Flower


This is Muffin's Mom, Lindsey, AKA, Holly's cat. No, she doesn't normally wear the blue flower around her neck, but she had a mishap during a daring attempt to nap on a counter in a box...the old saying...."A cat always lands on their feet." didn't apply in this case. She ended up breaking her leg when the box tumbled down with her in it. She's on the mend, but her attempt to help along the process by escaping from the blue collar and licking her stitches raw has caused her to be sentenced to another week in the flower petals!

21!


August 5th, we celebrated Holly's 21rst birthday! We actually began the celebration on the 4th with dinner out and cake....then it carried over into the 5th with a little surprise breakfast before we headed out to Shreveport, LA. It takes over 3 hours to get there, though I didn't time it, it seems closer to 4 in my estimation, but it's worth the trip. We stayed at the Isle of Capri, which has now changed it's name (and soon it's theme) to Diamond Jacks, after a stop at the Cracker Barrel (Holly's favorite) for lunch. We swam in the hotel pool, which was very nice, then put Holly's new age to use in the casinos. We ran some money through the slot machines, and SOME of us were more successful than others, though success=just about breaking even for most, with a few bucks extra for spending)....the experience was what we were going for. We got it....WE also hit up the all you can eat buffet, and ate pretty much "all we could eat." Then we played around in the jacuzzi in the room, which was huge! This morning we got up and went to the pool (the third time in a swimsuit in less than 24 hours)....then drove home via a stop in Tyler for bbq and ice cream (another of Holly's favorites).

Inflation

Sunday, July 30, 2006 4 comments
Today I went to Six Flags.....so I don't overshadow this bit of info, the summary of that was it was a relaxing (hot) day, but I got to do and see (and eat) some of my favorite things (I love the Spongebob 4D 'ride'!), they have over 10 new rides this year, thanks to a bunch of Six Flags around the country closing. BUT I'm so glad I was prepared by Holly for the price of parking=FIFTEEN dollars! Just a few years back it was 8, which was outrageous, but in addition to that, 15 pays for the 'cheapest' parking....way out where the TRAM comes to get you! To get close enough to the Park to HEAR it, much less SEE it (maybe I stretched that a BIT, but I think it makes more of an impact!) you have to pay 20, or 30 for 'premium.' Six Flags is great, but it's not Disneyworld! I think that's the last 15 dollars they will be getting out of ME for quite some time.....The ticket prices have almost doubled as well, you would think that would cover it. On top of all of that, there are no longer guys who direct the traffic to the next lane....so they cut employees, raised prices and segregated parking sessions.....nuts! Whew, it's just a good thing I'm filthy rich.....ha ha ha, I sit around all day laughing at the clever little jokes I tell myself!

Artistic Differences....

Saturday, July 29, 2006 1 comment

Tonight the Mariams came over for Jody's birthday for a cookout....amidst a really yummy meal I mentioned a frustrating experience I've been having recently with MUFFIN.....I've set up a table to start on my scrapbooks (with the end of summer looming ahead) and she WON'T MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. When I pull her off, she pops back up, slapping that tail (note the tail moving in this picture as well) and refusing to move....annoyed that I would DARE enter HER space. Hello, doesn't she see the pictures, the stickers, the glue sticks? I'm about to paste her little butt down to a page if she doesn't get out of my way. So far I just have two hairy pages accomplished and the table has been up for over a week (those of you with cats understand how something that weighs ten pounds can out smart, out last and out wit you each step of the way). Aunt Lois suggested she wanted her picture taken because she doesn't get enough spot lighting on my blog....so here Muffin is HELPING. This evening I laid out the beginnings of page number three and when I came back all the pieces were knocked on the floor, despite the threats to life I imparted on her fuzzy head before I left the room. It's not even that she CAN'T sit on the table, it's just that I'd like just a little piece of the six foot table for MYSELF. In a side note, some of you may not know this, but Muffin's Mom is Holly's kitty. Recently, during a daring acrobatic trick that involved a nap on a high counter in a box wavering on the edge her Mom, Lindsey had a little accident, she didn't land on her feet, and she ended up breaking her leg. I went by today to see her little shaved leg and stitches, carrying gifts (in the form of canned tuna). She's so sad looking and yet so cute in her little cone blue head collar (to prevent her from licking her stitches), as the vet said, she looks like a little blue flower :O( Maybe this is what is causing Muffin to be so obstinate....but how do you explain the stubborn attitude during the other 15 years of her life?

Misunderstood....

Wednesday, July 26, 2006 2 comments

You know I really have a problem with the fact that I feel my dogs are misunderstood. They have such a bad reputation with my family and friends, but I want to know how many of you look this cute sitting on my couch? Lilly is sprouting wings she's such an angel. I think YOU guys are a bad influence on MY dogs, not vise versa! I tell them all the time they are little angels just 'thrown' down from heaven (they are dogs so they don't really grasp the meaning behind thrown versus falling). Marie, this ones for you, I think this covers the dog quota for awhile!

Roughing It.

Sunday, July 23, 2006 2 comments

This weekend I went camping with my Mom, Holly, Jason, Tonya, Taylor and Xavier. We headed out to Tyler State Park (about two hours from here), which I have been to a million times before, but it was a 'million' years ago when the earth was cooling and I was much younger! Mom, Holly and I have put in our time in a tent, so we got a shelter this time (but we still slept on the floor) and the rest pitched a tent on the site. Mom, Holly and I pretty much swam, ate, swam, ate, swam, ate and walked all weekend, and the others did a lot of the same, with the inclusion of fishing and boating on their agenda....I'm attaching a link to a little slide show if you'd like to see evidence of this weekend's journey. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZMmrNw0YsmLtA It hasn't rained here in way too long, but it poured all weekend in Tyler, it was such a relief, and we had plenty of sun for swimming, but the rain was so nice to see, and it really kept things cooled off, though the lake was still comfortably warm from the same heat we have been getting, and very low because of the drought! P.s. Last night our site was invaded by raccoons...they were climbing a tree to get to our trash until Holly and I bravely walked to the dumpster to toss it, but they were cute....just a little too loud!

This ones for Marie....

Thursday, July 20, 2006 3 comments

the picture....not the dog! She requested more pictures of the dogs (the whole slide show dedicated to them wasn't enough-that's my kind of friend).....here is Lilly's summer position....in bed, under the fan with the ac blowing on her.....life is "ruff"....that's so lame I ALMOST had to delete it!