cheery bees

fill in the blank friday

2012-03-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

I thought since my brain is a little fried today I would join in the fun : ) So I'm linking up with Lauren for some fun.

1. The highlight of my week was Being let out of school two hours early today! Although, the reason for the early dismissal was not a good one. With threats of impending tornados we released early so all the kids could get home safely before they hit. And boy did they hit. Thankfully we were able to go hide out in a friends basement and as far as I know there was no serious damage done where we are. Though not every one was so lucky.

2. If I had to classify my interior design aesthetic it would be What-I-think-is-cute-and-is-on-sale :) Is that a type? And I try to keep it shabby chic. If I can.

3. My first vehicle was I don't really know that I can say I had a vehicle that was "my" first. Family members let me use their cars for extended amounts of time: A black 1998 Saturn and a red 1988 Volkswagen Fox [I had some adventures with the Fox but more to come on that later :]

4. An item I need to have in my day in order to function is My watch. I cannot live without it [ok. not true. but it pretty much feels like it]. My watch is essential as a teacher. I have forgotten it twice this whole year... not good.

5. My favorite way to waste time is Making lists in my planner of everything I need to get done [and sometimes to make me feel really productive, I write things I have already done, just so I can check it off the list and make myself feel accomplished :]

6. Right now I could really go for A good tooth brushing.

7. This weekend I will be Grading papers like it is my business. Which, in reality, I suppose it is. I just really really loathe grading papers and working on school stuff at home. I need a break! But the end of the grading period is coming up and I have a few students who want to murder me for not grading their papers. ugh. Hopefully this weekend is very very productive and also relaxing.

a little of this and a little of that

2012-03-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

Just a few things....

1. I had a loverly surprise today when a guest speaker/survey-er taker came to my room and entertained my students all day long. It was like I had six whole planning periods. It was Glorious. And wonderful. It's amazing how much grading and planning can get done in that amount of time : ) If only it was like that every day...

2. There was a fight today. In my classroom. Two girls decided to go at it. Thankfully(?) it wasn't a physical fight, just a very very verbal one. That continued in the hallway after they were promptly removed from the room. Awesome. Hopefully I had the right reaction and did everything that I was supposed to: scream in their faces and send them to the office ... or something.

3. Um. I really really don't know why, but this had me dying of laugher. I can't even begin to explain it. But every time I look at it I laugh. A lot. Pathetic? Perhaps. But funny just the same.

here

I don't even keep up with that sort of thing ("reality" t.v.) but my oh my... funny.

Anyhow. I hope you had great weeks! Which I'm sure you did considering we had a Happy Leap Day this year! But I am excited that tomorrow is Friday!! : ) Have a good one!

A Nice Little Visit

2012-02-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had a long weekend. It was Glorious. It was actually really great for my sick self. Thursday I stayed home. Sick. Oh, and I went to the doctor. She gave me some medicine that gave me some very uncomfortable side effects and allowed me to blow lots of colorful snot out of my nose. I took that as a sign of getting better. I am nearly all better now. Hopefully I stay that way and I don't relapse and get sick again. As it happened last time. The only thing that I am still really suffering from are awful headaches. It's like one big permanent headache. Not so enjoyable, let me tell ya.

Another good thing about the long weekend was that we got to go visit my sister in Ohio. It has been forever since we went up there. Not because it's a long trip, it's not. It's because shortly after visiting her this past summer I got a job. Which was a wonderful blessing and answer to prayer. However, it also left me with no time to breathe. The long weekend provided a chance to breathe and visit. It was loverly.

cuddling with the pup while I'm sick before heading up to my sister's

playing nap time : ) my favorite game

Legos!!! We used to play for days. Only stopping for dinner and bathroom breaks.

Love me some Legos.

playing Legos with two of my little Ns : 0

My sister and her baby boy. And Light Saber.

I just thought this was so sweet.

cuddling. Not the best of all of us, but the best of the pictures to pick from.

I love visiting my sisters and their cute kiddos. I'm glad we were able to go up for a little visit and some cuddle time.

it's back and spiffy

2012-02-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

I have been avoiding our guest room (aka: room with the computer) for quite some time now. I didn't really realize why until a few days ago.

You see, a few days ago the hubs and I went through all of our papers and I actually filed papers and put things away in their proper home, or the trash, for the first time in a very long time. Longer than I would like to admit. I knew the room was a mess but I didn't realize just how messy it was until after we cleaned it up and put everything away. It's amazing how stacks of papers can make a place look so cluttered and disastrous.

Now that the room is all cleaned and spiffyed up I love coming in here and wasting time on the computer :) A very productive pastime let me tell you. It even smells yummy in here too thanks to a new little wall-smell-good-plug-in-thing. It makes me happy to have a tidy space once again. The goal is to not let it get so messy like that again. Ever. I really don't know how that happened in the first place. Actually, I do. I got a job. Got busy. Stopped being the OCD person that I typically am at home. Just ignored the fact that the room was in desperate need of cleaning and organizing.

Anyhow. I'm just happy things have returned to normal.

I hope you are having a good start to your week!

trip to the doctor

2012-02-16T16:38:00.000-08:00

I thought I was all better. But, apparently I was wrong. All of the symptoms came back with gusto plus some fun new symptoms. After having a headache for three straight days and sleeping for about three hours last night with a fever, I decided I would call in sick and go to the doctor today.

So I did. And oh, my goodness. It was so nice. I slept all morning, or tried to at least, my head and body ached a lot so it was more tossing and turning with hopes of falling asleep. But still, it was nice to be laying down with a box of tissues next to me in hopes that I could clear some of the congestion that was filling my head. Then I went to the doctor and she fixed me up with some medicines. After picking up the meds I came home and crashed on the couch. I'm pretty sure I slept for five hours straight. And I still feel tired. Though I do feel a little bit better. At least I can breathe easier through my nose. That is always a welcome thing. Hopefully, after taking this round of medication I will be cured and back to my 100% self. It would be nice to be all better.

Thank you Kels, for your advice. It's just so hard to make myself stay home when I know I can function. But I'm glad I finally took a day.

There were some papers and some work things that I probably should have worked on and thought I might be able to work on. But it didn't happen, not after a restless night and little sleep. Plus, like I said, I slept all day today, so obviously that didn't happen. I think I will have to play catch up tomorrow. I am going to go to bed in about an hour and I still have to eat dinner and clean up the kitchen.

I will say this, the Hubs is a sweetheart. He went to work today and even though I've been home all day he insisted on fixing dinner cause I don't feel well. I love that guy : )

I hope you all had a happy day and aren't feeling under the weather. And if you are, I hope you get to feeling better soon!

Happy Heart Day

2012-02-14T17:31:00.000-08:00

We have never really celebrated Valentine's Day. I mean, sure, sometimes we do something. He has surprised me with sweet gifts before. But it's not something that we really put a lot into.

But I love my hubs so much and I am just so thankful that he is my best friend and supporter and encourager. Looking around and visiting a bunch of blogs today has made me think that so many of us are so very blessed with a dear friend for life. It really is a wonderful blessing, isn't it?

I love you sweetheart! I am blessed beyond measure to have you as my best friend. Thanks for always helping me even if you don't feel like it. Encouraging me when I'm down and gray or don't want to do something. Making me laugh at my ridiculous shenanigans. For setting me straight when I am wrong. For chilling on the couch with me at the end of the day. For just being you.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all! I hope it was a happy one : )

love,

box of tissues

2012-02-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

You know, I think you never really realize just how sick you are until after you get better. I did not realize that I was sick for a whole week. I mean, yes, I realized I was sick, I just didn't realized just how sick I was: sniffles, runny nose, coughing, itchy throat... fun stuff. In two days I went through one whole box of tissues. That's not counting the other box I went through the five days prior to those two days. Thank goodness for Puffs Plus Lotion tissues! Otherwise, I'm pretty sure my nose would be brighter than Rudolf's right now.

Probably, I should have stayed far far far away from people while I was sick this week. But I didn't. I was at school every single day. The way I see it, I got sick from those kids anyway, so what's the difference? Thankfully for two of the four days I had no voice the kids were taking tests, so I had very little talking to do. Thankfully, I only almost died from a coughing fit once, and my collaborative teacher was in the room and took over the lesson for me. Thankfully, I am 96.2% cough and stuffy nose free.

Anyhow. I hope I didn't get any of you sick by accident. If I did, I apologize. I just have a problem staying home when I'm not laying on the floor next to the toilet because I am so sick and am able to function, i.e. walk and breathe 49% of the time as long as my mouth is wide open. Do you stay home if you feel a smidgin sick or do you go out and about your daily business unless you really cannot drag yourself out of bed or away from the barf bowl? Just curious.

I hope you have a happy weekend! I know I'm enjoying mine very, very much! I love the weekends, they are my favorite.

toodles.

reading books

2012-02-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

I got three new books today. I am so excited. They are fun books that I plan on enjoying very much. It's been a while since I've purchased a new book so it only makes it even better. But, you wanna hear the best part? I got them for $3. That's all. My school library always has a bunch of books on sale, paperback for $1 and hard back for $2. We've been working in the library for the past few days and my class is so amazing (seriously though, my new block class is wonderful!! I could brag on them for hours. They really actually seem to care about learning and working. Such a Huge change from my last block class. I think the Lord knew I couldn't handle another class that was full of crazies! Thank you, Jesus! :) Isn't that such a steal of a deal? $2! Hopefully these books will be fun reads! ... now I just have to figure out when I'm going to actually read them! I think I might have been subconsciously planning ahead and preparing for this summer. Because, oh yes. I will be reading a lot this summer! It's just seems like the perfect time to get some quality fun reading in.

These are the books I got: "To the Nines: A Stephanie Plum Novel" by Janet Evanovich, "Eleven on Top: A Stephanie Plum Novel" also by Janet Evanovich, and "Hello, It's Me" by Wendy Markham. Have you read any of these books? Are they good? Awful? Wait. Don't tell my if they're awful. Or you can. But I bought them, so I plan on reading them. Just no spoilers. Hopefully they are good and I enjoy them. What are you reading that you are really enjoying?

Have a happy Wednesday!

fill in the blank friday

2012-02-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

I find it a little strange that every single Friday night without fail, I am in bed earlier than any other night of the week. It's Friday for Pete's sake! I should be livin' it up. Being young and exciting. And I am. Sleeping is one of the best things ever. And one of my all time favorites.

This Friday before I go to bed, in about 10 minutes, I thought I would share a little something. I've seen "Fill in the Blank Friday" before and it always looks like fun. But, I pass out before I can get my creative juices flowing. So I thought I would finally give it a go this week.

from Mr. C & Me and the little things we do

1. If money wasn't an issue, the first thing I'd cross off my life list is . . . adopt my little Ethiopian baby boy. I have always wanted to adopt and it is in our future, but it is so very expensive, the Hubs and I are going to be saving up for a very long time before we can do this. One day. Right?

2. Something I like that other people think is weird is . . . I'm not really sure about other people, but the Hubs think my love of pickles is odd.

3. If my life were a movie right now, the title would be . . . Finding Joy [work is incredibly overwhelming and I and trying find/keep the joy that there was once more of]

4. Three things I am looking forward to this month are . . . going to fun new Zumba classes! surviving one more month of teaching, and baking some banana bread or scones or something else equally tasty.

5. My favorite song to sing in the shower is . . . I don't sing in the shower. So, none. Is that lame? Are you supposed to sing in the shower?

6. If I found out that the production of . . . Matrix Biolage Gelee [aka the best gel for curls ever] . . . was ending this month, I'd go out and buy as much as I could tomorrow.

7. One thing I'll never grow tired of is . . . eating dinner with the hubs and sitting on the couch just chilling. Or going on adventures with him. Really anything as long as it means spending time with the hubs. I love him a lot, so yep. Cheese? I don't care. It's the truth.

the last few pages...

2012-01-31T17:56:00.000-08:00

I love notebooks. I really have to make an effort to not buy every single cute and wonderful notebook I see. I just love them so. The best part is always writing on the first page in fresh, new, clean notebook. And the last page a little bit too. Except, that's where I run into my little problem.

You see, I have found that it is the most difficult thing to finish a notebook. Even though you know you only have two pages left to write on and fill up, every time I open the notebook those to pages seem to have multiplied ... into a lot of pages. All I want to do is use them up, but for some reason, I just have the hardest time using them up.

It wasn't too bad before our wedding. I mean, those pages went pretty quickly. I did, after all, have to practice writing my soon to be new name : ) Oh, happy.

But all of the other ones. Not so much. I have a notebook right now and there are two pages left in it, except, every time I open it up it seems like more than that. That's okay though. I'm pretty sure I can find a good use for them : )

That's about it. I hope you all have a happy Wednesday!

new toy?

2012-01-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have those days where you feel like your hair is just awful? No matter how you fix it up it still looks terrible? Yes? Well, you've come to the right place! Because I can sympathize with you over that feeling. I wish I had a solution, but I'm not hair professional. Nope. It's sad, but true.

Thanks to my awful feeling and terrible looking hair these days I have been hunting around for awesome hair ideas. Simple and quick fixes. No new revelations as of yet. If you have any tips or ideas you should share them with me, mmmk? I just feel like it needs a little umph. You know?

I have been considering getting me a fancy shamancy curling iron. Normally I would let my hair curl itself, and I do every time I wash it. However due to my rash choice to chop my hair off this past fall, my curls are not curls right now. Nor will they be for about three more months. No. My hair is more of a big poof right now when I let it curl on it's own. Really quite attractive let me tell you. But I miss the curls, and that's why I am contemplating getting me a new little beauty toy. Maybe. Probably not. But maybe. I could do something rash again here soon. Or not.

Anyhow. That's the excitement going on in my life. The fun excitement any way. I will spare you the details of the awful... for now :D I know, don't you all wish you were me.

I Got Tagged :)

2012-01-24T18:33:00.000-08:00

Wonderful and ever so thoughtful Maggie, from a carolina love tagged me in this little game. I was pleased as punch when I found this out! Thanks, Maggie! This means you guys will get to learn some new things about me here in this little post. You should be excited. Seriously.

But first, I have to share the rules (cause that's the rule and I am a rule follower :)

1. You must post these rules.
2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4. You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.
5. Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.

1. What is the one item you have to have in your fridge/pantry?
Right now, I would have to say Claussen Pickels. I love pickles. A lot. And I have tried many different types and brands of pickles. This one tops them all. They are pretty much the best thing ever. Hubby despises them, but hey, that's just more for me!
2. Is there a song that evokes an emotion/memory from you no matter what? (can be a happy, nostalgic, etc)
There are a few of these. But I think I would have to say, "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. I had the pianist play this song right after the hubs and I were hitched and were walking out of the church. She was amazing. And I love the song. Every time I hear it I go back to that moment. I could hear it a thousand times and never tire of it.
3. What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment to date? Could be personal or professional.
Golly, I feel like there are a few things that could fit into this one too! Oh, how to pick one... I guess, I will have to say, running the Princess 1/2. I am not the athletic type. And far from the running type. In fact, I'm the type that calls the people who run 1/2 marathons crazy. But I decided to run one. And I did. It was a pretty wonderful feeling of satisfaction when I crossed that finish line. I debating about running another one.
4. Would you rather go the rest of your life without ever watching your favorite show/movie or without reading your favorite book?
Life without my favorite movie. Hands down. Even though I love my favorite movie (who wouldn't), I could not live without my favorite book, "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. It is one of the best books, in my opinion. Granted I have a lot of favorites, but this is one I have read about a dozen times already and I could read it a dozen more. I love the story. If you haven't read it, you should.
5. Skydiving or bungee jumping?
Neither? If I had to choose one... Skydiving. The fall is a lot longer. And you jump from a lot higher up. But, you are strapped to a professional skydiver who isn't going to let you die. Plus, you get two parachutes if there should be a problem with one. I feel like you might even have a back up, that's four. Yep. No rope around my ankles, please.
6. Where is the one place you want to go before you die?
Ireland. And Scotland. And New Zealand. And ... It's just so hard to pick one! There are so many places I want to visit! But if I had to pick one, Ireland. I have always wanted to go there. One day, right?
7. If you had a book written about you and your life, what would you want the title to be?
"The Indecisive, Hometown-less, Baker." ...This is a tough one. I've never really thought about what a book about me would be called before. But for now, I feel as though these adjectives describe me pretty well. At least for tonight. I might change my mind about that.
8. What would you want your 15 minutes of fame to be for?
Humm... this one, I don't really know about. That I wrote a book? Maybe. I'll just say that for now.
9. Is there a hobby or activity you did when you were younger that you've given up, but wish could start again?
I feel like all of my hobbies or activities that I have or am interested in now are the same ones from when I was younger. Obviously I'm one exciting person, I've been baking, reading, writing, crocheting, and the like for 20 some years now. New hobby?
10. What would be the hardest food to give up forever? (Mexican, Italian, cake, etc.)
Bread. I love it in every shape, type, and make of it.
11. If you could be amazing at one thing, what would you want it to be?
I wish I could be an amazing writer.

Okay. That's all about me! Riveting, I know :D Now, my questions:

1. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?
2. If you had to choose between never brushing your hair again or never washing your face again, which would you choose?
3. If you had to live in one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?
4. If you had the choice, and had to live in a different time period/era, which time period/era would you choose?
5. What do you wish you could have the will power to do that you just can't bring yourself to do now?
6. What super power would you like to have?
7. Say you lost your hands and the only thing that could replace them were paws or hooves, which would you choose?
8. You could only receive text messages or letters/cards (you know, the kind that come in the mail that the mail man brings to your house) for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
9. If you could only wear one thing/outfit every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
10. Guilty pleasure?
11. What do you want to be when you grow up?

I am going to tag...
Paula from Life's Little Lessons
Valerie from Along the Way with V and J
Natasha from Hello! happiness
Kelsey from WordsthatSing
Brittany from b.mary & blessed
Rebekah from Life with the Edwards
Amanda from Just an Average Girl
Ria from Life as a Wife and Mama-to-be!!
Aimee from Runner's ID
July from a day in the life...
Alison from Essentially Alison

Of course, you don't have to do this, but it's a fun little thing to do and it would probably make your heart happy. Just sayin'.

accident

2012-01-22T09:07:00.000-08:00

This week has been like no other that I have known.

On Tuesday we had a tornado warning at school. Yes. A tornado warning. In January. The students were curled up against the lockers in the hallway for 40 minutes. It was a wild. And a little bit scary. Thankfully, nothing happened and we were able to go back to class.

Unfortunately, the rest of the week only went down from there. On Wednesday after school, one of my teacher friends came into my room and told me that there had been an accident involving one of our students and that the student had been killed in a car accident. She didn't know any details, the student's name or anything. Later that evening she called me and told me there were not one but three students involved. Two were killed. One in critical condition.

The next morning we found out the student who was in the hospital had stabilized and was able to go home. Thank the Lord.

The hallways at school were empty that day. Students were there. Walking. But they weren't there. An eerie silence filled the halls. You could have heard a pin drop from the other side of the building. The day was filled with crying, hugs, and prayers. It was one of the hardest days I have experienced as a teacher.

This afternoon is the funeral for both of the girls.

It is a terrible thing that has happened. All I can do is think of and pray for the family and friends of the girls in the accident. If you think of it, please say a little prayer for the families, friends, and the school.

a look at lasik

2012-01-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about getting my eyes fixed. You know, getting laser eye correction surgery. Having my eyes taped wide open and letting a doctor burn them with a laser to help me see. I don't know though. I'm not too keen on lasers, especially when it comes to them burning my eyeballs. I'm very sensitive about my eyes, and very easily grossed out about things having to do with eyes.

I know lots of people who have had Lasik, my hubs and sister included, but I just don't know if I can go through with it. My fear is that I would be in the tiny percentile of people that has major complications from the surgery. For example, complete blindness. At least right now I can see blobs and blurs of colors without my glasses or contacts. I would hate to not even be able to see that much. Or to not have glasses or contacts to wear to help me see the world at all.

The Hubs and I have talked about this now for a little bit. And since I've been thinking about it for a little while I just decided to call a doctor here in town. And I did. I thought, I might as well see (ha ha : ) my options and if getting the surgery is even an option for me. For all I know my eyes could be unfixable. So I called the doctor to set up a little consultation. I thought the wait time would be several weeks or months. Boy, was I wrong. They said they could see me in four days. Four days. So I've been trying to think of as many questions about eye surgery, complications, and such that go along with it.

Have any of you had Lasik? What did you think about it? What questions did you ask your doctor? Was it awful? Did you recover? Go blind? Thoughts? If you haven't had it, would you? If you wouldn't, why not? My insurance says it is covered, which is the only reason I'm even really realistically considering getting it done. ... maybe over Spring Break... But I'm still not sure.

Though, the more I think about it, it really would be nice to be able to see my own hand clearly from more than five inches from my face. It would be nice to wake up and be able to see the clock without fumbling around for my glasses. It would be nice to not have to mess with worrying about taking my contacts out each night. It would be nice to not have to buy contacts, glasses, contact solution, contact cases, glasses cleaner... and everything else that goes along with ~~poor~~ near blindness eye sight. I'm not even exaggerating, I am practically blind.

I think I want to. Get the surgery that is. If I can. But there's still that little worry ... maybe I will find out on Tuesday afternoon if I'm even able to get it done at all. And if I can, the doctor will be so wonderful that I will sign up for it. We shall see (kehehe : ) and I'll let you know what the doctor says.

In the mean time, I am going to enjoy my long weekend. I hope you all have a very relaxing weekend.

See ya later! (haha. I just couldn't resist!)

I got lucky

2012-01-10T18:08:00.000-08:00

I love pens. I have a weakness for them. It's true. I could have a dozen pens and still want more. In fact, I do have a dozen pens and I would like some more. They just make me happy. At the beginning of the fall semester I was so excited for the excuse to buy some new pens. You know, so I could grade papers and such. I found a pack of pretty colorful pens and snatched them right up. They pretty much lasted all semester. I used a few older pens I had too otherwise I probably would have used them all up.

It's a rewarding feeling I think when your pen runs out of ink. It signifies that you have worked hard on something, or done a lot or writing (or drawing perhaps). But just the same, it shows you have spent hours using that precious little pen.

My favorite pen has been hard to find as of late. But I got lucky and found them at Michael's (one of the best stores on earth). I was sooo excited, I even got a teacher's discount which made me an even happier bean. I just hate using red or black or blue ink all the time. I really don't like using red ink to grade papers at all. It makes me feel like a mean teacher. Not that teachers who use red pens are mean, they are quite nice (at least the ones that I know now, maybe not so much for the teachers I had when I was going to school : ) But just the same, I can't bring myself to use a red ink pen to grade papers. So I use all kinds of colors: silver, green, pink, purple, gold, light blue, orange, cranberry... just to name a few.

So anyhow, I thought I would leave you with a little list of my favorite pens...

these pens are quite simply put: the best. ever.

good. good.

another favorite.

and I love these little guys.

they are a new favorite.

I've always been a fan of paper mate pens.

they write so smoothly.

But now, they come in pink ink!

and that just makes my heart happy.

this picture is not a picture of the exact pens I'm talking about

but they are pretty darn close.

I love them.

Still the Gelly Roll Pens are my all time favorite and the best pens ever in the world.

That's all!

Happy penning! : )

I'd like to share some wonderfully exciting news with you... and I'd like you all to be the first to know...

2012-01-04T17:55:00.000-08:00

Something wonderfully exciting has happened in my life. It's a pretty big deal. Just sayin... I finally got to organize my binders!!! I know! Exciting stuff, right?! I mean really though, how much more awesome could it get?

:]

You see, I like to be organized. and tidy. and neat. and clean. I like order. I cannot function when there is a complete mess around me. No, I cannot. Well, I suppose I can. But, it's just not a pretty sight. ~~Things~~ I am much more pleasant when my surroundings are tidy and in their proper little home.

At school I have a few binders and folders. These are for different things. I purchased several binders at the beginning of the school year because I knew I needed some and I figured I would eventually need more. I was right. At the beginning of the school year I put my papers: lesson plan sheets, standards, deconstructed standards, lesson attachments, and a lot of other teacher like things in one binder. I labeled it my 'Lesson Plan' binder. I was going to keep everything tidy and organized in there. With the help of some tabs and dividers it looked very organized. But, as the semester went on (and as the first semester is now long gone... by two week :p) my binder filled up and got very very fat. It's a good thing I like a chubby binder. However, it was also not so good. I mean, I still have a whole semester to go.

yikes.

So today I went through and pulled all the attachments and stuff I have for unit plans and ideas out and put them in their own separate binder. Because of my foresight at the beginning of the year, I was able to just pick up a very nearly empty binder, move a few papers around, and wha-la! Unit Plan Binder. ... more or less. But still. This makes me giddy beyond words. Now there is a place where all of the little unit ideas and papers and handouts and homeworks go. I know exactly where to find them (not that I didn't before, now they just look a lot prettier :). They are all there. And yes, I have some work to do to make the units perfect and exactly as I want them to be, but I am happy to have a skinny little starting place that is a lot fatter than what I started with in August. Meaning nothing.

Anyhow. I just had to share my exciting news with you guys. o golly geepers. I love organizing! : ) it really does make my heart happy.

... speaking of organizing and my binders, I need to go get some paper to make dividers for my fancy shamancy unit binder!

toodles!

just a few little goals I suppose

2012-01-03T17:32:00.000-08:00

Normally I don't try and set goals for myself, especially for the new year. I just don't like to disappoint myself, you know? So I don't. However, I have been thinking about somethings and so in a round about way, set a few goals for myself. I'll share them with you if you like. They're nothing exciting or wonderful. Just little goals. You know. I feel like they are realistic, we shall see.

1. Read more for myself. I used to read all the time. Not any more. I feel like there is a direct connection between getting a job and my sudden decline in reading. I hope this year I can read a little bit more. Yes. I do. I have a few books on my reading list, hopefully this year they will be read.

2. Write more. Be it in my journal, or on here, my loverly little blog. I love writing, it makes me happy. So, it would make sense that I wouldn't have a problem keeping it up. Sadly, for some reason I have been having trouble being consistent with writing. I tell my kids to write for at least 10 minutes a day, and make them write for almost as much, so I hope to keep my own writing up.

3. Having good quality quiet times. I used to be really good at doing this. But now, not so much. It is my hope to get better at this.

4. Exercise. Last year I did a really good job at this. Mostly I think because I was signed up to run a half marathon. But, after the half, I kind of gave up running and exercise of all sorts. Which is sad, because I really liked how I felt ~~while~~ after I exercised. The Hubs and I have talked about a way that will get me back to running or something active. Wanna know what it is? Good. Cause I'm gonna tell you anyway. Simply this: go to the gym two times a week. At least. And then on the other nights do ab work at home. bleh. As awful as it sounds, it felt really good when I was on a running schedule.

...maybe I should just sign up for another half. That's motivation. humm... run a half in 2012? Maybe. Or not. We shall see. I'm not making any promises. I mean shoot, I've already run my half. That has to count for something, right? :]

5. Leave school no later than 5:30 on an average night. I have been staying at school a lot later than that and I really just miss being home, fixing dinner, and chilling with the hubby.

Anyhow. That's my little list. I know it's nothing impressive or anything. Just a few things I would like to work on this year.

Happy New Year : )

2012-01-01T13:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all! I hope it has been a happy one so far. I know mine has been. If only every day of this year could be as wonderful as today has been (which consists of chilling at home with the Hubs and puppy, doing what ever I like or nothing at all. perfect.) this would be the perfect year ever.

One can dream...

Welp. I felt like reminiscing and going through this past year in pictures... enjoy!

January

got to visit this little marshmallow and his family

Started Student Teaching!!

February

Ran the Princess 1/2 with my sister!

had some fun at Disney World before and after the 1/2

March

The Hubs had a birthday : )

fun fun

April

Nothing eventful happened in April, so here is the only picture I will share of my precious puppy

May

Finished Student Teaching and graduated from my Masters program! woot woo!

Sent The Hubs off on a month long mission trip to Ethiopia

June

saw some cute lil' stinkers : )

isn't he so sweet?

Went on a Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic

(want to see a video clip?)

and played a little bit too

and went to the beach for a bit while we were down there.

[thankfully -maybe- the hubs doesn't read my blog so he won't

kill me for posting this not so flattering picture of him. it was bright,

what can I say?]

fun fun fun : )

July

And when I got back I got to go to Minnesota and love on these little guys

August

I got my first ever teaching job! bah!

which came along with my very own classroom (obviously)!

September

must have disappeared or something : )

October

went Huber's with the Hubs and our Small Group

sat on a pumpkin : )

November

Went to Minnesota for Thanksgiving!

Got to hang out and do lots of fun things with my sister and her kiddos

December

Our good friend had a baby and we got to visit.

I love babies.

And we had a very wonderful Christmas with each other, friends, and family.

I hope you had a fun 2011 and that this year will be wonderful and hold lots of fun new adventures for you and your family! I can't wait to see how the Lord blesses us this year! We are so thankful for his blessings and are excited to see what else is in store for us.

Happy New Year!

Chocolate kisses

2011-12-30T19:13:00.000-08:00

Last night Puppy gave us quite the scare. Yep. He did.

I was upstairs reading, The Hubs was doing his breathing treatment (he has to be hooked up to a machine and blow on some plastic pipe looking thing. It takes about 30 minutes. ... he's not really hooked up to the machine, but he may as well be. He's got it all set up right in front of the computer, that way he won't be bored while he's practicing breathing... it's really noisy so he can't watch tv while he breaths. Anyhow, I'm sure that's more than you really cared to know about The Hubs and his illness, but since I'm the one writing... : ).

As I was reading I could hear The Puppy nibbling on something. I thought he was in the office with The Hubs chewing on his nice blue bone. He sounded like he was doing just fine and was as happy as could be. While I was reading I considered checking on The Puppy. But I knew he had to be fine since he was with The Hubs. He wasn't. Nope.

After The Hubs finished his breathing treatment I asked him what Puppy was doing. He said he didn't know.

Not good.

The Hubs was quick to look down and see that puppy was nibbling on something ... something that wasn't his bone, or hedgehog, or rope, or lion, or any of his toys. Nope. Not. None.

Kisses. Chocolate kisses. Chocolate that kills puppies.

Puppy seemed very happy with himself and seemed to be enjoying the kisses very much. Although, he did not really care for almonds that we're in some of the kisses. He ate around them. What a talented little pup.

After racing to his rescue and reaching down his throat to take all of the chocolate out (not that we could get any, he had eaten it all, of course. Although he did and leave the little foil wrappers on the couch. How he did that I do not know, again, talented little pup).

We were just really scared he was going to die from eating chocolate. The Hubs did some research and since puppy only ate seven kisses it wasn't enough to hurt him, thankfully :)

Anyhow, that's my puppy story.

a nice day

2011-12-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

This has been one of the best days in a long time. Actually, that's not completely true. I have been having a lot of really good days lately. Nice, easy, home-y days which I get to fill with whatever I like :) I love days like these.

This morning The Hubs slept in and went to work later so I got to fix a nice big yummy breakfast of bacon and pancakes. It was delicious. Then I went to the eye doctor with the intention of picking out some new eye glasses, but due to my severe case of indecisiveness I left the store without picking out a new pair of specs. Shame really. I should have just done it then, while I was there. But I didn't. Surprise? Maybe. Or not. I just couldn't decide if I really liked any of the frames I saw. Eh, oh well.

One of the highlights of my day was visiting with one of my friends. She had a baby at the end of September and I have been able to visit with her randomly since then. I was happy I had a day and was able to see her and her adorable baby girl! If only I could have more days like this one :)

Anyhow, I hope your day was a happy one!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

I realize it might be a little late to say Merry Christmas for actual Christmas. But by my saying it now, I'm just helping the day last a little bit longer :) I just feel like Christmas has come and gone so quickly this year. Really, I feel like it always does. Weeks and weeks build up the excitement of Christmas and then boom, it's here and gone before you can really soak it all in. Then after Christmas it's time to get back to the real world, which is just sad.

... and I will stop being depressing now. I mean, it is Christmas after all :)

Speaking of Christmas, how was yours? Mine was wonderful I got to see one of my sisters and her kiddos (even though one of them was so sick on Christmas Eve, poor little guy!) and then I got to spend a lot to time with The Hubs and his family. We ate a lot of good food. A lot. Probably more than I should have, but I just love food and it was all so yummy. Plus it was Christmas :)

I got a lot of really nice surprises and thoughtful gifts for Christmas, more than I could have dreamed of getting. One of the yummiest gifts I got was a Keurig coffee maker! I heart it so much! It have had some very yummy and cozy coffee drinks from it already :) I also got a brand new Christmas tree. I will be posting some pictures of the beauty, don't worry. I love it. And of course some other. Wry wonderful things. It was a very happy Christmas, and not just because of the gifts.

Anyhow. Merry Christmas! I hope it was a good one.

happy heart

2011-12-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

For about five months I have been meaning to get file folders so I can get organized at school. I have a bunch of folders and such, but they just aren't as organized as I would like them to be. But instead of just going out to buy some on day number one I waited about a semester before making the investment. When I brought the folders to my classroom I was wishing I had done so earlier. I was organizing things and putting them all in new little homes and it made my heart happy. Anyhow. It's the small things that make my heart happy. I just wanted to share real quick like.

a little of this and a little of that

2011-12-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

So, I don't have much of one thing to share. I just have a little of a lot. Stick around if you really care to know what has been going on in my wonderful life and in my thoughts.

It's almost Christmas Break. Yep. That's right. Almost break. There are seven official days of school left before break. Which is just crazy. Wonderful, but crazy. All I see is a pile of papers that have to be graded before then. Okay, that's not all I see, but I do see that pile. Funny thing about it is that as soon as it starts to shrink it magically grows. It's like it never stops. Crazy. What I want to know is how do you manage the mountain of papers? How? If you have a trick, please let me know.

In other news, the hubs is sick. Well, he's kind of been sick for a while now. But we finally found out what the trouble is. It only took about a year to find out. Or two months, either way, it took a long time. Thankfully he has a diagnoses and medicine to take and he is fixable. I must admit he called me the other day and it just was not good. I started playing the "what if" game. Not a good game. But I kept telling myself, "Just pray about it. It's ok. Nothing's really wrong. Pray. It's fine..." And it was. Is. It is.

Also. I have a stack of papers to give back to my kids. There are papers in there from months ago. How do these not get back in their hands after they are graded? I don't know. It's like there is some super power that prevents them from getting their work back. Not really. But it is true that they don't have any of their work. At least, not most of it. Not good, I know. I just haven't figured out an efficient way to get their work back to them. I know now, at the end of the semester any way of getting it back to them will be extremely inefficient, but I just don't know what to do. Any teachers have any tips on returning work? But hey, at least the kids can't say I'm not looking at and grading their work. Cause if you saw the stack, you could see that I am. Clearly.

I have started giving quizzes to my kids over the assigned readings. You might be thinking, "Well, duh. Giving quizzes is elementary." But I didn't really have that epiphany until a little while ago when I was thinking back on my days as a student. I remembered one of my professors used to give little five question quizzes every day of class over the assigned reading. I remember how even though I read for all my other classes the quizzes made me pay attention even more, cause you never knew what questions he would ask. So I started doing the same. At first the kids hated me. I'm sure some still do : ) But then after a while of giving the quizzes the kids started asking and even begging me to give them a quiz. ha. Yes. That's right. The kids wanted a quiz. Glorious.

Anyhow. I know that's a really random assortment of thoughts and such. But thanks for your company. I just needed to warm up my fingers a little bit and get my brain moving. It's been a little while... I will do my very best to not be so all over the place next time.

just being

2011-11-26T16:27:00.000-08:00

Is it bad that all I've done over break is sit around and do much of nothing... and a lot of Pinterest browsing? I hope not. I am enjoying myself soooo much. It is fabulous! I love a good break. I love chilling and seeing family. I love talking leisurely strolls with my hubs and puppy. I love being able to read, for fun, if I want to. I love not having any pressure or responsibility. I love being. I feel like it is something that I haven't been able to do in a while, so while I might feel 1.1% guilty for not doing any work over break, I'm trying to let it go. It is break after all : ) Oh, how I love this moment, this break, this time. Why can't it always be like this? ... I suppose if it were I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I am enjoying it right now. Although, I don't know. This is pretty wonderful.

Anyhow. I'm off to write my Christmas Wish List for the hubs. I think I've got a pretty good idea of some things I would like to open up on Christmas morning : )

I hope you all have had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a Happy Black Friday ;p (I do happen to have a story about that, and I will share it with you soon, promise).

It's Thanksgiving : )

2011-11-24T13:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!! I am so thankful that it is today : )

There are a few things I am thankful for today:

My hubby
My puppy
My family and that I get to see some of them on this very special day
That there is a break from school
Sleep
Yummy food
Making yummy food
Eating yummy food
Blogging again :)

I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!

A little poem

2011-11-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

I just finished a unit on poetry with one of my classes. So I thought I would write a little poem myself.

I'd Rather Be

Sitting alone upstairs

Work screaming at me

Bossing me around

begging to be finished.

Laying on the couch so fair

Just chillin' in his favorite Tee

Football sounds abound

All worries diminished.

Not that I really care

Football to me is not key

But I want to be found

- watching the game

by his side.

golly geepers

2011-11-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a while. I apologize. I won't say anything else about that.

But I will say this: I love Christmas.

I used to think the stores were a little over zealous when they started putting our Christmas goodies before Halloween. Now, I think it's wonderful. It's the best feeling walking into a store and seeing happy little snowmen and penguins, Christmas trees and stockings. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It also gives me hope. Hope that I can make it through anything. Christmas is a cozy and hopeful time of year and seeing all of the cute, pretty, and festive decorations and treasures out and about gives me that hope, even though Christmas is still two months away.

So I don't care if stores set up and display Christmas things before Halloween. I Love it. It makes me happy and cheery. I love feeling cheery and right about now I can use all the cheer I can get. I might be making daily trips to the store to get me some cheer. Actually, I probably won't be doing that, but, I will enjoy the Happy Christmas Joy when ever I am lucky enough to make it to the store.

Happy Christmas thoughts to you : )

pick something!

2011-10-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a job to do: go to the store and pick out a baby gift. That's all. Simple really. All I had to do was go to the store, print out the registry and pick out the gift. No big deal. Quick trip. No brainer. Except that when I am in the picture, it is never just a quick trip and it is never does not involve the brain. Which I suppose is a good thing. Except it's not. I stood in front of the bottles for an hour trying to decide which ones I should get.

I knew I wanted to get one from the registry, so that's not a problem. But, which one? I found one that was on the registry but here's where the problem comes in. I wanted to get the little liner bags for the bottles too. But, they didn't have any for the size bottle I found. What should I do? Get the bottles and no liners? Get the liners and no bottles? Get both even though they aren't really made for each other, even though they were both on the registry. Or get something else all together? I just couldn't decide.

Then I saw a bonus package. Five bottles for $10 with 50 some liners, the same exact kind that were on the registry. But this awesome bonus package wasn't on the registry. The bottles that were on there were sold in packs of three for $12.99. I was torn. The bottles were great, but the one I really thought would be great (or thought was a better deal, cause let's face it, it was) wasn't on the registry.

So I called The Hubs. I needed to talk this out.I hung up after it rang. I knew what he was going to say. Make a decision and come home. When he called me back two minutes later he said exactly what I knew he would. No help. So I stood in front of the bottles for another hour trying to decide what to do. Finally I had had enough of my shenanigans and yelled at myself, "Dang it, Hannah! Pick something. Just pick something, buy it, and go home. Now. You have one minute. One minute. 60, 59, 58, 57, 56, 55, 54, 53 ...."

And I did. I picked something off of the registry, and took it to the counter. It didn't take me that long. Once I had made my mind up that I was going to just pick something and buy it.

Needless to say, they better like the gift. It took five years off my life. Seriously. Why can't I just make a decision? Quickly? Do you know how long it would have taken The Hubs to get a gift? Two minutes. I'm not even kidding. Oh well. I am me and I am indecisive. That's just how it is. eh...

But I am excited about the baby shower. I have a bunch more coming up. Everyone I know is having a baby. Okay, maybe that's not true. I might be exaggerating just a little bit. But it's pretty much the truth. Anyhow. That's what I'm up to tomorrow.

I hope you guys all had a wonderful Saturday! Happy weekend!

Lemon Time

2011-10-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

One of my friends had a baby a few weeks ago and we got to visit them at the hospital for a little while. Today I am excited because I get to go and visit my lovely friend and her new baby at her house for longer than just a little bit. I am just pleased as punch that I get to visit! I was so excited in fact that I fixed a whole pot of soup and some bread to take them so Mama could have a little bit of a break and just worry about her and baby.

I asked if she would like me to bring something for dinner, I didn't want to show up at her house with some food and them to already have plenty of it. She was excited about the soup idea so I went to the grocery store and bought the goods. Growing up my mom would always fix the best potato soup with dumplings. It is seriously the best soup ever. I will share the recipe with you some time this winter, soup is after all, the perfect winter meal.

Along with the soup I baked a little loaf of bread. I was thinking about a french loaf, which always tastes amazing with pretty much any soup, but I found a new recipe in my "Taste of Home" magazine that looked wonderfully delicious. I decided I had to try it. It is a a quick bread and it turned out beautifully. Normally I like to stick with the amazing tried and true: pumpkin, blue berry, apple... But I thought I should give a new one a go just to see if held up to the others. It did. I was a little skeptical about how it would turn out because the herb is so strong, but it is Amazing. Bake some. Now. You will thank me later. K?

So, without further rambling, I share with you "Taste of Home's" Lemon Thyme Bread:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. minced fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel [one whole lemon grated]
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
Confectioners' sugar [aka powdered sugar, though I'm sure you all knew that. One day I will have to tell you a funny story about that...]

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar till fluffy. Beat in egg. Combine buttermilk and sour cream. Combine the flour, thyme, lemon peel, baking soda, and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beating well after each addition. [I dumped everything in the same bowl and mixed it all together, it saved time and bowls and turned out just perfectly.]

2. Dump into a greased 8 in x 4 in. bread pan. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes. After baking let cool. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

You could always make these into muffins, that would be equally delicious. Or little loafs. I split mine into two bread pans to I could taste it before I took it over.

Anywho. I thought it was really good and turned out well. If you like baking or if you like bread, you should really try it out and let me know what you think! I think it's a keeper : )

healthy and yummy

2011-10-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

A while back The Hubs went grocery shopping and bought a very large bag of frozen tilapia. I do not like fish. No. I don't. I never really have. Well, that's not completely true. I used to eat sardines from the tin all the time. They were my favorite thing ever. So much so that I named one of my favorite stuffed animals Sardines. I really loved me some sardines. But then I stopped liking sardines and fish in general. My taste buds changed or something. I mean, I still ate some fishy type meals just cause that's what we were having for dinner and I would rather eat something than be hungry. And what ever was fixed for dinner was what we had to eat for dinner. So I would begrudgingly eat my tuna melts or salmon patties or whatever other sea food was served for dinner. If it were my choice I wouldn't eat it.

But, back to The Hubs' purchase. He saw the fish and thought it would be a good way to get healthy. Fish is supposedly healthy for you. So we bought some marinades at the store to trick my taste buds into liking the tilapia. It tasted terrible. I ate two bites and was full... of fish, so I fixed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to enjoy. But since I hate wasting food (aka money) we were determined to figure out a way that I could fix the fish and kind of enjoy it too. After trying dozens of recipes and marinades and detesting every single one of them I found what appeared to be a little gem of a recipe. The picture looked alright so I thought I would give it a go. But there was a problem. I didn't have all of the ingredients. Naturally, I wasn't about to go and buy them. So I switched a bunch of the ingredients around so much so that I'm sure it tastes nothing like the actual recipe. But, I liked it. I actually ate my whole little fishy.

I thought I would share my recipe with you so that you could try it. You can tell me if it's terrible. I really won't mind. But I still fix it because we had a lot of fish to eat and it's the only way I will eat it. Let me know what you think of it if you try it.

Tasty Tilapia

1/2 cup peaches and juice (or pineapple - I use the little fruit cups that come individually packaged, one of those little guys is the perfect amount!)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons parsley
5 teaspoons canola oil
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
5 green onions, chopped (I've used chives too and it is equally delicious)
fish fillets (however many you want up to 8, I usually fix three for me and The Hubs)

Mix all of the ingredients together (minus the fish). Add the fish, coat, and marinate for about an hour (I usually can't wait that long and it sits for about 30 minutes, which is plenty of time : ) . Then we normally put it on the grill and cook it accordingly. I'm not really sure how long, just you know, as long as it takes to cook fish. Then you enjoy it while it is nice and hot!

We normally pair the fish with some wild rice and a nice little spinach salad. It makes for a very yummy and healthy meal. If you try it let me know how it turns out/if you like it : )

Happy Wednesday!

Fall Break

2011-10-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Friday was the first day of Fall Break. We didn't have Friday off, but after school Fall Break began, so yes, Friday was the first day of Fall Break. Today however, is the first real day of break because I didn't have to go to school. In fact, I didn't have to do a thing all day long. And I didn't. No, I really didn't do anything. It's quite a shame really. But I cannot tell you how wonderful today has been. I have been able to stay home and chill. It has been wonderful. I took Puppy for a walk and am working on getting the laundry done.

Other things will get done this week, but today I decided to chill and do absolutely nothing. It has been the perfect day. Hopefully tomorrow I will get a lot of grading, planning, and work type stuff accomplished. Wednesday The Hubs and I have a fun home project that I am hoping turns out beautifully. I will post some pictures after it is all said and done. Thursday I hope I can visit my friend and her new baby girl and get a few more work things done (ugh). Friday we are going to the dentist. I am hoping I won't have any cavities.

Anyhow. That's what my week looks like. Well, my plans for it anyway : ) I know somethings might change it up here or there. But I am hoping it is a relaxing and productive week. More relaxing than anything else, but it can't be all fun and no work. Oh, well.

I am just so thankful for this break. It really is a much needed break. I always used to think the break was more for the students, but now I kind of think it is more for the teachers. Either way, I love it and am so thankful for it. I'm also rejoicing that I made it a whole quarter as a teacher. It feels as though it's been forever and at the same time like no time at all. Crazy.

Anyhoot. I am back, for a week : ) ... and hopefully I will be able to catch up with all of you and all that is going on in Blog Land.

Happy Monday : )

dinner : )

2011-10-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight for dinner I had perogies, pretzels, and pickles.

It was delicious.

Walnuts

2011-10-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

I love Saturdays. I'm not really sure who wouldn't love a Saturday. They are simply wonderful. I was looking forward to this Saturday in particular. One reason being I knew we wouldn't be going any where. Don't get me wrong, I love going places and seeing people. But I really just love being home. I like to be able to get things done around the house or maybe (if it's a special occasion) do nothing at all. But even if being at home involves cleaning and laundry and other such chores I would still pick to be at home. Another reason I love Saturdays is because I get to sleep in. I love sleep and I hate hearing an alarm go off in the morning. That's why one of my favorite things about Saturdays is not having to wake up to an alarm.

Last night I stayed up super late, it was at least 10:45 before I dragged myself from the couch where I had already been snoozing to go upstairs for bed. I was very much looking forward to sleeping as long as I wanted.

But this morning an alarm went off. Not mine. Not the Hubs'. The walnuts. Yes. The walnuts woke me up rudely and abruptly. In fact when I was first jolted out of my sleep I thought I had heard a gun shot. That's what walnuts sound like.

Ok. Maybe they don't always sound like a gun shot. But around these parts, they do. Yes, sir-ee. You see, we have a shed. The shed has a tin roof. The walnut tree grows right over the shed. So, every fall starting in mid-August and lasting until about the middle of November the walnuts fall. Any time they fall and hit the shed, "BANG!" It is so loud it is ridiculous. And it literally sounds like a gun has been fired two feet from our house.

This is especially scary when the hubs is not home and it is dark out side. And it is irritating when you are trying to sleep and walnuts keep falling.

I just thought I'd share my thoughts from this morning about how much I love walnuts : )

ok. that's all.

pumpkin patch

2011-10-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch the other day. Actually, it was more like a week ago, but you know, same thing. The point is we went and it was a nice time. We went with friends from our small group and it was a perfectly gray and drizzly day.

Instead of blabbing on and on about it I will share a few pictures from the day.

picked pumpkins

warty squashes : )

Me and the Hubs in the apple orchard.

Apples. But I'm sure you could figure that out on your own.

The pumpkin patch.

Pickin' pumpkins.

This makes me happy.

Okay, that's about all I have for now.

whisper

2011-09-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

I'm at a loss of words for the moment. So I thought I'd post this amazing picture that needs no words.

via

I want to be there right now.

questions

2011-09-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon I had a little conversation with one of my students.

Boy student looks at me and asks, "Are you married?"

"Yes, I am." He is trying to get me off subject, maybe. And it's working.

"How long have you been married? Did you just get married this summer?"

"Nope."

"Last summer?"

"Nope."

"The one before that?"

"I got married in the fall almost three years ago, yes."

"Wow."

And I think to myself, "I know, I'm old. Thanks."

"Do you have any kids?"

"No. Not right now. One day."

"Really? When?"

"I don't know when. But I want to adopt my children."

"Really?" he asks almost incredulously. "Why? Those kids don't have homes."

Exactly.

a little crazy

2011-09-20T17:42:00.001-07:00

Since my life has been crazy this past month I decided on Saturday I would contribute to the crazy that is reigning me at the moment and ...

... chopped my hair off. Well, I didn't chop it off, but I voluntarily allowed someone to chop it off before my very eyes. Yep. That's right.

My hair is gone. g-o-n-e. gone.

I'm not really sure what possessed me to chop it all off. I guess I had been thinking about doing it for about five minutes and finally was just fed up with it and decided to get it cut. Drastically. I'm sure next time I get it cut (which will be never) it won't be quite so drastic.

I could never get a tattoo. I've wanted one for a long time, but I know I could never get one because of this simple reason: I am too indecisive. I'm not saying I don't like my hair cut, I do. But I wasn't really sure about getting it cut and then all of the sudden it was gone. A tattoo... if you're not really sure about getting one, you should probably not be getting one in the first place, cause that thing is not going away (or growing back like my hair thankfully will).

I didn't take a before picture for some reason, maybe because I didn't think I would actually have it all cut off. But this is what it used to look like (except a little bit longer)...

(can you tell I take a lot of self portraits and that I always sit in the same spot when I take them? : )

so long...

Also, before she cut it she told me how long it would be afterwards, a length I was most happy with. Then when she finished cutting she looked at my hair and said, "Oh! That's a lot shorter than I thought it was going to be!"

um. thanks? I thought that was rule number one of things not to say as a hair dresser.

eh. Oh, well. I'll just get use to my new hair-do. I do like it, I think it's cute. And apparently I wanted to have short hair since I had it all cut off willingly. o my.

5000 years later...

2011-09-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

I am typing up a short little post. I miss the days I could take as long as I wanted to write up a post. Even if there was nothing much going it was my escape to just write. Now it seems, even though it is still an escape for me it's not one I can get to very often. Which is sad. I tell my students to write and almost every day I have them write for at least ten minutes, but for some reason I can't even manage ten minutes to sit down and write something for myself.

I am hoping that things will get better, less crazy and completely overwhelming. Cause that's how they are right now. And when that day happens, you all will be the first to know. But for now my priorities are all out of whack and nothing goes as I plan or would like. For now I am happy knowing all of the laundry is washed and folded... it's just waiting to be put away.

And I feel like this is all very random and none of it makes any sense. But I needed to write, for me if nothing else. I will get better... one day : )

But for now, I hope you are having a lovely start to a new week.

1000 Gifts

2011-09-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

It's Monday so I'm thinking of a few things I am grateful for today...

50. A long weekend!!

51. No School Today!

52. Getting Laundry done. Washed, dried, folded, and put away (the first time this has happened in a month).

53. A helpful and wonderful Hubs.

54. Groceries.

55. Planned Lessons.

56. Swimming on a boiling hot day.

57. Fall weather: jeans and long sleeves.

58. Friends and cookies and milk.

59. Help.

60. Freshly baked granola.

61. A three day week.

62. Knowing that nothing is impossible with God.

63. Yoga lessons/classes I am going to start taking.

There will be more next week... but for now, that's about it. Go see Ann and share your own 1000 gifts.

oh thank you

2011-09-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

I Love it when people come up to me and say nice little things, compliments. You know? It makes me feel all pretty and happy and wonderful inside.

I got the complement of my life (or week) the other day while I was standing in the hallway as the kids went to their first period classes, keep in mind that it is 7:30 in the morning as they walk to their classes. A teacher walks past me and says, "You really look like you wish it was tomorrow (Friday)."

Translated: "You look like crap."

How sweet.

I mean, I know I make it a point to tell people when they look terrible and rotten. So, I'm glad the favor is returned.

... What am I supposed to look like at 7:30 in the morning in the middle of the week?! Bright eyed and cheery faced?

I think not. Maybe some people, but not me.

Anyhow. That's my little story. Have you ever gotten a backhanded compliment like that before? And when I say backhanded compliment I really don't mean compliment. Cause no matter how you say something like that ...

"You look terrible! Are you feeling sick?"

"No, actually, I feel really great. But thanks for telling me you think I look like doggy poopy."

... it isn't nice or sweet or kind or appreciated.

And that's really all I have to say about that :D

1000 Gifts

2011-08-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

I know it's not Monday, but I feel like sharing some more of my 1000 Gifts anyway. It's been too long and my heart is starting to become bitter and grouchy.

32. A job

33. A sweet and encouraging hubs

34. Birthday presents

35. Baby Showers, pink and purple

36. Going to Church with new friends from Russia

37. Having tea with new friends

38. Drinking tea. period

39. Prayer - that Jesus hears and answers, I would be a real mess without Him

40. Paying off two of my school loans! woot woo

41. Journaling. Seeing the paper slowly fill with words that come out of my hand

42. Puppy kisses

43. Polka dots

44. A four day school week - two weeks in a row

45. Tears

46. Peanut butter treats with m&ms

47. Fresh tomatoes from the garden

48. Marshmallow flip-flops

49. Bed time

Ok. Now go over to Ann's and link up too (I give you permission to do so even though it's not Monday :)

de-lish-ish

2011-08-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Welp. Yesterday I rushed home from school. Surprisingly I left at 3:30ish - the earliest I think I have left school so far. Anyhow. It was great. I went to get a few things from the grocery store and I remembered everything I had written on my list even though I had forgotten my list in the car.

I had found out an hour or so earlier that the picnic we were going to actually started a whole hour earlier than we thought it did. Thus the rush. But, I was able time everything perfectly. Which is rare. In fact, I was ready to walk out the door right at 3:30 and the Hubs wasn't even home from work. I was on top of things : ) I think it surprised even myself a little bit.

Anyhow. We went to the picnic and had pretty nice time. I think I mentioned that we have some new friends from Russia. I can't remember. But if I didn't, or if you haven't been reading for long, we have some new friends from Russia. They came a day or two before I got my job. We picked them up from the airport, moved them into our guest bedroom for a few days, helped them find an apartment, took them to the store (this was the Hubs' favorite part was taking them to Walmart and Target : )

Anyhow. The picnic we went to was for International Students who are attending U of L. The Hubs and I found out we could be a part of this ministry through our church that welcomes and befriends International Students and that's how we made our new friends. So the picnic was to welcome all of the International Students to U of L. We went and had a jolly time.

And I took my treat. I wanted to eat half the pan before we got there, but I refrained. By the time I got through the line there were only five little squares left. Apparently these little guys go like hot cakes. They are delicious.

Wanna make them? It's just like Rice Crispy Treats without the Rice Crispies. Substitute Peanut Butter cereal in and add some M&Ms! Easy Peasy.

Ok. I'm off. I just wanted to share that little tidbit : )

excitment

2011-08-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I am going to make some delicious yummy treats to take to a picnic. They will be a combination of rice crispy treats and peanut butter goodness. I am soooo excited. I cannot tell you just how excited I am. I will take oodles of pictures and I will share them. And I will let you know how they turn out tasting and if there are actually any left by the time we get to the picnic : )

I have a ~~slight~~ major ~~love~~ addiction if anything peanut butter : ) I'm so excited. This is gonna be a great Friday afternoon!!!

tears

2011-08-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Today I made a student cry.

oh. my.

poor dear.

I didn't even say anything to her.

No. Not one word.

I graded papers and entered the grades.

And her mom saw it and sent me an email about it.

But, because my email has been broken since I got my job three weeks ago...

yeah.

I didn't get that one right away.

And I didn't write back until after the poor dear came crying in my room.

It made me so sad.

I was about to cry with her.

I don't like crying students.

I hope they don't figure that out and all come crying to me when they want something

cause I would probably cave in and give it to them.

Even if the tears were fake.

But no. Her tears were real.

Real.

Big. Fat. Tears.

She hadn't turned in an assignment that I was entering in the grade book.

I didn't know what else to do.

I didn't have it, so I put a zero. And it made her cry.

She came to me after school asking what was wrong. What she had done.

And then I saw her puffy red eyes and a tear roll down her check.

Don't cry sweet dear.

I can fix it. Bring me your paper and I will fix it for you.

I think I will be getting that paper tomorrow first thing in the morning.

I can't believe I made a student cry on the 11th day of school.

contacts on my eyeballs

2011-08-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

I am such a genius. I know my left from my right.

Or, maybe not.

I got some new contacts this morning. I pulled the boxes out and looked at which was labeled Right and which was labeled Left. I put them on the appropriate sides of the sink.

I put the contact for my left on on the tip of my right finger, the finger I use to put my contacts in regardless of the eye, and after making an "L" with my fingers I stuck the contact in. Then, I put in the Right contact in my other eye.

However, my eyes would not focus. Things were blurry. I took them out and stuck them back in hoping it would help. Then I walked around the house a little bit, squinting my eyes, covering one and then the other. The real trouble came when The Hubs showed me something on the computer and I actually had to focus to read. I couldn't.

Since I was becoming ill from lack of being able to focus I decided to take them out and wear my glasses. I'm not really sure at which point I realized that I had the Left contact in the right eye and the Right contact in the Left eye. I think it must have been right before tripped on my carpet and nearly fell down the stairs because I could see so well with fuzzy eye vision.

After a few hours or so I decided to give my contacts another try. I switched the eyes and wha-la. It's amazing how much better you can see when you have the correct contact in your eye.

You know, in as many years as I have been wearing contacts, which has been too many ... maybe 14 years?! (oh, I am so old) I think today is the first time I mixed the eyes up. whoops. I'm just glad I didn't drive all the way to school with fuzzy vision and get sick half way through the day because of it : )

I promised...

2011-08-17T17:33:00.000-07:00

Welp, here are the few pictures I have and said I would share. They are pretty self explanatory...

that's me. ready for school. It's amazing I don't look more sickly. Cause, good gracious, I was sick all day long. And the picture is in our kitchen because it was far too dark in any other room in our house or outside. Shame.

my desk. I've never had a desk at a job before. I feel so special to have this one.

this is the back wall with very empty bulletin boards. obviously. but that's ok. I will fill them up as we go on in the year.

the front of the room. exciting, eh?

and my bookshelves. they might be my favorite part about the room.

Welp. There's the tour. It's a work in progress and I might change it up here soon and show you. But for now I am working on the planning and teaching part. oh. my.

Anyhow. I hope you guys are having a good week! Thanks again for all of your sweet words! They make my day more than you can know.

Happy Wednesday to you!

it's a going

2011-08-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

Ok. So, get excited. Tomorrow you will get to see pictures of my classroom. Ah! How exciting I know! It's semi impressive ; ) And I think I might put up a picture of me on my first day of school as a teacher! bah!

It's still so crazy and I can hardly believe that I have a job at a school doing what I went to school to do. This is going to be a crazy year I am still scrambling to get everything I need and making lesson plans I don't know how to make. I'm also supposed to be teaching like I actually know how to teach. kehehe.

But I just wanted to say that this year (all five days of it) is going very very well. I am excited to see how the rest of the year plays out and how I manage to get through everything. I'm also excited to be working with and helping my students. There are gonna be some crazy and wild times ahead. I'm sure I will be keeping you posted.

And, I think that's about it for now. Sorry my writing has been so sporadic lately. I just feel like I'm never home any more. Yesterday I was only home for about an hour and a half total. Serious. Well, unless you count the hours I was sleeping. I don't really count those.

Anyhow. I will be catching up with a lot this week. You guys, lesson planning, grading... all kinds of fun and wonderful things! : ) Thanks again for your encouraging words. You guys are the greatest!

My First Day as a Real Live Teacher

2011-08-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say real quick like: I didn't die, pass out, or vomit in my class in front of my kids today. Though if I had died in front of them I wouldn't really care if I had. Since, you know. I'd be dead. But thankfully I survived. The kids were actually really great. I guess I was expecting the absolute worst. But they came in and sat down. When class started I hollered at them to be quiet and then got going on expectations. And I was mean. A mean ol' lady. Well, that's what I was going for. I like to think that I achieved that. I just keep telling myself that I did. And then I will be a grouchy teacher lady tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next ... I hope :D

The best thing for me was being prepared. Obviously this makes a Huge difference. But I am glad that I was overly prepared and had plenty to do with the kids as opposed to not enough. Now I have to get all the way ready for tomorrow. And the next day ... :)

But it was a good day. I enjoyed it. Once the kids were in my room I knew that I had to get down to business and be a real teacher lady to them. So I did. Even though I was nauseous all morning long (not even close to kidding, actually I've been nauseous about this morning since I found out on Friday). And I was shaking like a person on crack. And at one point during the day my foot was suddenly paralyzed. Weird. But all the sudden my toe was stuck and contorted in my shoe and painful, very painful. So, I guess maybe it wasn't paralyzed since you can't feel anything when you are paralyzed. But I was only one step away from having a paralyzed foot. It's true.

Anyhow. I just wanted to let you know I was still breathing and that I survived the day... and that it turned out to be a pretty good one. Except for the part where I got tired of talking and ran out of water and had the driest mouth ever and was parched like a desert and had to pee sooooo badly but had to hold it for five and a half hours. But other than that ... : )

ok! maybe I'll share my first day of school picture with you guys when I have a little more time to function.

Also, I just wanted to thank all of you for your sweet and encouraging comments!! I don't have the time to respond to all of you, but know that I am very grateful! And I will catch up on your blogs here soon!

yesterday, today, tomorrow

2011-08-09T04:06:00.000-07:00

I didn't do 1000 gifts yesterday. I kind of forgot in the midst of my newly acquired busy schedule : )

My classroom is done. Well, as much as it can be. There is paper covering the bulletin boards and that's pretty much it. I'm just trying to keep my head on straight! It is exciting and overwhelming at the same time. School starts tomorrow! Ah! that means kids will be there and I will have to teach them. yikes!

And I have to go. I will give a more through update here soon.

news news news

2011-08-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

Guess what, y'all?!

I got a job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ah!!!!!!!!!!

as you can see I am very into the exclamation mark at the moment!! : )

Yep, that's right. A job. A real live teacher job! bah! You are lookin' at the newest teacher on the block.

9th grade English.

That's freshmen. Freshmen. Big, scary, smelly, wonderful freshmen.

And school starts on Wednesday. Wednesday. That's one, two, three, four, five days away. Yes, five days from now I will be standing in front of my new students, sitting at my teacher desk, in my classroom.

Ah!!!!

And yay!!!

So, any teachers out there? Any freshmen/high school teachers? Help? How do you go about getting ready for your first day of school? Syllabus? Seating chart? Decorations? Expectations? What do you do? Where do you start?! Any and all help or advice would be most very welcome!!! also, prayers would be wonderful. I will need them :D ha. so will my students!

crazy!

five days!

bah!

ok.

pretty places

2011-08-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned a week or so ago that I have recently discovered the wonder of Pinterest. Now I can see how it can be Incredibly addicting. It's amazing. Really.

Now that I've been looking around a little bit on there I have found a few places I would like to be...

can you say perfect?

All beautiful and different and wonderful for a completely different reasons. And now you know where I wish I were. See? I've found so many pretty places on Pinterest : )

a little surprise

2011-08-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

The other day my supervising teacher from my student teaching days sent me a text asking me if I wanted some books. Well, heck yes I wanted some books. She told me one of the other teachers from my student teaching days had a bunch of books and wanted to know if I wanted some. I did. Yesterday I went over pick them up. I was expecting one box of books. Welcome the best surprise of my life. Ever. Okay, maybe not the best surprise of my life ever, but still it was pretty darn good.

There were three whole big boxes overflowing with books. I about died of happiness. I love books. I love that now I have a pretty nice library for my classroom. bah! I love it! So much so that I stood outside in the extreme heat looking through each box. Looking at each book. Ignoring the fact that I was an afternoon snack for the local mosquito gang. When I got inside I counted 38 bites on my legs and arms, hands and feet. No joke. They itch so much!

Anyhow. That's how much I love books. 38 bug bites worth. Extreme heat worth. Now, I just need a classroom to share them with : )

Also, I just have to say I have the best supervising teacher ever. And the best teacher friends ever. Oh, I am blessed.

What surprises have you been surprised with lately?

Menu Planner

2011-08-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

For about the past year I have had a little note pad with the days of the week on them. It was the perfect and cutest little menu planner for the week. On the side it had a spot for a grocery list. Amazing. Sadly there were only 52 papers and when I went back to get another menu planner just like it at the store, they didn't have them any more. Sad, but true. So for the past few weeks I have been planning our meals on list paper, which works fine and all, but it's really not the same.

Today I was out and about, which means: I was at Target, I found the perfect solution. Well, the perfect cheap solution. You see I have seen fancy planner thingys at the store before, they have the days of the week, spots for names and all kinds of goodness. They also happen to be a little more than I would care to spend on such an item. Today I was in luck. I wandered back into the back-to-school section of the store and saw a little white board. The packaging said it was magnetic (even though I didn't see magnets on the back of it) and three, no six, dry erase markers came with it. bah! So exciting! And the best part was that it was on sale for very very cheap :D

When I got home I opened the packaging and found the magnets that you could stick on the back if you wanted to. I wanted to. I mean, I needed to stick it to my fridge some how. I was soooooo excited! And then, after I did the taping I actually got to write with the dry erase markers. I have a thing for dry erase markers and boards. ooo. I Love writing on them/with them!! It's pretty much the best thing in the whole entire world. ...good thing I'm a teacher : )

So now I have a permanent solution to my menu planning. It's cheap, it's fun, and it's magnetic. It's also long lasting. Which I like.

I thought about making a little something like this:

via

Which is so stinkin' adorable and cute and fun and I LOVE it. Every single bit of it. But I decided after looking and thinking it over that I wouldn't have a perfect spot to hang it. Well, I could... but I am cheap, and while this project isn't too pricey, it's a little too pricey for the time being. Maybe after I get a job I can make it... One can dream, right? If you do decide to take the plunge and make this cute little bad boy you really need to tell me and then take pictures of it so that I can ~~envy~~ applaud your effort. For now I'm sticking with my mini white board.

Anyhow. That made me happy today. The white board and the thought of one day making the darling menu planner board.

just a few gifts

2011-08-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

Today is Monday (though I'm sure you might be painfully aware of that fact). That means it's time for some more gifts from this week...

14. Visiting family.

15. Birthday cake.

16. Slobbery toddler kisses.

17. Soft and squishy baby hugs.

18. Hot tea with honey.

19. Reading, for pleasure.

20. Enjoying the sweet aroma of baking banana bread.

21. Crocheting with friends.

22. A surprise phone call from a friend far away.

23. Learning, again, that God has the perfect plan, though tears and trusting him for his perfect timing.

24. Dreaming about running a marathon with my sister and brother [note the dreaming, I haven't taken the plunge yet...]

25. Riding in the car with The Hubs and chatting about nothing in particular.

26. Sipping a Mocha Coconut Frappuccino on a hot and sticky day.

27. Birthday presents.

28. New fluffy pillows.

29. Journaling in a real live journal with pink, purple, and blue pens.

30. Folding laundry while watching a movie on a warm afternoon.

31. An encouraging, supportive, and strong husband who works hard and provides for our little family.

Now it's your turn. Go on over and link up with Ann and share the gifts you have been given.

Happy Monday, y'all.

Cake Balls!

2011-07-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

Remember the other day when I mentioned that I made Cake Balls? Well, I did. I've made them a few times before and since they are sooo yummy I just had to make them again. So I did. And this time, I think I figured it out.

They turned out just like I wanted them to.

scrumptious.

Now, you should go and make some for yourself. It's very simple really.

Get a boxed cake at the store (any kind you want) and get an icing you want to eat with it. Chocolate, strawberry, lemon, confetti. Any at all. Really, it's impossible to go wrong. Cake is good. Icing is better. Any combination of the two has got to be divine!

Then you:

Bake the cake as the directions say to on the box. Let it cool.

Break the cake into chucks and in a big bowl mix in the icing.

(don't use the whole thing of the icing though, just most of it : )

Stick the cake in the fridge for a few hours.

Remove from the fridge and start rolling the cake into little balls.

After (or while) the cake is rolled up ...

Melt some candy melts or chocolate chips (white or butterscotch).

One whole bag works pretty well, but I have a second one on hand just in case.

Dip the cake balls into the icing.

(I have found that the dipping is more successful when you pour the melted

candy/chocolate into a mug or something).

Then you get to eat the yumminess you just made!

See?! Simple! Easy peasy!

oh, they are so good! Now, go make some and then invite me over so I don't have to make more and then eat them all by myself! : )

cheers!

pinning?

2011-07-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

I signed up for Pinterest today. I've heard (and seen) so many good things about it. And finally curiosity got the best of me. I had to see what it was all about. So I took the plunge. Signed up for a twitter account. And got into Pinerest.

So far, I'm not really sure what to do. I see lots of pictures I like and I click, "repin". Is that what I'm supposed to be doing? How do you make boards? How do you edit board? Or pictures? I need a tutorial. Maybe I'm just over thinking this. It's simple, right? Please tell me it's simple. How do you get your Pins(?) onto blogger? So many questions!

I always see cute little collections of pictures on your all's blogs and I just can't figure out how you do it! Although, I suppose I did just sign up for it. I'll figure it out, in time, right? Right.

If you have any help, suggestions, or other useful information I would gladly welcome it!

I hope you all have had a happy Thursday!

Cheers!

Ned the Dog Trainer

2011-07-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago The Hubs and I were hanging out with our small group. We all decided it would be a fun idea to walk to Dairy Queen (since it is boiling hot here!) and get some ice cream. yum. So we did. We leashed up the dogs and buckled in the baby (our friend's baby, not ours) and headed out on our way.

Before I go on I should say that we had Puppy with us that night. We were coming back from getting Puppy from The Hubs' parents house. We didn't have time to stop at home and get to our friends' house in a timely manner so we brought Puppy along. Which was fine with the friends. In fact, they have two doggies themselves. So it was like a little party. kind of. not really. But still, it was quite nice.

Anyhow. Like I was saying. We leashed the doggies up and buckled in the baby. And we walked. And walked and walked. Until we got to Dairy Queen. Ok. Really, it wasn't that long a walk. It was quite nice. Except the part where we about died trying to cross the street because there was no traffic light. yikes.

And then there we were at Dairy Queen for some ice cream. Not long after we had sat down at one of the nice tables and were ~~drinking~~ enjoying our ice cream a car pulls up. Not just any car. An old boxy rusty noisy car. I really don't pay attention to makes and models unless it happens to be a kind of car I lust after. Which it wasn't. Obviously. In the car sat two men. Talking. Loudly. They sat in there for a while after they parked. But I could really see them as my back was to them.

After about five hours of them sitting in their car Man gets out. And kind of stumble-y like walks over to us. To our doggies. The two little doggies greeted Man well enough and thankfully Man's friend came over and ushered Man inside the building. whew.

But then . . . not too long after [I still hadn't finished my blizzard, forget the fact that I'm a slow eater] Man comes back outside. And starts talking to us. Ok. Whatever. Fine. We'll be friendly and chat for a little bit. Then Man introduces himself as Ned. Ned started talking to The Hubs. So The Hubs asked Ned if he had any dogs.

In my head I answered Hubs' question: "yes. Pitbull."

Bingo! That is exactly what Ned said. That and a Mastiff and another big dog, maybe a Rottweiler or something crazy. Anyhow, according to Ned he is a professional dog trainer. At least, that's what he told us. ...he never specified as to what kind of dog trainer he was exactly. Use your imagination. It's really not too difficult to figure out.

"Boy or girl? Boy or girl?" Ned slurs.

"Boy," Hubs says.

"Come here, girl!" Ned calls.

Girl, aka Puppy, does not go to Ned. In fact he scurries as far away from Ned as he can possibly get. I don't blame him.

Ned's breath is kinda stinky. Like, alcohol. Yes. You could say that. Ned smells of liquor. I hope he wasn't the one driving. And that if it was his friend driving, that Ned was the only one drinking. But... who knows.

"Watch this. Come here, girl," Ned calls to Puppy and grabs him by the leash. Or tries to at least.

"Boy or girl? Boy or girl?" Ned asks, again.

"Heh. Boy," reminds Hubs.

Puppy walks away. Ned moves so he is closer to Puppy. And promptly proceeds to wave his hand right in front of Puppy's face. "I can train her, watch," boasts Ned.

"No. That's okay. He doesn't need any training, we work with him at home," Hubs says.

"Boy or girl? Boy or girl?" Ned asks, yet again.

"He's a Boy," I say with very little annoyance in my tone I am sure.

"Come here, girl! I'll teach you a trick," Ned is not letting up. And he is getting a lot closer. To Puppy and to us. eh, no thank you, Ned. Ned continues to move his hand in circles and crazyness right in front of Puppy.

Puppy is getting annoyed. He is not the only one. "Hey, girl," Ned says as he sticks his arm right in front of Puppy's mouth.

Great. Ned is going to teach our puppy how to bite people. Won-der-ful. And that's when Puppy snaps. Bares his sharp little fangs, growls the meanest growl I've heard come from his mouth, and narrows his eyes with a look that could have killed Ned.

"We don't want Puppy to bite you, Ned," Hubs says.

"I won't sue you if she does. Promise, man." yeah right.

I stand up and start walking away. Hubs is coming too. [now looking back on it, I think I may have just started walking off without waiting for the rest of our small group to be ready to leave. I'm pretty sure I didn't care. That's not very nice of me now is it?]

Ned follows. "I can teach her. Girl, here," he says as he again hold his arm right in front of Puppy's face. Puppy is gettin' mean and cranky. I am a little scared for my life.

"We're leaving now. Bye, Ned." I say, curtly.

"Hold up. I'll give you $1000 for your dog right now. Look, I got it in my pocket," Ned offers as he pulls a wad of somethin' somethin' out of his pants pocket.

Oh. Good. Gravy. "We are not selling our dog," I say as I clutch Puppy to me and walk quickly away from Ned.

"$1000! Right here!"

"Nope." And I didn't look back.

oh, good goodness.

And then we [the small group had caught up by that point] walked back to the house and told a police man we saw about crazy Ned.

Now, there is good news here:

1. We are still alive.

2. Puppy didn't bite anyone.

3. We still have Puppy.

4. We know that Puppy is protective and can sense a bad guy when he sees/hears/smells one. I had always wondered if an unwelcome intruder came our way if Puppy would toughen up and attack if necessary. Now I know, yes, yes he will. And it is reassuring. I'm happy to know Puppy doesn't just bark the bark. He can be a tough little guy and protect me.

And that's the only happy ending to that little adventure.

oh, there are some pretty interesting people around, eh?

Sorry for the longer post. I got a little carried away and nearly drowned in a pool of tears and fear just from recounting the events of this little ~~nightmare~~ story.

Anyhow. Toodles for now!

one thousand gifts

2011-07-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

I was visiting Bloom the other day and she was talking about how she found a wonderful book, One Thousand Gifts and then she mentioned a challenge... to write down 1000 gifts you have been given. While I still haven't actually gotten my hands on the actual book I am excited to begin this little journey.

I did go to the book store this weekend and I looked for the book, but sadly they did not have it. Shame. Now I am going to have to look elsewhere. Maybe I should wait to start my thousand gift journey until I get the book, but I'm just so excited and can't wait. Once I get the book and start reading it I will let you know more about it. Then hopefully you will be able to start a list of a thousand gifts.

As I read the book I am going to be linking up with Ann (ooo, I've never linked up for anything before! how exciting!) every Monday for my thousand gifts. I am sure it is going to take me much longer to think of my thousand things than it will for me to read the book. I think this is going to be a wonderful journey and that it is going to make me truly appreciate the gifts I have been blessed with.

So here I go, in no particular order with no particular number.

1. Rain pitter-pattering on the roof over my head.

2. Cuddle time with Puppy.

3. Fresh picked blueberries.

4. Little chubby sticky fingers and sweaty hugs.

5. Reading in a quiet room.

6. Falling asleep to a humming fan on a hot night.

7. Driving to the airport to pick up a loved one.

8. Chopping up artichoke hearts and mixing them in with yummy goodness to make Spinach Artichoke Dip.

9. Cake balls, I finally got it right! [post to come on those cake balls very soon.]

10. Sunday afternoon naps.

11. Sitting on a porch swing on the perfect fall morning.

12. My job interview!!

--- yes, that's right, folks! I have a job interview! It's tomorrow afternoon! I am so wonderfully excited and thankful for this opportunity. I was debating about wether or not I should put that up here because should I not get the job (which I will) I didn't want it to be known publicly that I didn't get the job and am a failure. But then I thought about how I should be honest as I know you all are. And I also know that I would be lifted and surrounded in prayer if I mentioned I had an interview and asked for some extra prayers tomorrow. So I'm sharing my happy news and asking that if you think of me tomorrow afternoon that you would just say a little prayer for me and my job.

And that's where I'm gonna stop today. Like I said, this is a journey. It's gonna take a little bit to get to 1000. But that is okay with me! Now you should go link up with Ann and try this out for yourself!

cheers!

Last Week

2011-07-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

In honor of today being Friday and almost a whole week since I have been at my sister's house, I want to share some of my Minnesotan adventures with y'all.

This is one of my adorable nephews, he was giving me some Tinker Bell chap-stick. I love his mop of curls!

Maybe his ~~Mama~~ Papa won't appreciate this, but I just couldn't help myself! He is a stinkin' cutie!

Remember when I told you we went blueberry picking? We did, and this is one of the "gigantic" berries he picked and promptly popped in his little mouth to enjoy.

The cute sister pickin' her berries.

little munchkin!

berries!

lots of berries.

I would like to take this opportunity to say that it was quite chilly that morning. And it rained. And I was the only one without a jacket. Apparently I just wasn't very prepared. I'm not complaining, just noting to you all that I did not freeze to death while I was picking berries. Actually, it was really the perfect morning to pick berries. Perfect because it was chilly and a little rainy. And that is my favorite kind of morning. I would much rather be chilly than hot. Which do you prefer?

I never realized that's what I look like when I munch on blueberries.

my sister with all of her plunder.

my loot ... not too shabby, considering I didn't have any help ; )

I just want to eat him up!

I love this pitcher and these kiddos!

[you should try spelling picture like that some time (pitcher), it lifts your spirits immediately. do it, you will thank me later :]

the farm

chillin', and yes, the bunny is apparently reading a book : )

munchin on some of that yummy cake batter frozen yogurt I was tellin you about. I will post a recipe for that here soon, that way you can all enjoy some!

Anyhoot. I know there were loads of photos, I just couldn't help myself. That's pretty much what I did all last week, hang out with some cuties and pick blueberries. Oh, and shop at The Mall of America : ) it's always a fun time with my sister. I just didn't take any pictures of that outing.

Happy Friday, y'all!

pretty please with sprinkles on top

2011-07-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share some of my birthday delights with you guys.

Like this one...

and this one...

[this is the homemade cake batter frozen yogurt I was telling you about :]

Anyhow, it was a pretty nice day. I pretty much did nothing. Well, actually, that's not completely true. I finished reading my book, The Help, so expect a little book review coming soon! I also finished two weeks worth of laundry. And I made the yummy frozen yogurt above. When The Hubs came home from work we went to dinner at P.F. Chang's.

Pretty exciting. I know.

So yes. Now I am old. Oh, and I learned something new yesterday. I'll impart my new found bit of knowledge on to you [just don't tell me, "Oh, I already knew that!" mmk?]. So, did you know that Martin Luther King Jr. was only 26 years old when he started his involvement with the Civil Rights Movement? It's true. He was. I never realized before just how young he was. Crazy. There's a man who did so much with his life, what have I done with my life up to this point? humm... I'll get back to you on that one : )

Anyhoot. Happy Thursday, y'all!

home sweet home and some yummy cake batter frozen yogurt

2011-07-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well, gee-peers. I feel like it has been far too long. And is has. Let me explain why.

I was gone for 9 days on the mission trip I mentioned a little while back. But you already knew that.

What I didn't tell you was that when I got back we only had three days at home to get unpacked and do laundry (including folding and putting away) only to have to pack our bags right back up again. I didn't want to let the whole world know I was going to be MIA from my precious home for one more week. So I just didn't really say anything at all. Maybe I should have, but I'm weird like that. Although, now, if I ever don't post for a month you will probably know that I am not at home, which defeats the whole purpose of my not saying anything. Or maybe not. I suppose it depends on my location.

In the Dominican Republic I really couldn't do a thing about it. No internet. No computer. No tv. No phones (not that I have a fancy phone anyway). No nothing. It was wonderful. Only, it was a little tricky to get back into having all of those nice things once again. kind of. I suppose it wouldn't have been too difficult to get back into a regular blogging grove had I not been on the move yet again from the Dominican Republic . . .

to visit these three little loves of my life . . .

[though, I soon discovered they were not all quite so little any more : ]

yes, yes. I got to take a nice ~~short~~ long drive way up north to Minnesota and spend a delightful week with my oldest sister and her little munchkins.

But, now I am back home. And I have pictures loading onto my computer for picture stories to come later in the week (for real this time). I am excited about this.

I am not excited about the fact that today I am as old as I have ever been in my life. I suppose you could say that every day of your life, but for some reason birthdays make that point stick out a little bit more. o bother.

On the bright side . . . today is my birthday! And I get to go out to a yummy dinner with The Hubs. And I made some cake batter frozen yogurt! it is De-lish. I will have to post some pictures in the morning, if I remember to take any before devouring what is left of it, that is :D

cheers for now!

I heart tea

2011-07-15T14:59:00.000-07:00

It is simply delightful stuff. There is nothing better than a nice and steamy hot mug of tea. I have gone through phases of having different favorite brews. Earl Gray. Apple cinnamon. Peppermint. Chai. They are all Delish. So it's truly impossible to pick just one : )

I had forgotten how much I especially love tea on rainy mornings. Or overcast mornings. Or drizzly days. A whole day of gray skies and rain drops is only a day begging for a nice cup tea. Tis true.

This morning I had a nice hot cup of apple cinnamon tea. And it was raining. Sadly I was fully dressed and ready to go for a little run with my sister and was going to have to wait to finish my tea later. But just in the ~~nick of time~~ as we were putting our shoes on, a huge bolt of lightning struck with a rumble of thunder shortly following. Our run had to be ~~cancelled~~ postponed. Shame really.

Eh, at least I was able to go get all pretty, finish my tea, and enjoy a rainy (and some what stormy) day.

Oh, how I love me some tea : )

Happy sipping!!

Birthday Wish List : )

2011-07-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

I tell you what, it's been tricky for me to get online after being without it for so long (nine days). It was nice to have nothing to do online. Not that I really usually ever have anything that I have to do online. I just browse and read blogs and write my own. I loved just chilling (when there was time to chill) with The Hubs and the other friends that were on the trip.

After we got back from the Dominican Republic The Hubs flew off to California for work and I drove all day to visit my sister. Being with my sister and her adorable chilins was so wonderful I just didn't really stop and take the time to write anything. Time is precious you know : ) I will have to upload some of the pictures and post them up here.

That's right. Get excited. Pictures from the Dominican Republic trip and from my sisters! how happy :D

Anyhow. Today I sent The Hubs a Birthday Wish List. Every year I voluntarily make one up for him. It's no trouble really. In fact I quite enjoy doing it. But for some reason, I didn't this year. So on Sunday The Hubs asked me about it and if I would please make one up for him. So I did. And since it is almost my birthday (I will be ancient in exactly one week. ah!!!) I thought I'd better go ahead and get that list to The Hubs : ) ... and I thought I would share it with you all. Since you know, I can.

Hannah's Birthday Wish List : )

an ipod nano - it's just so cute and little. And it can keep track of running: pace, time, distance. It's especially perfect since I am a professional runner. kehehe.

see? perfect!

A Lululemon Cool Racerback tank top. I tried it on in the store the other day and it is Amazing. Seriously. It made me want to run a marathon (or half) right then and there. I want it. I need it : ) It's just so comfy!

A Pandora charm bracelet with a charm.

[note to The Hubs: this is the bracelet I was talking about : ) I also happen to l-o-v-e this perfect little charm. I'm sure it will be the most expensive one since I didn't look at the price. kehehe. end note]

Night stands for our bedroom. Right now we only have wobbly little tables and the only thing that fits on top is a lamp and a cell phone. New and bigger ones would be loverly : )

Headbands I always look and admire them but I never get them even though I would wear them a lot. I would like me some I think.

yes. these are some things I would especially like for my birthday. Don't let me stop you from getting me something from my wish list :D

I like them all a lot. That's why they are on the list. I'm just glad I don't have to be the one deciding what to get me from my birthday : ) kehehe. That's the hard part . . . for me at least!

Sorry it's been so long. I think I should be able to get back on my posting schedule again! Also, I am soooo excited for all of my new friends and followers! You all make my day! I just love making new friends and learning about you all : ) welcome welcome! And thanks to all of you who have been a long for a while. I just want you all to know that I appreciate you and am so thankful for you each and every one!

cheers!

far far away.

2011-07-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

I have been gone for the past week or so. Maybe you noticed.

I knew I would be away for nine days but I didn't really want to announce it to the world. Though, prayers from you all would have been wonderful, I am just a little paranoid leaving my house. Maybe that's silly. But I am. So I just didn't say anything at all.

But I was gone. For nine days I was in the Dominican Republic. Two couples from The Hubs' and mine small group went on a mission trip to the D.R. Unfortunately the other couples couldn't come along. But that's okay, one stayed and watched Puppy, he needed a home for a week and they were so very gracious and wonderful to watch him and keep him for us while we were away. The other couples were behind us in prayer and support while we were away. We could not have done it without them.

It was an incredible trip. We left early Tuesday morning (can you say 2 o'clock in the morning? cause yes, that is when we left) and got in to Santiago, Dominican Republic around 2ish or 3ish that afternoon. The Lord was gracious and wonderful and we all arrived safely and soundly with no delays or troubles. As did our luggage. We spent the afternoon and evening with the missionaries we would be working with that week and seeing the neighborhood we were staying in. [I took pictures but I haven't uploaded them yet, that will have to wait for tomorrow].

Wednesday morning bright and early we woke and got ready for a full day ahead. We were going to The Hole. The lowest place in Santiago. A former dump. People, families, children, and babies live and play down there. It is where we spent the next three days.

A few years back a pastor felt a call to start a church down there, so he started going and just playing with the kids and giving them candies. Drug Lords rule The Hole. But for some reason [can you say God?] the Drug Lords allowed the pastor to start a church and have not touched or harmed him, the church, or any of the people helping at the church. They guard it. They watch it and keep it safe. So a church building was built. Behind the church is a river. A nasty dirty dump of a river, but a river no less. This river has been eroding the land next to it, which is where the church happens to sit.

Because of the erosion that happens we helped build a retaining wall sort of thing. We carried rocks and filled cages so that they [the cages] would keep the water away from the church.

That is pretty much what we did. One day we played with some children. And between carrying rocks we would play with the kids in The Hole. It was a great way to spend the week.

I just wanted to share real quick like [well, kind of quick] about where I have been and why I haven't been posting. But don't you worry. I have stories to tell from the trip. And pictures. I will share those, I just wanted to give a little summary like thing : )

So get excited and be expecting oodles of stories and photos over the next few days.

I will leave you with this little video clip that G.O. Ministries [the mission organization we went to Santiago with] put together for us.

I am so glad to be back! I can't wait to catch up on all of your blogs! : )

little pocket

2011-06-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

Why is it that the thing you are looking for is always in the very last place you look for it?! I mean, seriously?

I don't just mean it like, since you found it obviously you would stop looking for it after that. Which would naturally make the last place you looked for it.

But. I was looking for something today. And I look Everywhere. Everywhere. In every single closet. In every single bag [well, except for one]. And in every single room. I looked a lot. And then, at the end of my rope I decided I would look one last place and if it wasn't there then I would stop looking and consider the said item gone forever. I looked in the big part of the suitcase that was far above my reach. Not there. I looked in the biggest pocket on the outside. Not there. Then. Then . . . I looked in the smaller pocket. And what do you know? Right there in front of my face. Or more like hand. I fished it out and then saw it was exactly what I was looking for.

I love finding things. But sometimes I don't like the looking so much. eh. what can ya do, I suppose the go hand in hand with each other.

Anyhoot.

return of the studd muffin

2011-06-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

The Hubs came home. Finally. Boy is it nice to see him again. It was very quiet and lonesome while he was gone. I found myself frequenting Target more than I would like to admit. Just for something to do. Just for something to keep my mind busy - thinking about how cute this or that was and how I needed something or rother that I naturally never left the store with. But going gave me some interaction with people. In that I actually saw a real live person as opposed to seeing only pictures of people online or people in movies that I watched. Or only seeing and talking to Puppy.

Anyhow. When The Hubs came walking through the gate I was expecting [and prepared] to see my Hubs. You know, the hottie in jeans and a UK t-shirt or hoodie.

Instead, this guy walked out . . .

studd muffin, eh?

He told me he wore it special for me. oh, dear. He also told me that he got a lot of interesting, crazy, and weird looks while walking through the airport. Just cause he was wearing something a little untraditional to us Americans. eh, what can you do?

I didn't look at him all funny like. I just laughed at him. But he did too. So it was all good and fun. Cause it was like he told me later, he was just wearing it for fun. See? No hurt feelings.

ok. well. I just thought I'd let you all know he is back. And back to wearing his normal jeans and t-shirt clothes again. Not that you really care about that part.

Alrighty then. Happy Weekend to you all!

Water for Elephants

2011-06-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

I finished reading Water for Elephants and I must say I quite enjoyed it. I had no idea what to expect before I started reading it. Oh wait, maybe I did. A guy is a vet and he joins the circus. That's pretty much it. But other than that, no idea. It was really good though. Parts were a little bit funny and I chuckled, "ha ha." Parts of it were intense. Parts were a little bit gross. And there were a few racy bits.

As is says on the back of the book:

As a young many, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the Great Depression, and for Jacob the circus was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray home for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was ultimately their only hope for survival.

I'd say that's a pretty good summary of the book. Somehow book covers always say it best : ) I would go into more details but I don't want to ruin it for any of you if you are reading it or want to. Apart from that it was entertaining and was the reason I didn't do dishes for about two days straight. Books will be the end of me.

The next book on my list is The Help, one of my friends has it so we are going to swap books! I'm so excited! Really. It's a little sad how excited I am about reading a book. I just can't help it. I LOVE reading!!

I heart baking

2011-06-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

Baking = therapy : ) -which in my experience is waaaay cheaper than actually going to the doctor.

No matter what I've got going on in my little life baking is my therapy. It's true. If I'm stressed or worried about something, I bake. It's amazing how wonderfully relaxing it is to me. I love it. Today I had a bunch of stuff going on (well, kind of, I made myself have stuff to do) but then after the dishes were put away and everything else was in it's home, I pulled out my brown bananas and mushed em up, added some flour and sugar . . . and a few other things, and popped two little loaves into the oven. Then for an hour I had the sheer pleasure and delight of inhaling the sweet and comforting aroma of baking banana bread. There is nothing better. It smells like home when something is baking. Maybe that's why I bake so much, cause I love my house to smell like a home.

Some people like running, or exercising, or talking, or eating, or cleaning when they are worried or stressed. I bake. Not that I was really stressed today, but my heart rate was up and I was running around the house like a chicken with it's head cut off. Actually, that's not true, I've seen a chicken get it's little head chopped off and the running around that it does while headless. It is a frightening sight. And there is also quite a lot of blood and feathers involved. Thankfully there was none of that going on here today :)

I just wanted to share my love today. I like the tried and true too. You know, the simple stuff. The good hearty homey stuff. Nothing too fancy smancy.

Too bad you aren't here to enjoy the yummy smell of my bread . . . and maybe even eat a little piece of it. If you want some you should come over. I will share with you : )

ok.

better than Christmas.

2011-06-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

Do you know what's better than Christmas?! Finding a treasure.

It is true.

Like this . . .

I was going through a little (or medium size) bin I have in our hall closet. This bin holds the extras. You know: shampoo, soap, hair products, deodorant and such. The stuff that I sometimes find on mucho sale or I had a coupon for. Just a few odds and ends. Things that we use every day and some of which would be a terrible thing to run out of suddenly (for example: deodorant). Although, it wouldn't be that terrible, just a little inconvenient maybe. You would have to go to the store a hot smelly mess to get something to remedy that. So, ever since The Hubs and I have been married I have tried to have a few extras. Or at least one in the bin for when the other runs out. A very bad thing to suddenly run out of is contact solution. Although there are many others : )

But . . . I digress. Like I was saying, I was going through the bin. Looking to see what we had and kind of organizing it too. I tend to do that about once a month. But. Yes. I was looking through the bin and found two little treasures.

Contacts!

my little ~~life~~ eye savers : )

Fine. Don't think it's a treasure. But whatever, I know the truth. It is. A big one too. It's a treasure because I had just called the day before to make an eye appointment because my prescription had expired. You see, I had ordered some contacts. But then they told me my prescription was expired so I couldn't. Which meant I was going to have to pay for the eye appointment and then the contacts too. joy. Not that I couldn't use a little eye check up. Sadly enough I think my eyes have gotten worse in the past year and a half (thanks, Mom - I get my blindness from her. real sweet of her huh? : )

That is why finding boxes (of the current prescription) of contacts in your closet is better than Christmas.

Almost. I really love Christmas. But is pretty dang exciting. I know, you all wish you had my life cause it is stock full of exciting times, huh? ; )

toodles.

lofty goals

2011-06-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

Today I had two goals.

1. make a skirt.

2. do the laundry (including folding and putting it away).

Not too hard. Not that much to do. Shouldn't take forever. Not too lofty of goals. Right? Right.

Well, I forgot. I live with a puppy. Although, Puppy is almost not a puppy . . . but I still have another month or so.

Needless to say. The skirt did not get sewn (granted there are a few more hours to my day and it could happen, but I know that it won't so I won't even pretend like it will).

But thankfully by the time the clothes were fully dried Puppy was snoozing under the couch. Which allowed me plenty of time to fold and even put away the laundry. Obviously the more boring goal is the one Puppy allowed me to accomplish. Although, I suppose laundry is a little more important than sewing.

Maybe tomorrow Puppy will cooperate and I will be able to sew and snap a picture of my little creation. I sure hope so.

that's all I've got for today, y'all : )

"Choosing to See"

2011-06-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

I finished reading Choosing to See the other day. What a story. In the pages of this book Mary Beth Chapman (the wife of Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman) opens up her heart and shares her life story. Parts of it made me chuckle at some unfortunate and embarrassing moments but for the most part I was pretty much blubbering, sobbing, and crying the whole time. This woman and her family have been through a tragedy I can't even fathom going through, and through it all they keep their hope and faith in Christ. It is incredible. You will be blessed when you read this book.

Mary Beth Chapman shares her journey from the time she was a little girl, to when she met Steven Curtis Chapman, the beginning of their marriage, children, adoption, and tragedy. She shares her life and through it God is glorified.

Read it. You will see the power and grace of God and how He is the Creator and Father of us all. You will also cry, a lot. Guaranteed. I was just telling The Hubs about different parts in the book and he started tearing up. The Hubs does not cry. I told him to read it, but he said he didn't want to cry and after seeing me in uncontrollable tears while I was reading it he didn't feel so adventurous. But that should not stop you.

The Chapmans adopt and she shares this journey, I am grateful she did. Reading this book only reaffirmed my desire to adopt our children. The whole time I was reading (and after) all I could think about was how I want too, need to adopt. Even before reading this book I felt the calling on my life to adopt our children, but this was a definite source of encouragement and reaffirmation of that call. And it makes me want to start now. But we can't . . . so we will wait for the Lord's perfect timing.

sniffles and snot

2011-06-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

Last week I was a little stuffed up. I mean, I'm normally a little stuffy, or sniffly, but this was a lot more than the normal. I couldn't sleep at night. At all. I was close my eyes to doze off into la-la land. But to no avail. My nose just wouldn't clear up and decided to cause me great troubles. joy.

While being snuffed up I can never tell if it is allergies or a cold. I have been told and have even read that The Hubs and I live in one of the worst cities when it comes to allergies. Great pick, huh? So, I'm sure it was allergies.

It's not uncommon for me to be sick a little bit, or stuffy. Actually being unstuffed is more uncommon for me. Especially when I worked with little kiddos. I love them . . . but man oh man. I never really realized just how allergic I am to childrens until I stopped working with little ones and began my semester of student teaching -8th grade. I wasn't sick once the entire semester. Oh, wait, yes I was, but that was on Spring Break. humm . . . strange.

Anyhow. Since I'm always snuffly or something of the sort, I always have about a dozen boxes of tissues around the house. As well as the entire contents of a drug store. Well, kind of. Not really. But almost. I also have lots of vitamins to take to make me better.

Well this time I was sick of it. So I went to the extreme. I got a nose sucker thingy:

terrifying, I know.

I've known about these guys (and the more popular one at least among people I know . . . The Neti Pot. A little teapot you pour in your nose) for a little while now. But I've been a little terrified of them. I mean, I already can't breathe, at all, and then they expect me to shoot water up my nose. No thank you. I do not want to drown in a pool of my own snot. I'll pass.

But I was desperate. I wanted to breathe. So I caved. And I even worked up enough courage to drown myself in my snot - three whole times.

It works. It's crazy. It's disgusting. It's amazing. Holy moly. If only I had know my nose only wanted a little bath I would have tried this guy Forever ago.

I will refrain and spare you the nasty snotty part of the story. but wow. crazy.

If you find yourself unable to breathe, especially at night, try this little guy (who is ironically not so little). But hey, I slept the whole night through. Amazing. In my book.

ok.

Piggies

2011-06-10T09:18:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, when I was a little girl, I Loved pigs. Loved. Them. It all started one winter when I was walking around in the mall with my older sister. We walked past a store and I spotted it. her. It was true friendship. I pressed my little nose and hands against the outside window of the store and admired the pretty pink pig stuffed full of stuffing. Little hooves. Little nose that would be perfect for stuffing ones finger in. Little black eyes. She was perfect. In every way. I needed her.

Well, not really. No one ever needs a stuffed pretty pink pig. But, oh, I wanted her so badly. Thankfully Christmas was right around the corner. I knew I was bound to get my pretty precious friend. I knew it. Well, not really. But I hoped. A lot.

And I did. Christmas morning greeted my family with stockings, the story of Jesus' birth, presents, and a big breakfast - with a place set out for Jesus. Amid the excitement that is ever present on Christmas morning, especially in a household full of five children between the ages of 5 and 17 (or something like that, I'm really bad at remembering how old all of my siblings are, sorry guys : ), I met my new best friend. The pretty pink pig. Pricilla. She was perfect and lovely in every way possible. She had a ribbon tied around her neck (although I'm sure that didn't stay on for very long . . . obviously I had to practice my bow tying skills). I loved her then. And I love her now. She is actually snoozing on the bed in our workroom this very moment. It's true. I still love my Pricilla.

Over time my love of all things pigs has mostly faded. I only have a few remaining piggy things from my younger years. They are in a box (sad I know, but true) in one of our closets. But there are a few pigs out and about. yes. yes. Like Pricilla.

see? her nose is perfect for hiding little treasures like Polly Pockets in : )

And these new little guys. Flour, Sugar, and Brownie. I. love. them. The Hubs got them for me for Christmas. Every time I walk into the kitchen I am greeted by their warm and happy pink bellies and ears.

Other than these two (or four) piggies, I'm pigged out. ha. ha. couldn't resist. But seriously. I haven't been all crazy about pigs for a while.

. . . until I saw this little guy at the store.

how stinkin' cute is he?

Meet Piggy Pillow Pet. How could you not Love that?! I mean, I have seen the other Pillow Pets: bumble bees, unicorns, lady bugs, puppies, and bunnies. But I had never ever seen one of these little lovelies until just the other day. At which point I promptly dropped everything I was carrying and walked over to the little pillow pet piggy and admired him for quite some time. So soft. So perfect. I need him.

For the reals though. The Hubs and I are going on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic and we are supposed to bring our own pillow. This guy is the perfect size, plus, he would be perfect to cuddle with on the flight over.

And no, I am not 7 years old.

And no, I am not trying to sell or promote this line of creatures in any way. I just couldn't help myself. They are so stinkin' adorable. 'Specially Little Piggy here.

Anyhow. That's that story.

The End.

tulips

2011-06-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

When I came home from being out and about for a little while a long purple box greeted me on the door step. 1 800 Flowers was stamped on the box.

Now, who in the world would send me flowers? I hadn't the slightest clue. So I opened the box. At which point a bright and cheery bouquet of tulips was smiling up at me. I fished around for the little card that comes with the flowers and found a note. From The Hubs.

He ordered me flowers from across the world. It was the very last thing I was expecting. It was also the most wonderful surprise to get. What a sweetie. I didn't think it could be him since he has been telling me that he hardly ever has internet access over there and that when he does he only gets to check his email. But I figured since he hasn't been responding to my emails that he must be out of luck as far as the internet is concerned.

Looks like I was wrong. And The Hubs was sneaky. Very sneaky. Although, I suppose you don't have to be super sneaky when you are on the complete other side of the world.

I love tulips. I love my hubs.

And now here are some tulips for you to admire.

Hannah

2011-06-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

I try not to talk about my puppy too much. There are other things in my life that take up my time and energies. However, this has been bugging me for about five weeks now and I just have to get it out there. But that makes it sound like something is wrong or incredibly wonderful with / about my puppy. That is not the case. Puppy is dandy.

Let me start here, with some background: The Hubs and I thought a little while back that we might should take our puppy to get some schooling. Really, he is a pretty good puppy. All things considered. He potties outside. He eats his food. He plays. And he sleeps. A lot. He can even give you a high five. It's pretty darn cute if I'm allowed to say so. But I'm not going to gush about how wonderful my puppy is. No. The reason we thought we might take him to puppy classes is because he doesn't come every time we say "come" and that's not a good thing. Since, you know, he should and he needs too. There were some other reasons we decided it would be a good idea to take him too. But ya.

And just so you can see the puppy I am talking about . . .

what a goober.

So we have been taking Puppy to his little classes. And they are swell and all. He is coming better and better with every passing day. Wonderful. But here is my problem. There are other dogs at the class. Ok. That's not the problem. The problem is that one of the dogs at the class shares something of mine that I treasure dearly. My name. Yes. That's right. The dog's name is Hannah. Excuse me. That is my name. Not a dogs name. The real trouble with this pickle is the people with this pooch sit right across from me and Puppy most weeks (at times it's right beside us). It's just a little weird to look up and see their name tag "Danny" and then below "Hannah". And then to look down at my name tag and see "Hannah" and below that "Puppy." That's not right. Just a little uncomfortable. That's all. I mean, I'm sure Hannah doesn't care at all. But I do. I'm sure her people don't even notice or think it's strange that the person sitting right across from them shares their dogs name.

Oh, brother.

Now, my intention is not to offend some one, and I really truly hope you won't be (aren't). Offended that is. This has just been eating at me for quite some time now. Five whole weeks to be exact. If you have dogs or other pets with the name Hannah, that's fine. What ever floats your boat (obviously it floats Danny boat). It's a lovely name (I'm only slightly biased). But I just have a hard time seeing my name on Danny's name tag. Whatever happened to Fido or Daisy?

eh.

Thanks for listening while I rant. And really, I hope you are not offended, that was not my intent. But if you are maybe you might have a small inkling as to how I feel. incredibly offended. I am not a puppy.

love

a book

2011-06-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a lot lately. Probably a little too much. I only say that because I have neglected to do everything that I should and ought to be doing. It's a little problem I have. I'm working through it though. At the moment I'm not reading. My obsession with reading is probably why I haven't written anything for a few days. I'm too preoccupied with my book to even get online. oh my.

Anyhow. On Saturday I finished reading Sweetwater Run. I saw it at the library and liked the picture on the front. And since I try not to judge a book only by it cover . . . I read the little summary on the back and thought I'd give it a read. It's about a girl (well, she's not a girl exactly, she in her 20s) and she lives in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky (or as The Hubs would call it, Paradise). Anyhow, it's set in the late 1800s and she is livin' with her hubby in their little cabin. But then her hubby is accused of stealing his own donkey. Crazy. I know. But that's the story. And so her hubby goes off to prison and it's the story of her struggling to make it on her own while he is away and finding her inner strength and faith. There are other characters in the book (obviously) but she's the main one. I quite liked the book. It is wholesome and has a good message. It's written by a Christian author and so throughout the book there is scripture and such. It's not too much, I think it's written just right. You should read it and let me know what you think.

Personally, I love reading books that are set back in the day and up in the mountains, I feel like if I weren't here now, I would have been there then, back in the 1800s. Living a simple little life. Growing things in my garden. Feeding my chickens. Chopping snakes heads off when they come inside my house. You know. Like that. Anyhow. That's probably another reason I enjoyed the book. You should give it a read : )

toodles

left

2011-06-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

The Hubs is gone. What oh, what am I going to do with myself while he is away?

I'll play with the puppy. A lot. Probably.

Read.

Write.

Sing. What? No. I don't sing.

Wander the isles of Target multiple times I'm sure. Since that is what I do when I am sad and lonely. Which I am and will continue to be for ~~forever~~ the next five months while The Hubs is away.

Sleep.

And I probably won't eat a real meal until he comes home.

It's funny. Any time The Hubs is gone I never really eat a whole meal. It's more like rice, eggs, poptarts, and English Muffins. Oh, and cheese. That's what I eat when I don't have to cook. Shame really, since cooking is a fun time. But for some reason, if The Hubs is away, so is my desire to fix a meal made of real food.

Anyhow. Time for dinner. What shall it be? ... poptarts?

oh, my. the choices. the decisions.

Also, I wish he didn't have to be gone for so long.

That's about all I've got, you know, The Hubs being gone and all I'm not really in a writing spirit at the moment . . . I'll have to chase it and get it back. soon.

Happy Weekend to you. Do somethin' fun : )

toodles!

priorities

2011-06-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

The Hubs is all packed up. You know, since he is leaving me and all.

I helped him pack.

He'll be gone a long time.

He was sure to pack the necessities.

You know, what's really important.

See?

Obviously only the important stuff is going to make it all the way to Ethiopia.

You know, like crackers, chips, cereal, teddy grams, oatmeal . . .

I mean, one cannot live without food. Right?

Right.

And since it is an known fact that the people in Ethiopia never eat The Hubs is taking his own food with him.

Actually, I hope you know that there is food in Ethiopia. There is.

The Hubs just wants to make sure that he will have food that is edible to him over the next month.

Can't say I blame him. He's a little bit picky like that. This way he will have some food he can eat before starving to death.

So, The Hubs is packed up and ready to go. I'm not thinking about him leaving me.

I don't like to dwell on good-byes.

I'll wait till he's gone and then I'll cry my eyes out.

True Story.

Now, I've got to go and sneak my little notebooks and pictures into his carry-on. sneaky sneaky me.

He won't even have the faintest idea.

Too bad he won't have a phone so he can call and tell me when he finds it.

Oh, Hubs. I'll miss you.

he's leaving me.

2011-05-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

So remember a little while back when I showed you pictures of the cutest little notebooks ever?! Well, I do. I also remember telling you that you would have to wait to find out what my big plans for them (or some. or one) was.

I am pleased to let you know what those adorable little notebooks were for now.

Notes.

kehehe.

I know. Original.

But seriously. The Hubs is leaving me.

For real.

I happen to love him so much I am sending him away with a notebook full of nice notes.

Ok. The Hubs isn't leaving me leaving me. Thank Goodness. No, The Hubs is going on a mission trip. To Ethiopia. He is going to be gone for a ~~forever~~ very long time. For real. So I am planning to use the little notebooks to write little notes to him in it. You know, that way while he is away he will have a little note to read each day he is over there. Just to refresh your memory, these are the adorable little
notebooks . . .

And now one of these little beauties if being filled with little notes for The Hubs.

Also, I found some pretty amazing stickers. They are bunnies and chickies and duckies and flowers and bees and everything wonderful. And every page is going to have at least one little sticker on it. It's gonna be awesome. Actually, it is awesome.

Also. I found this adorable little photo album. On clearance. Sad part about it is that it is glittery red. Not that I care. I don't. In fact, I happen to love it. But it's not for me. It's for The Hubs. And it's not terribly manly. But then again, neither is the notebook. Obviously I'm not so good with the manly man part of cute stuff. Probably because such a thing does not exist : ) or does it?

Anyhow. That's that. My grand plan and idea. I have been secretly writing random notes in it for The Hubs to read. I think I even wrote a novel in one of them so he will have some reading material while he's away.

In Ethiopia.

I don't want him to go.

penny picking cards

2011-05-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

It's birthday season. Well, not really. But pretty much. Two of my sisters have birthdays within days of each other. This makes it easy to remember that I have to get them their goodies. Anyhow. Yesterday I went out and about to find the perfect card for each of them. Well. That was just a little bit tricky. I'm indecisive. But, you probably know that already if you know me or have been following along for any amount of time. I feel like it come up in nearly every post. And here it is again. I am indecisive. Very. Much. So.

And I was at the store. ~~Trying~~ Picking out birthday cards for my sisters. And then I realized that Vater's birthday is coming up. In July. Now, normally this means I wait until the day before his birthday and then get a card and mail it to him five weeks after his special day has past. But this year I'm going to be on top of things. It's true. I probably wouldn't normally do this (get Vater's birthday card so early on) but I am sending a package out and I'm to lazy to go to the post office and pay for postage to Thailand twice within two months. Mumys Birthday treats are already 11 weeks late in getting to her.

But, like I was saying. I was looking at cards. I picked up who knows how many cards. I just couldn't decide. It was ridiculous. After about seven hours of looking at the same cards I threw a bunch on the ground, closed my eyes, and dropped three pennies. I opened my eyes and picked up the cards the pennies fell on.

Genius.

Why didn't I think of that in the first place? Before I wasted nine hours of my life trying to decide which card to get.

eh. next time. and I know there will be a next time. with me it's inevitable.

true story.

the end.

Ice Cream Party

2011-05-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

Want some ice cream?

Great! Cause there is gonna be an Ice Cream Party!

At my house.

For you.

To come over for some yummy ice cream.

Whenever you get your little tail over here (a little advanced notice would be nice)

Cause we got our fun little ice cream maker in the mail! woot hoo : )

Seriously though. It will be awesome! I'm gonna go get all the sweet ingredients so that we can make some sweet wonderfulness. What a happy thing!

green

2011-05-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

This evening we were working out in the yard and after the grass was mowed nice and short we set out to rake up the grass so it wouldn't turn brown and make the grass underneath it miss out on much needed sunshine (even though there seems to be a lack of sunshine these days). So Pup was hooked up to a little line runner thingy in the back yard so he could be outside too. He Loves it out there.

Well, when we were coming inside I noticed two things:

1. My feet and shoes were covered with grass.

2. Pup's paws were green.

See?

Green.

I think he knows green is my favorite color and he wanted to do something special for me. You know, instead of coloring a picture like little kids do he colored his paws. How he did that . . . I'm not so sure. But I'm guessing it's from running and digging and sitting outside for an hour tonight : )

Crazy grass.

two things

2011-05-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

Two things made today an especially wonderful day:

1. I got my diploma in the mail. Which means I am officially and 100% done and finished with school. Oh, it is so nice to have that pretty little diploma in my hands. It makes me feel very accomplished.

2. I was out and about and when I got home The Hubs surprised me with flowers! I about died. That doesn't mean The Hubs has never gotten me flowers before or surprised me before, he has. But today was extra special for some reason : ) Getting the flowers was so out of the blue and completely unexpected. I love surprises (the good kind of course). This was one of the best surprises I've had in a long time. It was so sweet and wonderful of The Hubs. Though, he's pretty much always like that. It's probably why I like him so much. I just want to carry the vase around with me from room to room and stare at the pretty pink, yellow, and purple tulips. I love The Hubs.

de-lish-ish-ness

2011-05-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Today something happy happened. Something happy usually happens every day. But today it seems a little happier. And I guess it didn't really "happen" but it kinda did. Because I made it happen.

Anyhow. Way back when The Hubs had a birthday, (remember?) one of his presents was a loverly Amazon gift card (thanks Mumsie and Vater : ) Gift cards are always nice cause you can go and get just what you want. Though non-gift card gifts are nice too because that shows the thought put into getting the gift and such and so on. But what can I say? I love gifts, so I really love everything! You should knot that from Mumsie and Vater gift cards are a special treat, cause they come from half way (or is it all the way) around the World. Yes. It is true. They come from across oceans and several continents. Which therefore, makes them even better.

As I was saying, The Hubs got an Amazon Gift card. Now, you probably know that Amazon has oodles and boodles of goodness and that you can shop around and find some treasures. Because there are so many treasures it is sometimes hard to pick what you want. At least it is for me. Thankfully not so for The Hubs. And since this was The Hubs' birthday and not mine I knew he was sure to get something good. As he always seems to. Without having issues of indecisiveness.

Well, The Hubs told me after several weeks of thinking about how to use his gift card that all he wanted was a new pair of headphones. No problem. I could order them for him.

"What else do you want, Hubs?" I asked him.

"Nothing. Just earphones. And then with what's left of the gift card I want you to pick something out for us."

Now, I know The Hubs knows how IMPOSSIBLE it is for me to decide on Anything. I can't. It's not in my bones. I look at everything and think it is lovely, and naturally I want to keep it forever. But when it comes to actually Buying said item, I can't do it. I just can't go through with it (I even have a hard time buying food. The Hubs doesn't . . . which is probably a good thing or I would only be skin and bones. Or not, I really love food too much to not eat anything, my diet would just consist of rice and pop tarts. I have a very balanced diet when it comes to me cooking meals for only myself to consume).

But, like I was saying. The Hubs wanted little old me to decide what to get for us. Our home. Our usage. Our delight and enjoyment.

Good Grief.

And that brings us to today. You see, After 83 days of thinking about what to use the remaining money from his grift card for after getting him his head phones (which by the way . . . he knows how cheap I am . . . and how cheap head phones will be when ordered online - so he knows that I will have to decided what to spend the bulk of his birthday goodies on. joy) I have decided what to get.

And I am excited. It's genius really. Why didn't I think of this before today? I am so excited I just want it to get here tomorrow!! bah!! :D And . . . the double exciting part is that this particular item was eligible for free shipping! Which pretty much makes it ten hundred times better :) yes. yes it does.

Aren't you just dying to find out what I got for The Hubs and me to enjoy together?! Good. Cause I'm gonna tell you . . .

Are you ready?

ta da!!!

This little sucker!

Isn't it Awesome?!

So Adorable! I just wanna squeeze the little thing!

OMGosh.

I am soooo excited about this!

The Hubs is going to be knocked off his feet and call me a genius. Forever!

I. love. it.

bah! I can't wait for it to get here so I can make the World's most de-lish-ish-ness ice cream Ever!

Plus, the green Totally matches my kitchen. Can it be any more perfect than that?!

I think not.

When I get this little cutie in the mail I will officially invite you to come over and enjoy a sweet little cup of the World's most de-lish-ish-ness ice cream ever! Keep yours eyes and ears open! :)

Also. Thanks Mumsie and Vater. This would not be possible without your sweet gift to The Hubs : )

Sunshine in a bottle

2011-05-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

I have found heaven and sunshine. In a bottle. It's true. It's pretty amazing stuff if you ask me. Wanna know what it is? Lucky for you I'm willing to let you in on my little secret.

This is delightful stuff.

It smells like sunshine and the ocean all wrapped up in one.

Ok. Well, maybe not sunshine exactly (cause who really knows what sunshine actually smells like?).

And it probably doesn't exactly smell like the ocean either.

Although it could come in close, since a lot of the time there will be coconuts near the ocean and this does in fact smell like coconuts : )

De-lish-oush

Which really, when you think about it, when you mix sunshine and ocean together you will often times come up with the delightful fragrance of coconut.

Which I happen to LOVE.

But if you don't love sunshine or ocean you will probably not be able to fully appreciate this yummy smelling delight.

Anyhow. That's my new excitement. I have some soap now.

Finally.

so yes. that's that.

Happy Saturday to you :D

p.s. and no, I'm not trying to sell this to you. If I were I would be a little more forceful. But it is amazing. You should give it a sniff sometime. It's the prefect amount of coconut. Not too strong. Not too sweet. Just right. Now, they just better not discontinue making this product. They ALWAYS do. You know? When you find that One product that you LOVE and that is Perfect for you. When you pop round the store to get another one cause you finished the first one off, it's gone. Because they decided to stop making it. Well, I'll just tell you one little thing right now . . . if they stop making this delight I just might have to go on strike. And stop using soap. Again.

Let's just hope that doesn't happen :D

k. bye.

Friday Happenin's

2011-05-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

Today I was digging through my purse to find something, chap stick probably. Anyhow, I realized that The Hubs' phone was in my bag. I guess I was holding on to it for him for some reason or another and forgot to give it back to him. Good thing he didn't need it. I hope. But still. The Hubs' phone was in my bag.

Fast forward a few hours. I was driving home from school (because I subbed today. boy do I love subbing.) and turned the volume of my phone back up. Not three seconds after I put my phone back in my bag it started ringing. What impeccable timing I thought. I couldn't have planned that better myself. If I had waited even a minute longer I would have missed the call. And I don't get phone calls all too often. Eagerly I reached for my phone and noticed that it was The Hubs calling. His picture popped up. I was so excited and a little surprised that it was him because in the back of my head I knew it wasn't possible that he could be calling me. But in my moment of excitement, I answered the phone.

"Hello!?" and he wasn't there.

Obviously. Because I had his phone. In my bag. That was sitting two inches next to me. Genius, Hannah, really bright of you.

The Hubs' phone somehow became unlocked and dialed my number. I'm just glad that it randomly chose to call me : )

And my heart was crushed a little bit.

But then I came home and I got to tell him the funny story and chat about what was going on and about how much I love subbing. And other stuff too. Like puppies and ponies and waterfalls.

And that is the highlight of my Friday.

That and the fact that it's Friday.

Woot woo : )

blubbering

2011-05-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

Today I had to say good-bye to a very dear and loverly friend of mine. It's not a forever good-bye, but it's a good bye till I see you when I see you. And it makes me sad. Because the see you when I see you is going to be forever away.

I don't really like good-byes, though I'm not sure who does. But because I have been saying good-bye to sweet family and friends for what seems like my whole life, a little bye here and there doesn't really seem to phase me. We will move and the friends I'm leaving will cry. I will want to. I will try to. But tears don't come. In fact I never cry. Well, that's not really true. I cry when I'm chopping up an onion (when I'm not wearing my contacts). And I was blubbering like a little fool the other day as I watched "Dear John". Oh. Good. Gracious. I do not know what got into me. I do not blubber. Especially over movies. But my goodness. All I can think to say is that it was just a really sweet movie, so much so that I was a big pile of mush and bubbles. It's true.

I feel bad when I'm in real live situations and I just can't make myself cry, even though I really am sad. We were leaving our wonderful home in Texas and as I was saying good-bye to some of my sweet friends they would start to cry, and I felt bad because I couldn't join in with them. Even though I was sad.

But today, was a sad day and when I came home from saying bye to my loverly friend my sweet puppy just laid right next to me and let me be sad. What a sweetie.

Anyhow. That's enough of that sad sappy stuff. Smiles are better. Way better. As is laughter. And that is why I watched "Tangled". Hi-larious. Anyhow. I hope you are having a happy Wednesday!

celebration central

2011-05-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend we celebrated loads of things. Graduations, Mamas, and Proms.

Fun. Fun. Fun :]

First, my graduation. Yep. That's right. I graduated this weekend. Saturday to be exact. Friday night was the special Masters of Art in Teaching graduation and Saturday was the big whole school wide graduation.

. . . except I didn't actually go to my graduation. But if I had, that's when it would have been. And that's what I would have looked like (pretty much). These are just some pictures I took with a buddy when I was graduating from college. Another graduation I didn't actually attend. . . . humm . . . I'm noticing a pattern here. eh. I still did all the work. I still finished. And I still got my diploma.

. . . but instead of staying (or going) for the graduation ceremony, I opted out and chilled or chillaximumed (as Katie would say over at her guest posting on the wonderful Story of my Life) with friends and family (both times). Maybe I should have walked . . . but eh. Oh well. I didn't :D

Then there was prom. Not mine. haha. Although, that would be kind of funny. Or, just really weird. But no. It was my little sister-in-law's prom. She was a doll. So pretty!

She's the cute one in the pretty dress. Little beauty!

The Hubs and I stayed over for Mother's Day. Saturday night (whilst Prom was going on) my Mother-in-law asked me if I could draw. Now, I am no artist. I even told her so. I can draw butterflies, flowers, caterpillars, bees, and that's about it. But that's all she wanted. You see, she was teaching Sunday School in the morning and wanted the kids to have little cards to take home to their Mamas. This is where I come in with my mad artistic abilities.

"bee" impressed. I know The Hubs was.

then the kids colored them and gave them to their Mamas.

Anyhoot. I went into this weekend a student and came out a graduate and an artist. Amazing what one weekend can do to change our lives forever.

toodles!

judge a book

2011-05-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

Reading is something that I have always loved to do. I can open up a book and forget about everything. I will stay up late at night just so I can turn the page to see what happens next, just to get one page closer to finishing the book. I love seeing my bookshelves full of books. I love going into bookstores and libraries and longingly looking through all of the books they have waiting to be opened, read, discovered, and taken home. There is something peaceful about sitting (or laying) down with a good book.

When I read books I like to be entertained. I don't want to have to get in the mood to read a book. If the book is some in depth study kind of high thinking book I don't really care to read it. I also usually judge a book by its cover. I know you really aren't supposed to do that. But I can't help it. If the cover looks cute or interesting to me, I'm more inclined to read it. Or if it's a cookbook. I'm addicted to cookbooks. I think I could never have enough. What I need to do is rip out all of the pages of the good recipes and bind them into one big fat cookbook with nothing but usable recipes : D

Anyhow, these are some of the good books I've found recently, or ones that look yummy to me.

I really liked this book. I saw it on sale for $2 (two dollars! -as if that means something other than $2) and snatched it up. I was drawn in by the title and the cover (it looks cute : ) and the price. It's about a girl in high school who helps clean at her Mom's hair salon. She's a overweight and friendless. But she makes a friend and starts a new little life for herself with the help of her friend. Anyhow. It's really good.

[The hubs always tells me that I'm in a strange stage of life. I like to color, crochet, bake, and read teen books. I can see how this is kind of true. I don't really fit into my designated age group category very well. I'm just gonna say, in regards to the books I like to read, I'm allowed. I'm just reading the things the kids now-a-days are into. And since I am an almost certified teacher (!) it's really just a good thing.]

Then there's this book. I Love it. I Want it. I Need it. I can't check it out from my library anymore (that's not true, I can, it's just not there at the moment. Shame really).

Get it. Now. You will thank me later : )

And then there's this one. It's on my reading wish list for this summer. I'm going to go snatch it up in the next day or so.

I'm excited I actually have time to read it.

. . . and that I don't have to read something like this:

Happy Friday!

my secret stash

2011-05-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

I have a little problem. Really I have lots of little problems. And for some reason I love to share what my little problems are. Don't you love it when I share the gushy details of my life? My problem is this. I like handbags. A lot. I have a variety to choose from depending on the season, my mood, or the occasion. Normally I stick to the trusty ones, a select few. But sometimes I need to mix things up a tad so I move into a new bag. I also move into new bags when I find that all I am pulling out of the bag I am currently using are old tissues, receipts, trash, or pretty much anything other than what I am looking for. Somehow that is what my purse has become over this past semester. Normally I'm pretty good about keeping it tidy. Well, not this time. No sir. Wanna see?

Good. Cause I'm gonna show you. Get excited.

The culprits:

The findings:

As you can see there is a massive pile of trash, a equally massive stack of receipts and a lot of other good things. Including: a ziplock bag (from my trip to Disney World way back when - you know for the liquids and such you have when you are flying), a card, lotions, hand sanitizer, medicine, an empty drawstring bag, pens and pencils, peanuts and pretzels (I've been saving them from my trip to Disney World that I got on the airplane), mints, gum, a little flashlight/whistle thingy, two books, a watch, tissues, a check book, floss (yes, floss . . . thanks Mom : ) pennies and dimes, a bunch of hair clips (that I have been looking for for the past five months . . . this is where they've been hiding! ha), a boarding pass, tickets for Disney World Parks, safety pins (that I used to pin on my marathon bib), and my Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon Metal :D

And now the bags are both empty. And everything is put away or thrown away. Or something. But it's not a mess anymore.

See? I get so much accomplished when I stay at home :D

dirt is good

2011-05-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

My small group takes turns bringing snacks to nibble on on Sunday nights. This past Sunday it was our turn to fix a treat. Since the hubs and I had been out doing lots of yard work over the weekend I decided to make some dirt cake.

It turned out a little like this

and it tasted delish.

sadly, I love this a little bit too much and so it is all I have been eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I am tempted to make some more just because it is that tasty.