Kim's Spot

Must Be Summer--Time For Relaxation....

2010-06-21T11:14:00.003-05:00

Could it be that I am finally writing on my blog again? Must be summertime.... when I am supposed to have more minutes in my day to contemplate life. I guess I do--kind of.

I have been off from school for 16 days so far. Time is flying by. In those 16 days, I have done a whole lot of catching up with life. Making and going to appointments, filling out paperwork, trying to get a handle on some chores around the house.....but my list keeps growing! Seriously, I feel like I am constantly drowning in "to do's".

Last night, i was up from 4-5:30am just trying to shut off my brain. Sadly, I felt a bit like I was having one of my high anxiety moments. The gazillion "to do's" mixed with worries about Ben beginning his senior year and worried we were not prepared for that, and just generally feeling overwhelmed about what the coming school year would bring (me having classes start up again & having a high-stress placement for my job).....feeling big-time stressed and out of control. ALL on some random night in June!

I prayed a lot for God to quiet my crazy frantic thoughts. I knew I was letting them take over my peaceful night's rest. I tried so hard to just shut my brain off.

When I woke up to the alarm clock at 6:45 this morning to wake Ben for summer school--I put my feet on the ground feeling unrested and concerned about how I could best accomplish things on my "list". More than ever, I would like to just relax a little. Especially because I know what the end of August brings. I will have to hit the new school year running. I will have NO downtime until Christmas break--and I know that will feel too short.

I am telling myself to take everything one day at a time.... I know I need to. But how is it that one relaxes in the midst of so much to do? (Without feeling guilty, that is....)

My goal today is to cross things off my list, and to feel good about what I DID accomplish, instead of what I didn't. AND...to fit time in for a cup of tea.

We'll see how the day unfolds.

Being Stretched

2010-02-06T10:38:00.000-06:00

So, life around here has been super busy.

Life is always super busy..... but right now, it is even more so. Mainly, because I have gone back to school. And you know what? Even though I am enjoying it (well-- everything but the papers and presentations....), it is TIRING! I don't know who I think I am to go back to school while I work almost full-time, teach Sunday School, and juggle the mom and wife responsibilities.
I have been going to bed late every night, my head is swimming with new information, and also the things I am trying not to forget.

I am proud of myself for doing it--but at the same time I question whether or not I am putting too much on my plate. I don't feel I am all that great at juggling things. I end up letting balls drop somewhere. (everywhere?) I am hoping and praying I will not fall apart before I make it through.

I don't mind being stretched--as long as I snap back. I am trying to not get stretched out during the stretching process.....

So I ask that you all pray for me. That I will be able to sustain this busy schedule and the demands on me, without letting the people in my life feel like I am neglecting them. It is a tough order.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-26T09:13:00.005-06:00

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

Today, I have a heart full of thankfulness...
For the Lord, My God, has blessed me beyond measure.

Today, the day of Thanksgiving....I am hearing people all around me express their thankfulness. I think it is wonderful that a day has been set aside in our country to do that. But, it also makes me aware of the many days that go by that thankfulness is not expressed.

And so Lord, I pray, that You let me not forget to express my praise and humble gratitude for Your great provision in everything on a DAILY basis. Let my heart rejoice in Your great mercies ALWAYS.

YOU are the giver of the many blessings I receive, and the creator of all that I have in my life.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and may your heart be full of praise and gratitude,

I am a copy cat

2009-10-07T17:22:00.001-05:00

So....loved the signature on Dawn's blog (older, high achieving, loved sister) so I copied the idea.
Now I have a cool siggy too! Thanks, Dawn!

my older sister

2009-10-07T16:13:00.006-05:00

My sister puts me to shame. Seriously.
I have been doing my blog for quite some time. It seems I go through waves of posting and then not posting. I may go a month with 20 posts, and then I will go three months with just 2 posts. My posts are random, and most likely fairly boring. I know this because, after a couple of years doing this thing.....I still only have a few followers. AND....they are family. Or very close friends who want to be nice.

Anyway--my sister......
yeah--what you need to know about her is, she does everything well. She was one hard act to follow growing up, I tell you. You know, excellent grades, scholarships, leadership type skills, social, pretty, popular in school and our youth group.....AND (some nerve....) totally loveable to boot. I remember many times wanting to hate her, just because unfortunately all of her talents just stressed my own weaknesses to me. But, hating her just wasn't an option. I loved her too much. And for the most part, she was always rooting for me.

Fast forward to us as adults. She still does everything well. Still has better taste, still has no problems making friends, still is looked up to by many, still pretty, still sweet, still very loved by me. I am okay with not doing everything as well as her. It is an accepted fact of life for me. And....I venture to say, I may even possibly do some (although definitely not many....) things better than her....although, I am not sure what those things are yet. :0)

Blogging is not one of them. She has become quite good at it! She naturally made friends in blogland, and has managed to find followers that aren't family, or close friends. WOW! I am impressed. Truly. She writes about important things, and random things, and is able to sound like herself, and make me smile, laugh and cry.

Her blog is a good read! I encourage you to read it if you don't already. The link to it is in the sidebar of my blog to the right. It is called "theGoodlife". I'd put a link right here in my post if I knew how, but I don't. (Of course, my older sister knows how to do that also....maybe she can teach me sometime.) And while I am on the topic of sisters who blog, I should tell you that my younger sister has a wonderful blog too....."beebabble" in that same list of blogs to the right. She doesn't post as much (like me)--but when she does, it is something worth reading, for sure. (and Kerry....I hope you know that you are amazing, too. SO amazing. I love you beyond words, and you are a wonderful, talented, and beautiful person. For some reason this post just went in the direction of following in the footsteps of an achieving older sister.) :0)

Aren't I blessed? Not everyone has such talent and sweetness in their families. I am truly thankful.

AND....I will try to work on my blogging skills.

Pray!

2009-08-02T20:35:00.005-05:00

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests."
Ephesians 6:16

More than you need to know...

2009-07-29T09:47:00.011-05:00

I just made a terrible realization this morning (EARLY this morning....like 6am when I should have been sleeping soundly and sweetly--like a baby). It is something I hesitate to write on my blog, considering it is of a fairly sensitive nature. BUT- then I remember that most likely it will only be my family that reads this entry, and possibly a couple of close friends...

(I would like to interrupt this rambling to give a shout out to my THREE "followers"....THANK YOU....you make me feel that I am writing to someone here.)

Anyway, back to the story...

So, I wake up with a jolt this morning--you know what I mean, one minute of pure sleeping bliss, and the next minute you find yourself in a nauseous state because your subconscious did some thinking while you were unaware....and BAM! the thoughts hit you like a ton of bricks?? Ever had one of those moments? Well, I had one this morning.

I have been trying to plan a summer vacation for our family since like forever. I started way back in the winter--during those cold and gray days, when the thoughts of a sunshiny tomorrow are so needed. We started talking about going on a Disney Cruise. They were having a FABULOUS special going on....book a summer cruise, and kids sail for free. The price would literally be cut by thousands of dollars. We dreamed of tropical places, warm sun, and family bonding. Then sadly, we had to let that dream go, as we realized that it was very possible that a specific child of ours could possibly have a summer commitment (read: unwanted summer school class) that would make it impossible to go this year. (How many times can the word "possible" be used in a sentence?--WOW.)

So, moving on...

I then got it in my head, that if we couldn't enjoy a relaxing cruise and tropical paradise....we could at least go frolic in the ocean. Our last beach themed vacation was wonderful and peaceful and enjoyed by the whole family. (Even the more difficult to please teenager...). I played with multiple ideas of destinations, all based on the beach we could relax on the days not spent at an amusement park, or sight-seeing.
Unfortunately, our summer became less than predictable, with Jake's soccer schedule stretching much further than we expected. (An honor and accomplishment for him, that we did not want to squash.) Which took us straight into July without a week to spare, except one....in August. (Actually, something has been scheduled then, too...Jake's regular soccer commitments....but we have chosen to ignore them mostly this time, because THIS FAMILY NEEDS A VACATION, DARN IT!)

Finally, just a few days ago, we settled on a more do-able vacation in the time that has been alloted to us. We are planning to go to Michigan and Wisconsin. All activities focused around things near Lake Michigan. We will do an amusement park, water park, dune buggy the sand dunes, spend a couple days on the lake beach, take a 4-hour ferry "cruise" across the lake to Wisconsin, spend some time at a State Fair, and finally end up with Jake's tourney in Milwaukee. (Didn't think we'd escape soccer completely did you?)

Let me share a few of the photos of sights and experiences we hope to have on our trip.....

It feels soooo good to have a plan. To have a week set aside for family togetherness, on a lovely location, enjoying the sights, the water.......

SCREEEEEEAAAAACH!!

----this is when my ugly thoughts from deep sleep popped up, seemingly out of nowhere-----

Guess what? In my frantic search for ANY week that we did not have important commitments that would interfere with a vacation.....I just chose the one week that had nothing written down on the days in my calendar. (Of course, since then things HAVE popped up, but like I said we chose to ignore this...). My subconscious knew something was not right with that week though....and it screamed the "wrongness" to me when I least expected it.

I have bad news to report to myself.
This designated week... that is supposed to be heavenly....will be a little tainted. Because, in the early morning hours this morning, I made the ugly realization that I. will. have. my. period. NOOOOOOOOO!!
What is the big deal, you ask??

Well, for one thing, my period is a monster. It is unpredictable. It comes with a vengence.....and sometimes prevents me from leaving my house--for a couple of days-- for pure fear I will have a terrible and humiliating accident. On most months, I battle this awful fear with "doubling up" the protection. In MOST cases, I make it through okay. But, how, oh how, do you "double up" in a swim suit? We will be spending most days in swimsuits....waterpark, beaches, tubing. I am totally NOT comfortable with going "without" on those beginning days. No way....can't do it.

What is a mom to do?? I sooooo wanted to participate in all of these activities. I wanted to bond with the family with experiencing the same things as they were. I was even willing to go down the giant water funnel at the waterpark. I want to be a FUN mom--not one that sits and watches while everyone else experiences things first hand. ARGH, ARGH, and DOUBLE ARGH!!

Okay, deep breath.

Will you please pray with me that maybe I will get things rolling a few days early this month? (If this could happen, I would be past the scary stuff before we need to leave.) Or how about it showing up late?? That would work too. Anything, I will take anything.

Sigh....the joys of being woman.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T11:03:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone has a terrific 4th of July!

I love seeing the neighborhood decorated in flags and patriotic flair!

The house below is NOT in our neighborhood......but if it were, I'd take a picture of it too....

http://www.front-porch-ideas-and-more.com/images/patriotic-porch.jpg

Love it! So festive...

While the husband's away.....

2009-07-03T09:45:00.009-05:00

Matt Has been in San Francisco this week for work. He is at a Networkers conference. He also got the chance to tour San Francisco a bit with old college friends.

Here is a picture of him enjoying the beauty of San Fran.

While my hubby is away, I decided to decorate a bit. Nothing major....I didn't buy new couches, or that dining room buffet/hutch I have been dying to get. I kept it small.

I finally decided it was time to hang those darn pictures I bought about 6 months ago for the Living Room. I have stared at blank walls long enough!

Now.....it isn't that we are COMPLETELY lazy about these things. (just MOSTLY....) It is just that I wasn't completely sure I was in love with the pictures.

Wall art is a funny thing....I find it hard to commit. I mean, you are going to stare at it every day.....and we all know, framed art is not cheap. Right?

Thankfully, I found the pictures I hung at a really great price! (Like for $15 a piece at Walmart.) I figure, at that price, I can hang them and if something better comes along in the future, I can just take these down and not feel guilty about it. (Not to mention, I am sure I could find a place for them in our front office.....)

Here is the new look:

You can't tell what those pictures are very well from that photo....but the focal point in each is a leaf. The leaves are raised--so it adds some texture, too, I think. I am not sure the size of the two pieces are completely right for the wall......but I tell you, it is a HUGE improvement than blank walls staring back at me!

Here is a closer look: (excuse the sun streaks and spots)....it IS morning, and there is just no stopping the sun! :0)

Now, while looking at these pictures, I am struck with how "uncolorful" this room is. Hmmmmm..... The pictures seem to really emphasize that. The crazy thing is, that I feel in real life, it is not quite as stark as it appears here. I also think it has more warmth going on in real life. I actually like the peacefulness of the browns, and mustards, and creams, and cranberry.
It IS still a work i progress though. I also still need to update those curtains---just haven't decided what I want, yet.

Guess what else I did yesterday?

I bought a cute little accent table to go in the LR, too. I got it at Kirkland Home. It was one of those "put it together yourself" deals. So I did, thank you very much. :0)
I am sure it would have taken Matt about 20 minutes to do it. It took me an hour. Some of the screws didn't line up well, and I had to get creative. BUT-I did it. MYSELF. Yes, I am kind of proud of that fact. :0)
Here it is:

I had to rummage around my house to find stuff to put on the three shelves. It was kind of like "shopping". I went down into my basement storage, and dug through boxes that were still packed from our move. It was good. I found a bunch of stuff that I put aside for my upcoming garage sale.....but I was able to grab a couple of things that I could use, too. Here is a close up of the top shelf:

Okay....so none of that stuff came from the basement. I pulled the glass display jar (can't think of the word for it at this moment in time) with the apples from my kitchen hutch. I pulled the glass vase with shells (which also completely smells like the beach....yum!) from my LR side table, the candles were originally hidden in a drawer.....and the glass bird is new.

Did you happen to notice that TALL glass vase next to the table? I LOVE that vase. I bought that a while ago, too....and struggled with where to put it. It is totally fun, because there are trees on it and little birds perched on the branches.

Found that at Homegoods. Love that store.

Here is a closer look at the birds....

Cute, right?
My kids think I am a little crazy that I get excited by these things.

Jake said to me yesterday..."Mom, what exactly is that tall glass thing for, anyway?" I told him it was to decorate with. Then he asked. "BUT, what is it FOR??" I simply said, "To enjoy". Then he said, "Weird."

Whatever....
I guess sometimes you can't expect everyone to "get it".

Poor Puppy...

2009-06-30T10:17:00.003-05:00

This is Emmy. (she's posing)

Our poor Emmy was acting strange last night. She was barely moving. She was stiff and lethargic. She was not herself and it was scary for me.

So I called the vet.

I gave her aspirin in a hot dog. She laid in the same spot for the rest of the night.

I slept (barely) with her on my mind, the. whole. night. (After MAKING myself go to bed at 2 am...after just sitting with her, praying she'd be okay.)

This morning.....
she has been mostly better. Moving around more and seemingly without pain.
Then she threw up.
So something is off.

I still need to call the vet to get her in.

I hope she is okay.

How can you not love that silly face? Sweet dog.

Fantastic Find

2009-06-26T09:52:00.003-05:00

Okay...I don't usually do this...but I was so impressed with this project--I had to share.

You know when you see a great pair of shoes, but you look at the price tag and choke....so you calmly try and conceal your shock, and just keep walking?

Yeah--I think we have all done that before, at least once.

Well, this morning I saw this blog that showed a pair of shoes that were quite exciting. They looked just like a pair Carrie Bradshaw wore. The owner of these shoes actually MADE the "frill" that made them so fantastic. AND she gives the tutorial on how she did it.

Wow, right?

Go check out her blog....I posted the link for you to read the whole thing.

http://hopestudios.blogspot.com/2009/06/tutorial-tuesday-shoe-make-over.html

ENJOY! (and try not to feel inadequate.) :0)

Hurumph!

2009-06-25T12:58:00.003-05:00

So, in my previous post about checking Jacob into soccer camp....I forgot to mention another significant moment of that morning.

While standing in line in the scorching heat....a friend of mine said to the gentleman staff person (who I might add looked about 70 or so)...."Wow, this heat is killer. Makes me feel so tired and old!"

The gentleman eyed us both over carefully, and said..
"What?? You two don't look a day over 42. What are you complaining about?"

UMMMM......EXCUSE ME???!!!
A day over 42? FORTY-TWO??

(Normally, wouldn't you say, when you say something like this....to perfect strangers....you try and guess an age much YOUNGER than what they actually are?? You know, to be nice?)

Well....I would. AND...if that was the case.....and he guessed younger than what he thought I was.....
YIKES!! (Double Yikes!!)

I am 40!! FORTY!! So....I am NOT terribly happy, he thinks I look "not a day over 42!"

Hurumph!!

And so.........I guess...........

this is what I have to say to that:

Good Luck, Jacob!

2009-06-25T09:38:00.003-05:00

Well.....I just dropped off jacob at ODP State Soccer Camp. His tryouts/training has begun. We should know by the end of next week whether or not he will have been chosen for the Illinois ODP State team.

The line to check him in at NIU (Northern Illinois University) was HUGE!! We waited for a about an hour in line, and thankfully it was moving at a decent rate. Of course, the whole time we were in line, I was trying to figure out how Jake was going to manage all his stuff by himself. They gave all the players a checklist of stuff to bring....and that is all he brought. BUT, he still had a large duffle, his very heavy soccer bag, his jug of water, his bag of healthy snacks, his pillow and his blanket. We originally thought he could make two trips to his room. Leave half of his stuff in the lobby with me, go up and drop off the first load in his room....then come back for the second load. (They don't let parents up into the living quarters of the dorms.) That is what we did the first time he went to NIU for soccer camp two years ago. This time, they wouldn't let the parents into the building at all, and they were funneling the kids in with all their stuff so that there was no place to put anything down, let alone leave it unguarded for a while.

We tried to combine his stuff best we could so that he could maybe carry it. I tell you though, it would be a struggle for a grown man--let alone a 90 lb. kid!

Jacob looked miserable when I left him--outside in the heat, (about 85* so far....), sun beating down on him....the heavy soccer bag with filled jug of water crammed in the top on his back, his large duffle with snack bag balanced on the handle in his one hand, and his pillow tucked under his other arm. (We took his blanket from him....decided he'd rather just sleep with his sheet than carry the blanket, too!) Poor kid.

Then, he was going to have to drop off his stuff in his room, grab his soccer socks, shin guards, cleats, jug and soccer bag....and book it right back down to the lobby to meet for their walk to the training field for a 2 hour training session/evaluation.

This is it....
He has gone to tryouts once a month since January for the opportunity to go to this State Camp. We were thrilled he was invited. Two of his buddies from his club team are there too. I hope they all do well.

THEN....we have to pick them up early from ODP Camp, so that we can go straight to Indiana for the Region II Tournament that his club team has been invited to compete in. The U16 team in our club just won their Regionals this week, and are headed to the Nationals at the end of July. It is so exciting! They will be playing in Massachusetts. If Jake's team wins their Regional tournament, they'd be off to Nationals, too.

Time will tell the outcome to both of these big Soccer events in Jacob's life....
Please pray that Jake stays healthy and there are no injuries for him or his team.
I am tired just thinking about it!

bloomin'

2009-06-23T16:12:00.005-05:00

So, we have some more flowers opening and showing their pretty little faces out front. Thought I'd share them...because they really are only around for such a short time.

Take a look at these beauties!

Believe it or not, those deep red lillies were just one of the types of lillies I was waiting for to pop out....we have more that are in bud form now.

How about these cuties? I love these colorful pink delicate petals. They seem to be happy, don't you think?

AND--I LOVE these little guys (girls?). I planted these this year. They are on their second round of blooming so far. They are like little purple bells. Oh so cute and pretty.

I love the contrast of the small yellow flowers sprinkled among the teeny green leaves. These are just beginning to open. We should have a sea of delicate yellow flowers pretty soon.

This ivy geranium is right next to our garage, hanging out with the hose.

And, just one more picture for today....
One of the planters next to my front door...full of petunias and geraniums. I have a mirror image on the other side of the stoop.

The summer floral show has begun at my house....and I am not exactly a green thumb.....so, I am excited when I see such pretty things happening in my yard without any help from me!
Really, the growth happening here is in spite of me. I don't know what I am doing at all. :0)
In fact, my guess is in about a month only half of these plants will be surviving.

You know when someone says "take a picture, it lasts longer"?
Uhhhhh....yeah. That's what I did.

figuring things out

2009-06-18T18:04:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while I'd like to post a quote that I like....just because.

The problem is, I can't figure out how to get a good up close image, so that it is clear and easy to read.

This one above, for instance, has a "light spot" and sheen on it, due to the flash of the camera. Hmmmmm......

I suppose I should scan something like this, but I am a little embarrassed to say that I am not sure really how to go about doing that.

Matt? Oh, Matt....? Computer guru husband of mine...?

I guess I should also add my thoughts about this quote. I feel I should say that while I believe this quote to be true and inspiring--I don't believe it is COMPLETELY true. Yes, I believe each one of us has the responsibility to make life what we want it to be--to not be a victim, to not sit around waiting for things to happen, but to MAKE things happen....

BUT-I ultimately believe that it is GOD who has the control...and thank God for that!! He can make much more happen than I ever could. He can change bad into good, and He can halt things I am trying to accomplish if I am seeking His will, and I am headed in the wrong direction.

I guess...what this quote needs is more of a thought in parenthesis after the YOU to say, "(not someone else)". Or maybe, YOU "(and your attitude)"....if we are just talking about people here. Of course, if you did include those words in parenthesis, it no longer reads correctly, so....I don't know.

I am sure Jim Henson said these words fairly casually and didn't mean for them to be so complicated or picked apart like I am doing right now. :0)

Summertime.....sigh

2009-06-17T12:54:00.007-05:00

I am lovin' summer so far. Haven't even done that much--but that is the point, right?

Just thought I'd post some early pictures of our house, and how it is starting to show the signs of summer. It is still early, so some of the flowers have yet to come out.

BUT, still....I like driving up to the house and seeing blooming and greenery and general life.

Here is our front walkway up to the door.....
Won't you please come for a visit?

I plan to take more pictures of our flowers--in fact since Matt took these photos about a week and a half ago, we've had lots of rain, and things are really growing! Can't wait to show the lilies that will soon be here:

Until then.....

Let's enjoy the days that we can not only look at some flowers growing in our own yards.....
but also enjoy and sigh over THESE cute sights!

Those cutie patootie toes belong to my adorable nephew, Caleb. I actually saw those piggies last summer....but they NEEDED to be shown!

Right here, right now.....

Wouldn't you agree?

lamp makeover

2009-06-16T11:58:00.007-05:00

I just realized that I never posted pictures of my chandelier makeover from last summer.....

Remember this?

Yup...ugly brass chandelier. It hung in my dining room when we first moved in. I hated it.

I noticed other bloggers spray painting everything in sight black, and saw a few lamp re-do's, too. So, I decided before I throw this brass baby away....I just might be able to make it fit my taste a little better. Out came the black spray paint....which I NEVER would have thought about using before! I hung the ugly thing on one of those iron staff plant hangers outside, and went to work. I think I sprayed 3 light coats for good coverage.

Then I added "mellow moss" (my days as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator make me think in their color palette) green lamp shades over all the fake candles......

And now the big reveal....

TA DAAA!

And another view, looking up:

And finally, a view of the room so far:

Okay....now I have bigger things to tackle....I am sure it is pretty obvious.
That. hideous. wallpaper.
Ugh!

I have plans for tackling that this summer. The dated stripes need to go. Right now the plan is to paint a "mellow moss" color. I also plan on changing out those curtains, and curtain rod.....the whole thing needs updating.

As for the LR, I haven't found the right wall art yet. I am still working on it. So, it looks rather blank in there. I am still deciding what to do about THOSE curtains, too. BUT- the furniture is a huge improvement over this:

Right? That "leather" couch was sitting on our curb when we moved in. Leave it to me to drag it back into the house---I just wanted something in our empty LR until we got new furniture. Maybe I should have just left it out there! :0)

Anyway....still lots to do. But, we are SSSSLLLOOOOOWWWWWLLLLYYYY getting there.

Doodlin'

2009-06-16T09:23:00.005-05:00

So, I decided to sign up for a online Doodle class that Stephanie Ackerman is doing over at "Homegrown Hospitality" (blog link is in my "Places to Visit" section to the right.). Stephanie's doodles have caught my eye from the moment I saw them. When she offered an online class, I jumped at the chance to join in.

Her first assignment was to just color in one of her doodles. To play around with color and ways to decorate letters. Any opportunity at sitting down to color as an "assignment" is alright with me!

Here is what I did:

It was fun to just color.....a relaxing way to spend some time. Here are two close ups:

I am not sure the direction this class is going to go in. I am not sure exactly why I am taking it, other than to have the opportunity to try something that forces me to get my creative juices flowing in a very non-threatening way. For the last week, I have been trying to sit down everyday for at least a half hour to just play in my craft room. I find it really relaxing.

And, that is what summer vacation is for, right?

Too Funny....

2009-06-12T21:39:00.003-05:00

Teenagers. They make you crazy, they make you cry, they make you smile (sometimes....), they make you shake your head in disillusionment, but they also often make you LAUGH.

I was checking in on my favorite blogs tonight, and came across this funny entry by "The Pioneer Woman". If you were ever a 15 year old girl, it will make you laugh, too, I think.

I actually laughed out loud.

Here is the link:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/2009/06/i_might_have_been_a_little_hormonal.html#comments

Go ahead, go over there and read it, it is worth two minutes of your time......pure entertainment I tell you.
You will at least crack a smile......

Ummmm....WOW.

2009-06-12T21:08:00.003-05:00

Okay, if you are not watching "So You Think You Can Dance" this season.....you should be. The first round of official competition was really good.

Wait---correction.....

It was REALLY good! May I even say.....GREAT???

I really do enjoy that show.

If you have never seen it....what are you waiting for? Set it up on your TiVo, or DVR, or whatever you use to tape things (or try and catch it live).....and just watch it.
You will like it, I promise.
Your husband will most likely like it too. Really. I am not kidding. Truth.

another background change...

2009-06-11T11:11:00.002-05:00

So....
I changed my background again. Although, I'm not TOTALLY satisfied yet, it IS a little brighter, which I like. I was feeling rather depressed seeing the dull background color of the other one....so at least this is a bit more cheery.

I am sure this will not be the last time I adjust this. And since I have all about 3 or 4 readers at this point....I don't think this switching every few days matters all that much! Sorry if you are one of my "loyals"...(Thanks, Mom and sisters!)...you are appreciated for putting up with my whims. :0)

Today is another cleaning day. Laundry, and straightening on deck.

Tomorrow I need to bring Pasta Salad to feed 22 (meal size portions) to Lazarus House. So, I am guessing I should start on that today. I cleaned out my refrigerator on Tuesday evening to make room for the big disposable aluminum pans I bought for this purpose. Last night I got all the ingredients...I have a serious amount of salami in my fridge right now!

Anyway--lots to do. Time to get a move on!

possibilities...

2009-06-10T10:01:00.006-05:00

I love blank paper, new notebooks, sharp pencils, and fun decorative pens. I love a fresh box of colorful crayons, arrays of markers, and children's coloring books. I love paintbrushes, and blank canvases, and the smell of an art room.

This morning, as I jotted a quote down on a clean, blank notebook page....my heart felt happy. There is something about making a mark on a blank page. My fingertips get tingly, my brain swells with ideas.

Most of the time, true complete creations don't ever actually make it out of me onto a page, or canvas. Maybe there is a fear there, that whatever I am imagining won't come out the way I want it to. So, I feel paralyzed to begin.....

BUT- I think about it sometimes. The possibilities, the creations, just dormant deep within me.

I once considered majoring in art in college. In elementary, middle, and high school, my art classes were my favorite time of my day. My H.S. art teacher encouraged me, and said I had great potential. The talent was there.....I just needed to learn to "let go", and express it.
I was afraid to try....not really finding MY style. I took the "safe" road. Drawing faces and things I could see in a picture, next to me. Pencil drawings...even adding color scared me. Maybe, I'd ruin what I had done so far.

It is interesting, though....because I still feel it within me. This urge to fill a blank page. To make a mark.

I am still hunting for the "right" medium, and the way to use and develop this "talent", this love of paper and pens. There has got to be something.......that fits.

Someday, I may discover what that right fit is.

Until then...I will consider the possibilities. :0)

Trust in the Lord...

2009-06-09T07:23:00.003-05:00

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding;
In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5,6

birthday presents

2009-06-06T17:39:00.002-05:00

did you ever notice that there ALWAYS seems to be a birthday party to attend? well....not actually for ME to attend. more like my boys always being invited to one. i cannot tell you how much money we have spent on birthday presents for kids i barely know.

and what to get these children i barely know?? my boys are no help. every time i ask what they think their friend might like, I get the same response. "i don't know." helpful, right? i know. normally i end up getting a Target giftcard and big hershey's chocolate bar. but, i find when getting a giftcard, you end up spending more money, because you don't want to appear overly cheap. of course, i also don't want to spend money on something the kid is not going to use, something he ends up throwing into the back of his closet for a couple of years.

so here is my question....
what do YOU get kids you barely know? i need ideas.

Nate's decision about travel soccer....

2009-06-03T07:06:00.001-05:00

He didn't end up trying out on either day---and seems happy about his decision. We signed him up for rec soccer. If he hates it, or regrets his decision after playing in the fall, we can talk to Campton about getting him on a team for Spring. (They have been known to do that for families that have been part of their club for a few years.)

Nate had other teammates that didn't show up for tryouts either. That was a surprise....no one said beforehand that they weren't going to do it again this next year. One of his teammates called our house after the first day, very concerned Nate wasn't there. That was sweet.

I am sure it will all be fine. I know I will appreciate the less hectic practice schedule for him!

Soccer tryouts...repeat performance.

2009-06-01T21:27:00.004-05:00

So, today was soccer tryouts for Jake and Nate. Well, sort of try-outs. We know already that they would be placed on a team, so tryouts are more for the benefit of possible incoming players. Usually returning players have nothing to worry about. They will be placed somewhere.

Well, Nathan has been rather flip-floppy (my own word, I think) about deciding if he even wants to play travel soccer again next year. One week he is "just tired of it" and he wants to play rec soccer with his school friends. The next week he is "TOTALLY going to do travel again". Back and forth, week to week. All last week he was trying to convince us that he was SURE that travel was for him. We kept asking, "are you really sure?"--mainly because he has been so flip-floppy. Yes, yes he was POSITIVE.
Sooooo, we pre-registered him. Yesterday. When he was still SURE.

Fast forward to today. Tryouts are from 6-7:30. Nathan walks through the door after school at 3:30, and loudly yells first thing, "I am not going to try out today. I decided not to play travel." What? This SAME EXACT thing happened last year. Of course, last year, since it was the first we heard of him not wanting to try out the day of.....we forced him to do it. I figured he was nervous or something, and he didn't know what he wanted. This year, has been a good year...he has improved a lot. He has enjoyed playing on his team. He likes the kids. So, this year was fine. The only thing we noticed was that he just wasn't passionate about it.

We were fine with him playing rec ball...except that we thought it would most likely frustrate him. Rec ball is just not played at the same level as he's been used to playing at.

We are not going to push it. Not this time. Whatever he decides...he will have to live with it. And so, there you have it. It will save us a serious amount of money. So there is that. I just don't want him to regret letting this opportunity for development go by. He has one more day to change his mind--tomorrow is the second day for tryouts. After that....it is what it is.

Teenagers! ARGH!

2009-05-30T18:45:00.002-05:00

Can I tell you how frustrating it is to have a stubborn teenager around? I tell you--we have had a very hard year with Ben. He has made a lot of poor decisions. We have found ourselves sadly lowering expectations and saying good-bye to dreams we may have had for him in his childhood years. We struggle with the way he is choosing to live his life day to day. We try to make loving and right decisions regarding everything in his life that we have an control of. We are down on our knees daily for him for protection and for a softened heart. AND-it is still hard. Everyday presents new challenges.

He gets sooooo aggravated with us when we say no to him......no matter what the question. Today, it was him asking permission to stay at a friend's house for the night. Everything in my gut told me it was fishy....that something just wasn't right. Ben is VERY mad that I chose to say no. He thinks I assume the bad all the time, and that I don't trust him. I won't go into all the reasons why we have had a difficult time trusting him, or why this situation seems like not the best idea......but no matter what I said to him about this, he replied with "Oh MY GOSH.", HUGE sighs of frustration....and a couple of "You are CRAZY"'s. I end up rambling about how we don't say no just to be mean or controlling....how we love him, and it's our job to make the best decisions with the information we are working with, etc. Although, I start feeling a little crazy myself--mainly because no matter what I say, I feel it is falling on deaf ears.

It is draining to be his mother right now. I am just trying to make sure he does not find himself in regrettable situations. (He has already been in a few of those....). I am trying to make sure he realizes that just because he is almost 17, doesn't mean he knows what is best for himself. (Also, something that has been obvious--to us, anyway.) All the while wondering if what I am saying to him is making him pull more and more away from us. I am convinced he thinks we are unreasonable, and uncompromising. While I feel the truth of the matter is we have already bent for him and listened to him more than he will ever know.

I have decided that raising a teenager is much more difficult than I ever thought it would be. I have great respect for any set of parents who have made it through the teenage years with their family in tact and still loving each other!! We are trying to get there. We are trying with much prayer and humbleness.

The thought that we will be going through these tough years two more times just makes me shudder some days. (I now know why wrinkles deepen.) We will make it, I know we will...... but I won't be mistaken and believe it will be for any reason other than by the grace of God!

Thank You...

2009-05-25T10:06:00.007-05:00

Thank you to all the men and women who have served our country in the military-- defending and preserving our freedom....

Giving your lives unselfishly, so we can live peacefully....

We appreciate and remember you today.

new blog layout

2009-05-23T22:00:00.003-05:00

trying out a new look....although I don't think it will last very long. I like it, but the pink and brown actually feels dreary rather than cheery to me. I am definitely more of a blue/green kind of girl. I will be working on that, I guess. Anyway, hope you enjoy the new look.
I am sure much more blogging will be coming from me, now that summer is right around the corner. June 9th is our last day of school. I SHOULD have much more time on my hands after that. Which translates into more time to spend blogging. I miss it.

So...stay tuned!

Spring Break

2009-04-03T19:33:00.002-05:00

Well....Spring Break is almost over. How very sad. It is just too short. I wish we could have just one more week. I have just started to feel relaxed.

I have been doing a lot of running around this last week. Between carting the boys to friend's houses, running errands, and doing "must-do" tasks, I feel I have had absolutely NO time to myself. Today was the first time I have sat down for more than an hour. It feels good, let me tell you!

Tomorrow, our family is going to Medieval Times. We decided that we needed to do SOMETHING different and fun with the kids while we had vacation. We have never gone, so I hope it is worth the money. We need some good family "laugh-it-up" time.

Maybe I will take some pictures and post.

Hello???

2009-02-17T21:50:00.002-06:00

I haven't written in sooooo long, I felt I should at least say hello.

Anyone out there?

Hello?

Hello?

Okay, so that is it for now. I'll try and write more when I am feeling more inspired. If I am not inspired, I will just type some sort of nonsense, just so I am writing SOMETHING. I need to get back in the habit of popping in at least once a week. Ever since I got onto Facebook, that has been eating up my computer time. But, I was just reading past blog entries, and it was good to read them. It was fun to read about our house sale/purchase....funny things the kids did...the whole saga of trying to get a job....etc.

I'll be back.

Title-less entry

2008-10-02T18:42:00.002-05:00

Haven't posted in a while, so I decided I would.
Matt and I are going to go out to dinner this evening. Not sure where yet. We need to pick up Nate first from soccer practice at 7pm. The practices have already been ending sooner due to the shortened daylight. How sad is that?
We have a tournament for nathan this weekend. Next weekend is Jake's tournament. Mom also comes to visit us next weekend. I am looking forward to that.
Both boys are excited about Grandma seeing them play.

Nathan hurt his hand yesterday on the playground. Something about hitting it against a metal pole. He has complained about it since. With him being his team's goalie, it may not be so pretty at the tourney this weekend! He also has a bruise on his cheekbone, that he got today. I asked him what happened to his face, and he said, "Emily kicked me!" I said, "She kicked you in your FACE? How did she manage that?" So, he said, "I was just walking under the Monkey Bars, minding my own business, and Wham!...here she comes swinging her legs and knocks me down! " (I should mention that he said this all like it was HER fault, like she is a mean and terrible person, and he had nothing to do with it.) So, I said, "Uh, did it ever occur to you that you shouldn't be walking under the playground equipment?" He responded very matter-of-factly...."Nobody was going across". To which I responded, "Well, Emily obviously was." Anyway- Nathan is battered and bruised.

I also took Ben driving today for the first time. That was an adventure. We went in a local parking lot. Let's just say, he is not ready for the road yet. :0)

Up Early

2008-09-13T07:24:00.003-05:00

So, I was awake fairly early today-- for a Saturday, anyway. My inner alarm clock must have started working, as I have been waking up at 6am every morning since school started to get the boys out the door in time. My alarm was shut off last night--but my body still woke up at 6am on the dot.

I figured I'd update you on what is going on with my job placement this year. It has actually been a very weird beginning for the elementary school where I work. Let's just day there has been more drama than necessary, with many women (teachers and aides complaining about how the placements were made.... ). This is the first year this has happened. It is also an unusual year for the amount of people needing to be hired, or placed within the school. There are 5 student teachers, 8 high school helpers and TEN enrollment aides! It is a busy place, let me tell you. I am not going to go into all the details--I am actually tired of talking about it. (It has been the main topic of conversation for me in the last week, as far as work goes.) So, I will just tell you the main events that involved me.

I originally was placed in 2 first grade classrooms with two great teachers. I was happy with this placement--but disappointed with the hours I was given. Normally, an aide is given an equal amount of hours or increased hours than she held the year before. I worked 5 hours last year--which was perfect. I worked 2 1/2 hours, ate lunch, changed classrooms, and then worked my final 2 1/2 hours. Unfortunately, when I excepted the long term sub position last year, I forfeited my hours as an aide, and so I was kind of starting over as far as hours were concerned. (Silly rule, if you ask me....) Anyway, 4 hours was the best my principal said he could do.) So, this week I worked in the first grade and became more relaxed about it....because the company was good. My principal was aware that I really did desire more hours though, (believe it or not just one more hour a day, really does make a difference on my paycheck) and by Thursday I was called into his office. He told me that just that morning he got the go ahead from HR to hire a "program assistant" for LDR. He offered that position to me, and said he felt I was more than qualified. It would be more instructional in nature, and would ultimately add one more hour to my day. (Back to 5 hours--the schedule I like!) As far as I know, the pay will be the same an hour....but the experience would be extremely valuable to me.

I thought that right about now, a description of what "LDR" stands for and what that job entails would be good. Here is something I found on the internet:

******************************************************************************

LDR: Learning Disabilities Resource

(written by Mrs. Brenda Walton)

LDR teachers provide specialized instruction to students who have been found eligible to receive special education services in the areas of reading, spelling, writing, math, and academic skills. Most of the students who receive LD Resource services have learning disabilities; however, some students who receive services have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Emotional Disturbance (ED), Developmental Delays (DD), and Other Health Impairments (OHI). The LDR teachers serve children in all of the elementary grades at the elementary school. LD Resource instruction complements instruction delivered in the general education classroom. The students are taught in small groups or are given one-to-one individualized instruction.

The LD Resource teachers provide services to students other than instructional services. Some students receive services on a consultative basis. The LD Resource teachers provide services for these students by consulting with the general education teachers, the students, and the parents. LD Resource teachers also evaluate students who have been referred to them due to learning or behavioral difficulties in the general classroom. They participate in eligibility meetings and develop Individualized Educational Plans as well. Serving students at an elementary school is a collaborative effort of the team of professionals, parents, and the students; the LD Resource teachers are part of the team designed to maximize the achievement of the students found eligible for special education services.

*******************************************************************************

While I feel slightly under-qualified for this position (my degree is in Elementary Education which included some Special Education classes, but I did not receive my degree in Special Education, nor did I choose to minor in it.) Now, I wish I did!

The good news is that I will be an assistant--I will have two wonderful highly qualified Special Ed. teachers guiding me, and helping me along. I am excited about this new position, and the opportunities for learning it will surely bring me. I am not totally sure what it will look like exactly, until I start doing it, but I think I will like it. This 3 hour. position will be combined with a 2 hour enrollment aide job (In the first grade still, but with a different teacher than I was with this whole week)--and I think it will be a nice combination for me. As my principal said to me...."God works in mysterious ways". It is true, if I got the hours I had originally wanted to begin with, I wouldn't have inquired about additional hours, and might have not been considered for this new job at all, and a entirely new person would have been hired for it.

Well--the house is beginning to wake up now...so I am going to watch the news with the sound turned up, and see the hurricane damage in TX...and also listen more closely to the flash flood warnings given to our neck of the woods. The rain has been incredible around here....non-stop since yesterday early afternoon.

Should I?

2008-09-03T20:38:00.003-05:00

I need opinions....

What do you think of these chairs, if the seat covers were recovered in a great looking fabric??

the chairs are $25 each, and the money goes to Habitat for Humanity. I could even spray paint the wood part black.....

I wasn't sure where I'd put one, (or two).....but I liked the lines.

I thought about placing one in each corner of my living room near the archway to my dining room, to be used for extra seating for company......but I don't know......(I suppose they could even be used as extra chairs at the dining room table if need be, rather than pulling the ugly kitchen chairs in......)

what do you think? they are sturdy, and would be easy to recover--I checked that out already. :0)

OR- are they ugly?

Good Bye Dog Days of Summer!

2008-09-02T17:50:00.001-05:00

Photos courtesy of The Weather Channel.

First Day

2008-08-27T11:38:00.010-05:00

The kids went back to school today. :0)

Last night, instead of hovering over my children while they picked out their clothes, and got their backpacks ready, I lay in bed with a fever and terrible headache. Today I get tested for Strep Throat at the doctor's office. (Although, my fever is gone today, so who knows??)

Of course, since I wasn't hovering...and I was just yelling the checklist out to them while laying there like an invalid.....I wasn't completely sure they had everything. It seemed so last night when everyone fell asleep. I stayed up until 11:45pm doing laundry, because my dear Jacob crumpled his PE shirt into a ball and stored it in his dresser all summer without putting it in the hamper. GROSS!!! Yup- the darn thing smelled......BAD. He was supposed to bring it the first day, so I stayed up to wash it and put it into the dryer.

This morning....everything went off seemingly without a hitch. I asked each child if they had their ID cards, I asked them if they had their schedules, gym stuff, snacks, etc. Yes, mom. All three were ready early, and waited impatiently to leave the house at their three different respective times. Ben- 6:35am. Jake-7:35am, Nate-8:10am.

At 7:40am I received a phone call. It was Jacob on his cell. He was on the bus. He informed me that he didn't have his schedule.
What?? Didn't I ask him if he had it?
He said he grabbed the wrong paper by mistake--a map of the school...not his schedule. Immediately I considered reading the whole list of teachers, subjects and room numbers off the paper to him to write down. I told him to get out a pencil and paper and listen.
Then, he said...uh, mom?
I also forgot my PE shirt and shorts.....sorry.
WHAT???? Oh my Gosh....you are kidding me.

So.....I was in the car at 8am this morning driving to the Middle School across town--one half hour after my 7th grader left from our house......EARLY, I might add, because he was tired to waiting....and he was ready. Sigh.
I should also point out that I left before my elementary school child was on the bus. YUP. He went off to the bus stop, where all of the other parents gathered with cameras, and smiles, sending their children off while watching and waving....and I, on the other hand, just left my kid there without as much as a kiss goodbye...because my other son needed his stuff PRONTO, before his 2nd period gym class began. Sigh. Double sigh.

Here are my cuties in their annual --"please your mother, and just stand for a picture outside, before you leave" first day of school picture. We did this picture-taking in my backyard, so as to not humiliate my dear boys in front of anyone that might notice their crazy mom insisting on a picture. :0) I am so thoughtful, aren't I??

Here is Ben....a Sophomore, the day before he turns 16. Not exactly sure why he chose not to wear any of the new clothes we bought him....(???) And by the way--don't you know it is not cool to smile when you are a teenager?

And a head shot...ain't he cute? :0)

Here is Jake. He is starting 7th grade today. When we went shopping, he was pretty excited about this shirt. He is a funny kid.

And a headshot of him....how do you like that faux hawk? He got his haircut yesterday....actually all the boys did. Ben was sad most of his curls were cut off. Jake said "sweet" when his hair was done.....although I noticed most of his summer blond
highlights are now gone. Oh well--I'm over it.

Finally-here is my "little" one. Nate is in 4th grade this year. Hope he remembered who his teacher was when he got to school. We only spoke about it once....3 weeks ago.
Hmmm.....
Nathan insisted on wearing these shoes--they are old, and definitely have seen better days. I haven't found him any "slip-ons" to replace them yet, so this is my punishment. :0) He does have almost brand new adidas sneakers sitting on the floor in his room. Yes, I know.

Keeping with the pattern...Nathan's headshot. And before you say it....I am aware that his hair is a lot crooked. That would be the hairdresser's fault. I guess it is also my own, for not noticing until we were gone from that place, and I had already listened to Ben complain about how short HIS hair was. I didn't bring it up to Nathan when I finally noticed. He didn't seem to notice himself, or care. So I decided not to either. There you go. I will also be glad when his braces are a go. As of now, we need to wait at least until January for more tooth loss and adult tooth eruption. Until then...I will love my Bubby's gap toothed cutie patootie grin.

It is now 1:30pm. I have not gotten much done today other than getting my own hair cut, making a doctor's appt., driving to Jacob's school, putting drops in Emmy's ears, and generally putzing around. This post took more time than I would have liked it to, but Matt also called me twice during the process. I now need to run to Campton United Soccer Club's office to hand in medical forms, and arrange my carpool options for this afternoon's practice. Then--the kids will be home. Where did the time go??

short lived

2008-08-26T07:15:00.002-05:00

well.....

yesterday was a hard day for me. ben decided not to play soccer.

for those of you who know me, (and lets be real......if you are reading this stuff---you must know me.....why else would you bore yourself with my life's details?) you know that ben's "finding his way, and niche" has been somewhat of a struggle.

I was so thrilled when Ben decided to try out for soccer again after taking a year off. last year was a difficult one for him, and us. he just didn't seem like himself. his grades were down, he didn't want to be involved in anything....he was generally fairly difficult to live with---and i spent most of last year concerned about him and the decisions he was making. so, this summer, when he announced he was going to try out for the HS soccer team, we were thrilled because we felt it was a good sign. maybe, just maybe, he was working his way out of the "funk" he has been in.

but alas....his soccer days were short lived. ben started complaining after the second day of tryouts. we chalked it up to him being out of shape. we told him it would get better. the whining continued, though. his "what was I thinking?" statements continued. we encouraged him and held our breath.

yesterday ben flat out told us that he was not enjoying soccer as he hoped he would. that he woke up everyday thinking about how he had soccer practice, and it immediately would put him in a bad mood. he did not look forward to practice, and did not look forward to playing games. he wanted to quit before the season took off.

Aggravation!
Frustration!
Tears!
Heartache!

okay--i feel it is important that you know that it is not the fact that he doesn't want to play soccer that is so hard to take. it is the short lived hope that maybe things were changing and looking up for him. i just want him to be happy. i just want him to realize there is more to high school than going to classes. i wanted to see some sort of self-motivation in him. i want to see him passionate about something other than hanging out with friends and spending time on the computer.

it is a fine line to walk. this whole teenager thing is difficult. he is so sensitive, and moody. we have been trying for a year to light a fire under him....to try and help him find something he can be excited about..... some of our attempts have been interpreted by him as us thinking he is a loser. (not our goal here, folks....) some of our attempts have resulted in him thinking we are trying to run his life. some of our attempts have been listened to and pondered, and maybe made a difference for about a week's time. (more frustration....)

yesterday, we concentrated on the whole aspect of just wanting him to be happy, and to feel supported..... he agreed that last year was not a good year for him, and that he wanted to change things a bit. he wants to concentrate more on his classes. to put a little more effort in. i know he is nervous about his heavy course load. but, we also told him that we feel he needs to find something worthwhile to do. to get involved somehow. to find something to get excited about....to branch out a little...to take a chance. we are not going to force him to play soccer--even though we are more than disturbed that he wants to quit something else. again. but, at this point in his life, there is no reason to force him to do something he is miserable doing. our goal is to help him be happy-not depressed everyday!

i have to tell you, though.....
this is hard on parents that were both very involved in numerous things in school. it is also very hard to see lack of motivation, and desire. it is also VERY hard to see your child struggling to find his way.

please pray for us---for wisdom. we want to make the right decisions. we want to help him build character. we want him to know above all else, he is loved.
please pray for ben---that he finds "that thing" to capture his interest. that he finds success this year for his efforts. that his heart is softened, that he seeks God, and and that he has the desire to make the most out of his life, rather than just coasting through it.

it is hard to be a parent.

Houston, we have a problem....

2008-08-20T15:07:00.004-05:00

Okay--so I thought I'd share a little problem I have here.

I have always collected underwear. I am not sure what my deal is. I never think I have enough. But...you need just the right pair for certain occasions, you know what I mean?

For instance, you need a few thongs for those tightish shorts and pants, so no panty lines show. You definitely need the ugly comfy pair for when you just want to sit around in sweats and eat ice cream. You need a few normal useful regular ones for everyday--the ones that are really the most loved. A few crazy funky ones for when you feel the need to be a bit silly and fun. The ones that work best for that time of the month (you know the ones....admit it). Then you have ones that sit in the back of your drawer that you pull out occasionally when you are feeling a bit romantic. AND--then there are the ones that mostly fit, and you don't wear very much.....but they are perfectly good, and you can't seem to get yourself to throw them away, in case you have a time that you just didn't get to the laundry, and you need to resort to the ill-fitting less favorites.

Like I said....this has always been a problem of mine. I remember in college....I had two full drawers dedicated to just underwear. It was more important then to have plenty--because doing laundry was never a guarentee. Time did not always allow for getting it done.....and I never wanted to be the one having to turn a used pair inside out to wear again. How gross! My closest friends knew of this "collection", and kidded me about it. I was even given a few little girl ruffled pairs for my birthday from my RA staff as a joke.

I thought, though, I had mostly outgrown this need for an incredible amount of underwear.....UNTIL.....I recently tried to cram all my pairs into my underwear drawer. Sadly, I guess this was one of the few times all of my laundry was clean at the same time, and I had nothing left dirty in my hamper.

And this is what my underwear drawer looks like now.....

What am I supposed to do about this??? (And please do not suggest that I actually throw some of these away......)

These are packed tightly in, BTW. The drawer is halfway shut....and I have now added three pairs to the hamper since this problem occurred. So....maybe I just need to wear two or three at a time until I can shut the drawer??? My hubby just shakes his head at me......

maybe I should go back to bed.....

2008-08-14T08:39:00.005-05:00

this has not been a good day. and it is only 9:00 in the morning.

my bad day actually started last night, when my cell phone refused to accept a charge. it has been slowly dying the last few days, and i have been in denial, i guess. i am now facing the fact that it is gone now, and what is a girl to do when her phone dies and we were waiting until sept. 7th to change phone plans? (when our other contract is up). i spent some time last night using the last bit of juice in my phone to copy down all my phone numbers i had stored in there. :0(

jacob has a tournament in milwaukee, wisconsin this weekend. it started out that matt and jake were going unless i could find someone to dog sit. this is not incredibly easy when there is no family around to help us. since i haven't been to one of jake's out of state tourneys in a while....(well at least since last fall)... it was important for me to find out a way for us all to go. you know, we'd have a family weekend--as the summer comes to a close. so....i need to ask my dear friends. which i hate having to do, by the way. then--yesterday, when i thought it wasn't going to work out, i was excited to have not one, but two offers of people volunteering to take care of emmy. the second offer was also to have nathan stay with his friend (along with the dog) so that he could attend the said friend's birthday party. matt and i spent a while last night discussing the options, wondering whether it was necessary to have nathan with us, or whether we should let him stay with his friend (which is what he wanted to do....). we did not reach a decision about this, really. we were back and forth, and matt basically left in my hands to do what i thought best. WELL....this morning, i woke up at about 6:45am after thinking i heard emmy bark (she didn't--i must have been dreaming). I started my day checking email. matt IM'ed me, seeing i got on the computer, and told me that he thought he should stay home this weekend, due to the amount of work he had to do, and because he has been so tired, and he never gets good sleep while away at tourneys. (maybe because games usually start at 8am and jake as to be ready for the team breakfast by 6:30am???) anyway, i was fairly shocked by this turn of events----and to be honest, a little disturbed by the thought of having to do it all on my own. although, it would solve the problem of deciding where emmy should go, and most likely ben would jump for joy when he found out he could stay home, too. it is just a bummer for me. (plus...i have no phone!)

then i came downstairs to mull everything over, get my tea and glance at my calendar to figure out my day. hmmmmm....ben has his materials pick-up at school from 11am-12pm. 1:00pm i need to take jake and 4 other boys from his soccer team to a team building event in sycamore (about an hour round trip). at 3:30pm i need to get ben to his second day of soccer tryouts. at 5:45pm I drive nathan to his soccer practice. 7:30pm he gets picked up. matt is late tonight, hmmm...i should really go food shopping, too. oh yeah, i need to get Austin (nathan's friend) a birthday present.... let's see....what else? maybe i should get my cup of tea and think it over.....

i get my mug, my teabag, my sugar substitute (I know.....don't talk to me right now about how bad this probably is for me....), and my hot water from the cooler (i love that thing!).....and then reach for the milk....

what?? what's this?? NOOOOO...... Nooooo.....please don't tell me.....

THE REFRIGERATOR WAS OPEN ALL NIGHT LONG!!!

oh dear...this is bad. very bad. i looked inside, hoping that matt was maybe in there this morning to get OJ or something, and it really WASN'T open all night. I knew that was not the case when i felt in there, and noticed it was actually HOT in there! The light was on all night too, and so it heated up the whole inside of the fridge. My butter melted....into puddles. I almost burnt myself on a pickle jar located right next to the light. I made the realization that everything would need to be tossed. OUCH! i think the only things that can be saved is the ketchup, (maybe), the pop and beer that hadn't been opened yet, and maybe..... nope, i think that is it. ARGH!!! this is an expensive mistake someone made. and i don't want to point any fingers....but ben, jake and jake's friend were up late and hanging out down there last night because jake had a sleepover. you know how boys are with late night fridge raids......

so now, i guess i also need to fit in a trip to the food store today to re-buy everything that went bad. of course, that is only after i throw it all out, and write down a list of everything i am tossing..... do you feel bad for me yet?

here are a few pictures I took this morning after my discovery....

here is my butter dish...yup, threw that away already.

the light that caused all of the heat...darn light....

and finally...a view of the fridge before i emptied it of all it's contents. good bye food and all the things i took for granted inside....the mint jelly i don't think about until we have lamb....the minced garlic....the specialty salsa and marinades i bought from "Little Traveler" and "Pampered Chef" ....yogurts, and applesauce.... pickles and olives.... salad dressings, ice cream sundae fixin's......oh the sadness.....

at least the freezer door stayed shut. gotta look for the silver lining... right?

checklist overload

2008-08-13T09:48:00.003-05:00

I have got to get something accomplished today. For sure. I don't care what it is, but I feel like each day flies by and I have nothing to show for it. My easy going non-eventful summer life is about to come to a close, and the crazy days of Fall, soccer and school are about to take over.

So, what should I do? I need to wash dishes. I need to make beds. I need to vacuum. I need to straighten the little messes all about the house. I need to drive my son to soccer tryouts, and my other son to goalie training...... I need to shower, and get dressed, and make myself generally presentable. I need to RSVP to a birthday party. I need to do laundry. I need to figure out a plan for dinner. I need to sweep up the dog hair scattered about my tiled hallway and kitchen floors. I need to dust the stair banisters because I noticed yesterday that they have been way too neglected. There is more I should do, that falls into the category of general house cleaning and maintenance.....like clean toilets, and wipe finger prints from the stainless steel. I need to finalize plans for this weekend--who is going with Jacob for his tournament in Milwaukee?? Will we have a dog sitter? Is the whole family going? Or just Matt and Jake? Or just me and Jake?? If it is just me and jake...I need to print out lots of maps, and schedules, etc.....that Matt usually handles when we are all going.

When do I find the time for the other stuff? Like going food shopping, and school supply shopping? When do I set my children up with a few new shirts and jeans, etc. for their first months at school? When do I shop for Ben's birthday on the 28th? (He will be 16!!) When do I finally spray paint that darn light fixture? When do I contemplate what I'd like to put on the shelves in the front office? When do I start tearing the wallpaper off my dining room walls? When do I paint? How long will it be that my boys need to suffer with the hideous blue and mauve fleur-de-lis, and grids (hand stamped by the previous home owner) all over their bathroom walls? What about the Living Room furniture? When do I shop for that? That's a biggie by the way..... I can't stand the LR right now the way it is.....

Seriously.....there is ALOT to do around here. I need to cross something off the list. TODAY would be nice. Why do I get the feeling it will just be like all the rest of days in the last few weeks..... doing little jobs/tasks that take up the whole day, and then the day is gone. AGAIN.

Better get moving.... time flies.

Museum Mom

2008-08-03T17:35:00.002-05:00

I thought this was really fun. Check out this picture I made at www.dumpr.net
I think my mom should use this as her facebook profile pic....what do you think mom? :0)

Art Museum by dumpr.net

Well...it happened

2008-08-01T17:32:00.002-05:00

Poor Nathan's frog bit the dust.

I think he may have drowned. He normally would be sitting in a dry portion of the tank, or near his frog food....but this morning he was floating at the bottom of the tank under water. We have witnessed him swim before, so we know he can do it---but Nathan would also give him a little push up onto land when he seemed tired. Maybe this time, he needed a little shove and no one was there for him. :0(

At least we got to see him change into his froggie form. Sadly, he was only a frog for a few days....after months of tadpole living.

Sorry, froggie.

I love stars....

2008-07-31T14:32:00.005-05:00

Did I mention I love stars?

I don't know why I love them so much. It may be their bold design. It may be because it reminds me of a time when I used to doodle them all over my notebook pages in school. It may be because I happen to be rather patriotic. Or possibly, it is because I relate them to images I have seen in home decor magazines, where they are prominently displayed and the rest of the room looks warm and clean, and family-friendly.

Whatever the reason.....I love them. Always have, probably always will.

Today I bought three distressed wood stars from Kirkland Home Store. I didn't know where I'd put them....but I knew I'd find a place! I love the way they look together. I finally decided to place them on top of our wood built-in bookshelves in our front office. Most of our boxes on the floor are gone now, thank God, and I am hoping the stars help warm up the joint. :0) Our shelves are still rather empty....it will take some time to fill them with books and things we love. But, I feel the stars above already make me feel like it is a little more like "me" in there.

My first star I hung as a decoration was a large one I hung right above my front door in our old house. I loved it there....and I worried I wouldn't find a place for it that would be as appropriate as it was there, when we moved. I knew I wanted to see it all the time....and I knew if it weren't there, it might not feel like "home" to me. I thought it would be really spectacular right over our fireplace in our Family Room. I got really excited to put it there. Unfortunately, we soon discovered that the mirror that was "hung" above the fireplace and left there by the previous owners....was actually attached to the wall, framed in moulding! If we tried to remove it, it most likely would leave a huge mess, resulting in lots of drywall repair. UGH.
Thankfully, the last homeowner must have decided they wanted more than a mirror there, too, because they left a big giant screw right in the middle of it!
I am sure you see where I am going with this....but, it seemed logical to me for us to try and hang the star right there on top of the mirror. I wasn't sure if I'd like it.....but at least now it is the center of attention. The room just wouldn't have that family feeling I was looking for without it. Here is the result...(try to not pay attention to how little the surrounding shelves are decorated so far, or that the TV is on, or that there are wires all over the place for our electronic equipment... )

I have a feeling this is not the end of my obsession with stars. I believe that another star or two may make their appearance somehow into my decor. I am left wondering just how many stars are too many?? (Because there was this adorable star lamp I saw at Homegoods......and I just know it would look cool someplace........) :0)

More random Colorado shots....

2008-07-30T13:56:00.008-05:00

Just thought I'd post more pictures from my fun weekend in Colorado with my peeps....

to start--here is a picture of the three sisters on a swing....(Thanks Abby for taking this picture!)

a very skinny mom :0).....you go, girl!

the Wilkinson family and me....

Why is it I look so huge in that picture?

And finally (for now)--here is a very cute shot of Kerry and Caleb....

Being with family is great......wish I saw more of them. We did a lot of laughing, a little bit of crying (which of course, was laugh-induced), and generally just enjoyed each other's company. Who wants to come visit my nest in Illinois?

I am up too late....

2008-07-30T00:56:00.003-05:00

So...I am up, and I should be sleeping.
But, while I am here, I will post a cute picture of my parents. I miss them already.

Thanks for letting me invade your house for a few days! You are the bestest mommy and daddy ever! Love you!

Cheyene Mountain Zoo...Colorado

2008-07-29T16:27:00.015-05:00

Can I tell you how much I enjoy this zoo? I went to visit my family in Colorado for a long weekend, and this is what Mom and Dad and I did one morning...we went to the zoo! Why? Because it is cool, and unlike any other zoo I have ever been to.
For one thing, it is up in the mountains! YUP. It is. Way cool, right? For another thing, it has the BEST giraffe exhibit ever. Seriously, folks...if you love giraffes as much as I do, which is a whole lot, you NEED to visit this zoo sometime in your lifetime. Not only do they have many giraffes to look at.....which is cool enough, right? They also let you get up and personal with them. You can feed them, and stand right where you can see their faces, and actually pet their noses if you wanted to.

No, I am not kidding.

So, of course, I need to show you some of the pictures I took of my favorite attraction at this zoo. Let me tell you, I have more pictures of giraffes then what I am even going to post here. But, in interest of blog space, I will try and refrain from posting all of them. Look how cute and awesome they are, though.....

Look at this guy's face. He is being fed a cracker.....this is what I mean.....WAY cool, huh?

I know...cute, right?

These two were lovin' eachother....like the whole time we were there--kissing. French kissing. They couldn't get enough, let me tell you. I almost thought I shouldn't be looking. Yes, even giraffes need some lovin'.

See how this is set up so you can get close to their faces?? It is a view, most people never get of these beautiful animals...

This is a nursing giraffe....WOW.

All these beautiful giraffes....and look at this view (!!!)....can't get much better...

Of course....I wouldn't want you to think I only came to the zoo just to see giraffes. I looked at other cool animals, too. for instance, check out this porcupine! Did you know they climb trees?? I didn't! Check out his feet just hangin' there...totally cracked me up.

And here is a silly orangatan in a bucket. Funny....

We also saw a sleeping Mountain Lion. So harmless looking when sleeping, don't you agree??

And Hippos....

I like to think that God will allow all of these wonderful creatures to live in heaven with us---and they will be walking among us, and even the fierce animals on earth will be gentle there with Him. Wouldn't it be cool to be walking down those streets of gold alongside a lion, or bear, and know you can pet them, or give them a hug--like you would your pet dog? And the giraffes! They'd be there, too! Maybe they would lower their necks and let us hold on while they swung us onto their backs for a ride. Hmmmmm......

Okay--just one more picture of the giraffes......

off to Colorado and tadpole surprise...

2008-07-23T23:41:00.002-05:00

I may not be blogging until Tuesday. I will be flying to colorado to see my mom and two sisters tomorrow. I am very excited for our "girl's weekend". I will fill you in about that next week.

Also-tadpole update. If you have been following the tadpole drama.....
We had two in a tank--Nathan found them in June at one of the last soccer games. One has already died. :0( We didn't expect the other to last much longer than that. Tonight, Nathan came into my room very upset because he couldn't find his tadpole. I immediately asked him if he left the tank where Emmy (our dog) could reach it. She has been fairly curious about the little guy and the occasional splish splashy sounds coming from the tank. She jumps up to see into the tank, and we have already had to take away the jar of tadpole food from her mouth on three different occasions. Nathan said the tank had been up high on his shelf. When we looked in the tank--the tadpole was not swimming around as usual. We couldn't find him. I was thinking he met a bad end, until we saw a lumpy looking thing seemingly squeezed between the tank wall and fake rock. It wasn't moving, and we thought maybe the tadpole got stuck there while swimming by. Upon further closer inspection with a flashlight, we discovered a tiny frog sitting there! We got pretty excited. It's tail is completely gone, and it was balanced on his own small legs. It was tiny and froggy! I actually felt a little bit of wonderment....and pride....we didn't kill it by accident!

It will be fun to see that TINY frog grow. Nathan was so happy about it, it almost makes keeping the thing worth it.

Projects- big and small

2008-07-21T13:25:00.015-05:00

I have been thinking about doing a lot of projects.
Some are quite small, and can be done easily. These usually refer to the "crafty" kind. A few days ago, I sat down and created a few cards, which I hadn't done in a while. I "doodled" some, made a couple of bookmarks for Nathan and Jacob, who specifically asked for them, wrote other ideas in a notebook for another time, and fiddled around in my craft room a while. Here are some samples of things I did:

and this is the mess it left behind.....

I have a few LARGER projects to tackle, too (which are really more important, but not as easy):

the outdoor patio furniture needs to be repainted

here is an ugly light fixture to be spray painted black, and rehung into the dining room (only if it looks fabulous, of course, after its makeover)

then there is the whole dining room and living room to decorate and furnish.....(although we got started in the DR by buying a new table and chairs). We still need to take the dated wallpaper down, paint the walls in the DR (see the paint chips?) and hang new window treatments....see these ghastly ones? They dress the LR and DR windows. :0( I don't even have a plan yet for the LR, except to decorate and buy new furniture.....

And, all I keep thinking is, if those little projects at the top can cause a mess I have avoided cleaning up.....what kind of messes will be left behind when I finally get around to tackling the BIG ones??? Of course, the big projects make the biggest changes and impact.....right?

Maybe I should start by finally getting these boxes in the front office unpacked. UGH.

Doggie Duo

2008-07-20T19:18:00.007-05:00

So...we have been watching our friends' dog for them these last few days while they were on vacation, and we are bringing her back tonight, so I figured I'd post some pictures of their dog and our dog together. They get along quite well....and follow each other everywhere. Usually, it is hard to see one and not the other directly behind. Of course, while I was trying to get just one decent picture of the two together......they seemed to make a pact to separate!

First, let me introduce them individually.....
this black lab is ours....her name is Emmy. She is a GREAT dog. Very obedient, loving, but a bit fat. :0(

This adorable pup is Shiloh. She is a Burnese Mountain dog. Isn't she pretty? This is our friends' dog, and we like her. :0) She is sweet, goofy, and aims to please.

They weren't cooperating when I tried to get a picture of the two together..... so I gave them each a small bone to eat, because the last time I did that, they laid down right next to each other and chewed away. This time though, they left quite a bit of space. I almost didn't get them in the same shot.

Do you see Shiloh way back in the dining room? She is next to the light fixture that is on the floor. Why do we have a light fixture on the floor?? It is down there because my hubby removed it so I could spray paint it black (a bit of an experiment), like a few other bloggers have done, and I decided if they could do it, so can I! (I just haven't done it yet...but I will.) Anyway-Shiloh is back there. The other black dog NOT chewing a bone is Nathan's stuffed doggie. Obviously, there weren't enough big dogs to step over in this house already, so this one made it down to the LR, too.

Next, I took this shot.....where you get to see our unfinished embarrassing mismatched LR. We just moved in.....we need more time! (How long am I allowed to use that excuse??) I would also like to point out, that that cream colored couch was on our curb on closing day. We pushed it into our garage, (through a layer of snow!) and it is serving the purpose of "place holder" for the new couch we hope to get someday. I am not a fan of this couch. I think it is ugly. The more I look at it, the more I just want it gone. Notice that the same stuffed dog made this picture, too.

Finally, I got the help of Nathan, who made the two dogs sit next to each other. It took a lot of effort, and coaxing, and us saying "stay" over and over....but I got a picture. Unfortunately, it is not a very good one. Both dogs look a little uncomfortable. Emmy looks especially hunched over. She also left as soon as the picture was taken.

So....there you have it. Aren't you glad I learned how to post photos? Now you won't be able to stop me!

Wow! Look at me go!

2008-07-20T14:16:00.005-05:00

I am learning how to post photos...because otherwise I am too boring, and you won't read any of these blog posts. We are a visual people, no?

Anyway....to experiment with my new amazing computer skills (how sad am i, that I still didn't know how to do this?), I will post pictures I just took of Matt and Jacob.

First, we have a picture of my hubby sitting in his office, looking rather posed-

then we have a much more normal shot-- :0)

and finally, an odd picture of Jacob doing something on his phone, then looking up, just to please his mom....

So....not very exciting shots to begin with, but I am proud of myself for learning none the less. Now I can post and show pics of what I am talking about, and while I still might be boring.....at least I will have visuals! :0)

New Cut- Check

2008-07-18T08:48:00.002-05:00

Well, the deed was done....on Wednesday, actually. (Yesterday was just to busy to sit and write about it!)

My hair is cut, and I don't regret it. Isn't it funny how getting a new style can be such a pick me up? Especially when you go from long heavy-ish hair, to having a shorter, lighter "do". It feels great to have all that weight lifted.

I am now sporting a chin-length cut. The front strands are a bit longer, so it doesn't look blunt. I have some piecy layers cut into it all around, and my curls are more bouncy. Overall, a good change.

I trust my stylist, so I told her generally what I was hoping for, and we talked a bit about the length, and she went for it.

I am glad there are no regrets. :0) I do still get surprised every time I get a glimpse of myself in a mirror or see myself in a window reflection. Is that me?? I almost don't recognize myself. Funny.

Hair Talk

2008-07-15T15:22:00.002-05:00

I need a haircut, I have decided. I have been growing it out for who knows how long, and it is the longest it has been in a VERY long time. When standing, my hair reaches to the top of my bra strap in back. I feel fairly proud of that. Don't know why. I have been considering a haircut for some time, but felt that maybe I'd regret it after I got it done.

I think it must be time though....since I have been complaining about it nonstop since the end of May. Matt insisted I not cut it while I was teaching and taking classes. Wise thoughts, me thinks. I have a tendency to make crazy rash decisions on a whim when I am stressed. Thankfully he knows me well. I am fairly relaxed and unstressed right now, and still thinking about cutting it, so maybe it is time.

The problem?? I always fear bad hair. What if it all goes horribly wrong?? (And I look older and more dumpy than I actually am??) I don't have a plan. Not having a plan when entering a hair salon could be dangerous. Of course, maybe it is good. No preconceived notions, right?

I am thinking I am just going to take my chances and make an appointment. Whatever the cut is....it has got to be better than this mop I am carrying around right now!

Blog-aholic

2008-07-14T08:31:00.002-05:00

Hi, my name is Kim, and I am a blog-oholic.

It is true. I have a problem. I. CAN. NOT. STOP. MYSELF.

Seriously, I have spent way too much time reading blogs, and then running into my craft room (also guest room, BTW), and trying out things I feel I just HAVE to do, right that second!

I promise i will learn how to post pics of things. I will. This is my new goal for this summer. Learn to post photos on my own darn blog. I could show you the cute little doodle projects I pumped out. I could post pics of my darling children shaking their heads at me in disbelief as i get excited over a cute "must-do" project.

You just wait.....it will be great. :0)

Blog Happy

2008-07-10T09:29:00.002-05:00

I have been going a little blog happy over here. What does that mean? I can't control myself from checking out a bunch of blogs that are written by people I don't even know. My two favorites currently are:

The Pioneer Woman
www.thepioneerwoman.com

and

The Nesting Place
www.nestingplacenc.blogspot.com

My mom pointed me to "The Nesting Place" blog 2 days ago, and told me to look at the "window mistreatment" links there. I need to come up with some sort of new window treatments for my LR and DR, because the ones that are there now, while custom made for the windows....are just plain....well.....dreadful. (Again, my thoughts go to the fact that right about now, a picture showing you my current treatments would be helpful. I NEED to learn how to post photos on this thing! Arrrgh!) Anyway, "The Nesting Place" is chock full of budget friendly decorating ideas. The woman who writes the blog, "the Nester" is a funny and joyful Christian woman, who just moved to a smaller "nest" with her family (husband and 3 boys), to cut back on monthly payments they were making, to help get them out of debt. Good for them! I always admire people who can make hard decisions and act on them. She is a creative person with wonderful taste, and I am drawn to her style of decorating--I am just filled with inspiration!

The Nester actually reminds me a little of my long ago friend, Shelley. Shelley also had a zest for life, and decor. She was an art major, who had no fear in trying something new in her house, no matter how unusual her ideas seemed to others. Somehow, she always made things work. She also had a very little budget to work with, and either made her home decorations, or bought them at discount stores, yard sales, or at TJMaxx type places. She once gave me a funny casserole dish for my birthday. It was the first domestic-type gift I had ever received from someone other than my mom, or wasn't given to me at my bridal shower. I admit, when I first opened it, I thought it a bit odd....I was 23, and still hadn't embraced fully my role as a domestic chicky. But, I loved it too. I felt sad as I noticed it didn't survive our move in January. Not because the casserole was something I used often.....truthfully, it was a little ugly. It was a large rectangle shaped ashtray, with fruit painted on the bottom. BUT- it was sad just the same. It symbolized my early years as a wife and a mom. And, it also made me remember my friend. I loved her.....but she moved away, and over a series of many different events in her life, she became a different person, and cut ties with all her friends and her faith. But, I digress.

While visiting the two blogs I sited above.....I have also clicked on blogsites that they highlight. What fun this has been! I have also found I secretly wish I lived closer to The Nester, I'd want to be her friend. :0) Does that make me sad or creepy?? I hope not.

As a side note--I am suddenly filled with domestic urges. I feel like putting more effort into my home, my meals, my cleaning. I feel like shopping for fabric, and paint, and bargains. I feel like stretching myself creatively....thinking outside the box a little, etc. It feels good. :0)

hot, muggy night

2008-07-08T21:03:00.002-05:00

My mom and dad were just visiting from Colorado. It was fun having them. We gave them the tour of our new house, spent the 4th of July together BBQ-ing and going to see fireworks, did some shopping, Matt and Dad went golfing, we went to see Wall-E, played a couple of rounds of Apples to Apples, went out to eat, hung out, and generally enjoyed each other's company. They left today. For the whole time they were here, the weather was beautiful (with the exception of a short storm here and there). The temperature was warm but a cool breeze was always blowing. We had little to no humidity. The nights were cool and pleasant....

Gone went my parents, and gone went the weather. It started changing sometime yesterday, as it started to feel like the humidity was creeping back in. Today it was hot (87*), muggy, and the breeze was warm. Tonight, after a yummy dinner of salad, cold steak, and baked potatoes (we wanted to eat our leftovers!), Matt and I decided it would be a nice idea to take Emmy for a walk around the neighborhood. We walked Emmy for about a half hour, and returned her to the house.....it was just so sticky and warm, and she needed a drink! Then we left her to cool off, and we went back out for another half hour or so. It was nice, and I felt I must have burned some calories, (probally about 23), but it was just way too muggy! Can we talk about bad humidity-induced frizzy hair?

Then, if I wasn't sticky enough, I went back outside when we got home to do a little pruning of some of my plants. They needed it. I got about a quarter of the way through before I had to give up. I was dripping wet from sweat, little buggies like gnats and lightning bugs were swarming my head and arms, and it was generally very icky out there. So I came in.

Now I sit on my bed, under the air conditioning vent, with a fan blowing on me, wishing for that cool, non-sticky, breezy weather we had for all about a week here in the suburbs of Chicago. Mom and Dad, did you pack it up with the rest of your stuff? If so, PLEASE bring it back!!

tadpole update

2008-07-01T16:36:00.002-05:00

Well, folks....

We killed a tadpole. One down. How is it, that when we forgot about the tadpoles out on the deck, in a yucky bucket with no food, and living in tap water, that the internet said we shouldn't do.....they live. As soon as we pay attention to them, give them fresh water that we read was "needed" for tadpole survival, gave them proper "tadpole food", one dies in a day's time. At least Nathan isn't too distraught about it. He has been distracted by friends being over. Nate will probably want to think deeply about it at bedtime. He won't be able to sleep due to the sad, sad circumstance of a tadpole's death. This is how things work.

I am soooo tired!

2008-07-01T14:29:00.002-05:00

So, I am completely tired. Last night I didn't fall asleep until about 2:30am. Not a big deal....that has happened before. But, unfortunately, for some reason, I found myself awake again at about 4am. Eyes opened, looking around, wondering why in the world am I alert. (???) I spent the next hour and a half tossing and turning, trying to force sleep. I was tired, I knew I was.....but my body just wasn't cooperating. Finally, I fell back to sleep at about 6am. Whew!

At 7am my alarm went off. Yup. We bought one of those water cooler things for our kitchen. It is supposed to make us want to drink more water. ( We'll see.) It was being delivered today sometime between 7am-12pm. (Why do they do that to us? Do they really have to be that vague?) I got out of bed, groggily, and threw the nearest T-shirt and shorts on. I then laid back down on the bed. Within minutes I had fallen back to sleep.

At 8am the doorbell rang. Shoot. I was still sleeping. I flew out of bed, and down the stairs without even looking in the mirror. My face felt puffy, and like it was drooping downward. I couldn't believe the water delivery guy was here. Why couldn't he come at 10 or 11?? I opened the door and said something to him. Not sure what.....I may have been still sleeping. I remember apologizing and telling him I fell back to sleep. Then I thought of my hair. OH my gosh!! If you have curly hair that frizzes with just the least amount of movement, like mine does.....you know what my hair looked like after a night of tossing and turning. I was not a pretty sight. I started feeling bad for the delivery guy. Plus, my breath must have been killer. UGH. The guy placed three 5 gallon jugs into my garage, and brought a fourth into my house. He placed a stainless steel water cooler base next to my sliding glass door, and explained to me how the unit worked. (I think.....honestly I don't remember what he said exactly, I just remember him saying something about leaky bottles, letting the hot water heater heat the water for about a half hour after a new jug is placed on top, he asked about my kids ages......mentioned something about jotting a note to the delivery guy if we want changes in any part of the delivery.....and a few other things.) Then I thanked him and he left.

Finally, I went into the bathroom (I hadn't even had my morning pee yet). That is when I saw myself for the first time. Oh dear. I had wildly big hair, a puffy face with pillowcase wrinkles in it, sleepies in my eyes, and leftover mascara rubbed onto my eyelids and underneath. I was a beauty for sure. Good thing I already have a husband and I don't have to impress anybody!

The rest of this day (so far) all I can think about is when I can get back to sleep. Both Jake and Nate have friends over....so no chance for a nap. Would 7pm be too early to get under my covers?

I am supposed to be cleaning for my mom and dad's visit coming up....hopefully, Thursday. (Mom is sick today...so we have to see.) I am not making much progress though. I vacuumed the FR carpet. I filled the dishwasher and rested my head on the counter. I drove my oldest son to his friend's house across town, and picked up McDonald's for the other boys. I brushed the dog and tried to remove the large amounts of shedding hair. The cleaning is not going well, I tell ya.

So now, I am drinking a giant Diet Coke, hoping the caffeine will take hold of me...and give me a fighting chance to complete my day. I am also sitting on my bed while I type this. Not a good idea, folks. My pillow is looking very soft and inviting. How nice a little rest sounds right now. Just a few minutes, I promise.......

I better get off this bed.

Oh wait- no worries about me falling asleep----I now have 8 boys (count 'em...8!) running around my house hanging out in various rooms. Yes, the cleaning will have to wait.

Lovely Boys

2008-06-30T21:16:00.002-05:00

I figured I'd write something that happened today that epitomizes the daily silly things that boys do.

These things are rather random and unconnected, but I'll tell you anyway. :0) I am generally random and unconnected on a regular basis....so I am unbothered by this. :0)

Nathan now has two tadpoles in his room, swimming in a tank.
He found them while at Jacob's soccer game, while he was wandering though the fields and decided a look into a nearby large puddle of water. He collected them in an empty water bottle--(what else?)--and brought them home, even though I told him they would most probably die. I said they NEEDED their "home". That their natural habitat would be best for them. Then Nathan said he would be soooo sad if he couldn't have tadpoles as pets. He wanted to watch them grow! Guilt reared its ugly head... who was I to tell a young boy to squelch this natural curiousity of watching the amazing growth cycle of frogs in action?? Isn't this what boys did?? Wasn't this science? And, I reasoned with myself, they could maybe swim around in our pond out in the backyard, and make other froggy friends as they grew. AND- I didn't have to look at them if I didn't want to, because OF COURSE they would live outside. Well....we brought them home, and I looked on the internet to find out what these little guys needed to live. Apparently, tadpoles are rather fragile. They need tadpole food....all I needed to do was wash lettuce, and lay each leaf flat on a tray, and freeze it, and then chop it up into little tadpole portions....and not feed them too much, but also not give them too little! What?! I definitely had better uses of my time. Also- they need clean water. They wouldn't survive too long if swimming in their own filth. (Who cleans out puddles and ponds, I'd like to know??)
Nathan was not satisfied with dumping them in our pond. He couldn't see them grow, he said, because our pond is too murky, and gross. I then lectured him again about how we shouldn't have brought them home, how I didn't want tadpoles at our house in the first place, etc. etc. We settled on a big bucket of water, that contained their yucky water they came in, along with some regular water from the hose. ( I read later that tap water could kill them.....BTW.) The bucket sat on our deck for a week and a half. Nathan forgot about them after about a day.....and I decided they MUST have died after about three to four days without food and because we doused them with tap water.....according to the internet research I did.) Well--no such luck. Nathan came running into the house today with a huge grin on his face. His friend Brent had a tadpole "tank"....he could transfer his tadpoles into the tank, and he could watch them better. Brent had this empty tank, because his tadpoles died. (hmmmmm.....)
I said gently to Nathan that his tadpoles most likely died too....(they couldn't still be alive, could they??) Nathan went out to the deck with Brent, concerned but not completely worried. I waited for him to re-enter the house with a frown. NOPE. The darn things were still alive and swimming! Oh brother...
so the two boys transferred the squiggly things into the the tank, fed them some "tadpole food" that Brent also brought, and they now sit INSIDE my house, like pets! UGH. Just what I wanted. Nathan, of course, is overjoyed.

Now to my next shorter story.
Jacob. Oh, Jacob. He is a boy of many characters and sounds, and he likes to sing. Alot. Mostly he sings songs he is listening to on his IPod, or on the computer, or radio, etc. This morning, though....I heard him singing an old "army" diddy. You know the one-- "I don't know, but I've been told....." (I think that is an army thing, anyway). It is one of those songs that one person sings and then everyone (a troop?) echos. Anyway-Jake is singing this one to himself while wandering around the house. Singing for himself, to himself. I don't think he thought anyone was listening. I could hear him though. :0) So, he starts singing...."I don't know, but I've been told......(then he pauses, and slowly sings the next part)....Nathan smells like poop...(lovely, huh?).....(pause)......that's old! (Then I heard him chuckle to himself. Like he was proud of his songwriting abilities.) I know I should have been yelling at him for his disgusting and not very nice lyrics. But, I laughed to myself, too. It was more because I realized that Jake just amused himself....and was laughing at himself. And that he didn't think anyone even heard him. I always think the times when kids think they are alone and by themselves, and then do something odd or weird.... and react (or don't react) are just funny to observe. This time, even though he was a being a typical boy saying "poop" and insulting his brother at the same time, I still found myself giggling. Because I could. He didn't see me. And Nate didn't hear it, so no feelings were hurt. And Jake had a moment when he entertained himself, and was able to just enjoy his own company. Whatever. Okay.....so maybe it wasn't as funny as I thought. :0)

No boy stories about Ben today. Except maybe that he came in the door today after sleeping at a friend's house and announced. "Wow- I smell bad." Then he drank a pop. Then he crushed the can. Then he said, "Wow. I smell bad." Again. Then, thankfully, he took a shower. :0)

Life is Hard

2008-06-26T12:13:00.001-05:00

That is all I can say right now. That-- and it stinks when the ones you love, hurt.

bor-ing!

2008-06-25T10:03:00.002-05:00

My blog is boring....is it not? I have decided what we need here is some good ole pictures occasionally! The problem with that, is I still have not learned how to post my pics here. I know, I know......what is with me? Just learn already! It can't be that difficult!

Of course, I need to take the pictures, first. I did take a few pictures yesterday of Matt taking apart the back seats of our van, preparing it to pick up a large piece of furniture we bought for our foyer/entry hall. What we didn't count on was the furniture width measured exactly two inches wider than the van floor (where the tires were). Bummer. We had to put everything back in the van again, and come up with a new plan. (We will need to rent a truck from Lowes, I believe.) We did vacuum the van floor first, though. So, I guess something good came out of it.

I also took a couple of pictures of some flowers we have growing in our yard. What I have discovered is that whoever did the landscaping did a nice job of planting variety, but the flowers grow in waves. Meaning at the beginning of the summer we had beautiful deep purple flowers growing completely around our front bush, and had sweet smelling lilacs growing along our front walk. Sadly, they are no longer around.......but new flowers have popped up, keeping things interesting. We have a colorful grouping on our side lawn around a tree right now (what I took pictures of)....bright hot pink lovelies (have no idea what they really are), some cheery yellow little sweeties (seeing a pattern here?), pink echinacea and some deep red lilies (I know these, believe it or not!). Finally, there are other buds of something ready to burst open in a few days I think. I took pictures, because who knows how long I will enjoy these babies before they disappear, too! Anyway, it would be nice if I could post the pics, so you can enjoy some bright cheeriness, too..... I will see if Matt can help me with that task.

It is raining outside right now. We have been having a lot of scattered showers. Nothing big. My petunias in my hanging baskets need water, so this is good. The cool breeze the rain is bringing is nice, too. :0)

I love summer!

2008-06-24T10:03:00.003-05:00

I have to say....I love the laid back days of summer. No rushing to get out the door--(of course, this will only last until Ben has to go to summer school in July...UGH....how is it that I get punished for the lack of discipline in my son's life??)--taking it easy in the morning is pure bliss. I have also had a little more time to actually reflect, and think, and daydream...all things I love to do, but felt there was little time for while I was working. (Except for the thinking I would be doing to create lesson plans and such).

This past weekend, we had Matt's brother, Brian, and his girlfriend, Kelly, stay with us. Kelly loves to cook, and made us a wonderful dinner on Sunday night--Bruschetta and Chicken Alfredo. It was very yummy, and she did everything from scratch--which I hardly know how to do. (Doesn't Alfredo Sauce just come out of a jar???) ANYWAY- my lack of cooking abilities, got me thinking about how my poor husband has suffered all these years with basic dishes, or having to fork over the money at a restaurant. So sad. Last night, while surfing the web, I decided to look up "food blogs".....I still don't know what made me type in that search for google, but I am glad I did.

I found a wonderful, very enjoyable blog to read--with beautiful pictures, giving step-by-step tutorials on delicious (though very fattening) recipes. I actually feel inspired! This happens very rarely in my life when it comes to cooking.....so this blog must be something special. You should go check it out--but first, I should explain that this blog contains much more than food pictures/recipes.....this is just a part of this woman's blog. She also is a photographer, a mom of four kids, and a woman living on a working ranch. "Ree" is a great writer, too. I have thoroughly enjoyed her humor, insight, truthfulness, and quirky way of describing just about anything. On her site, she has links to different areas of focus--food, daily life, photography, home and garden, etc. It is a bit Martha Stewart-y, but without the pretense. She keeps things real. Let me share the site address, so you can get over there and enjoy what I have enjoyed reading....

www.thepioneerwoman.com

Seriously....go check it out. There is a lot to explore.

While I love these laid back days......and I would prefer sitting in my p.j.'s drinking tea and keeping my feet up much longer than I have already... I really should go get myself ready for the day!! It is 10:25, and I haven't done a thing yet! (Other than surf the web, eat breakfast (that is a loose term for 3 Chips Ahoy cookies, and tea), and make sure Nathan and his buddy who slept over were fed...) So, it is time to hop in the shower and plan my day. I think will start by figuring out what we should eat for dinner tonight. Maybe I should try one of the pioneer woman recipes.....

IQ Test

2008-05-20T23:54:00.001-05:00

I took the IQ test my friend Kathryn had on her blog....I know I can't be this smart....but it felt good anyway!

Free-IQTest.net - Free IQ Test

Hey!

2008-05-20T22:36:00.002-05:00

Whoah...I haven't posted in a long time. My guess is I will be starting back up again now that things are starting to wind down (sort of).
I have been teaching 3rd grade since May 1st as a long-term sub, and I am loving it. I also completed my two required classes to fulfill my 5 needed semester hours to keep my certification. (whew!) I am proud to say I got 2 A's. One in Classroom Management, and the other in Primary Reading Methods. Both classes were good--they were just very demanding! They were only 3 weeks long each, so they crammed a lot in a short time! I completed 3 papers and a large team project (we developed a literacy theme unit, including lesson plans, differentiation methods, state standards, extension activities, etc.) in my last 3 week class, and also answered two discussion questions per day 3x a week, and had to take part in class conversation, posting a minimum of 2x a day for 4 days a week. All comments needed to contribute to the topic discussion. Then I had to READ..... a lot! All I did was go to work, come home and do homework until 1 or 2 in the morning each night. I must say, it was kind of sucky. But--I am done for now....and I get to keep my certification, so that is good!
Now I just need to find a full-time teaching job!

Jake is in the middle of the State Cup games. His team is doing quite well. The next game is the semi-finals. They have gone from 36 teams down to four--Jake's team being one of them. Next game is 5/31, and the final (if we make it) is on 6/1. the games have been pretty exciting.

This Memorial day weekend we will be participating in the Midwest Cup here in St. Charles--Campton United is hosting. Both Jake and Nate are playing in that tourney. Since our club is hosting....the parents also get to do service hours. Whoopee! Matt and I will be selling concessions on Sunday night.

That is it for now---gotta go so I will be fresh for my Poetry/Haiku lesson tomorrow, and our Author Study presentations! :0) Don't you wish you could be in the third grade again??

photography

2008-04-20T13:58:00.002-05:00

So....
I was viewing some great pictures my sister and brother-in-law just modeled for, for a photography friend of theirs, and really just started appreciating the idea of having someone capture moments in time. (Especially in such a beautiful and artistic way!) Which got me thinking about how I wish I knew someone that took such great photos. Wish I could! (I actually pretty much suck at taking good pictures.)

Then, I remembered that Ben is taking a photography class next year. He took two art classes this year, 3-D art, and Drawing....and next year he signed up for Pottery (he is anxious to work on a potters wheel!), and Photography. (I think Painting was his 3rd choice, in case he couldn't get into one of the other two). Anyway, I was thinking that Ben would probably be a great photographer. He has always had an eye for detail, and appreciating beauty in things that others just don't notice. When ever he grabs our camera (a pathetic regular digital) he seems to take a few pictures of cool angles, beautiful landscape, a gnarly tree, the rocks laying beside soft grass, etc.

Ben has been trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life...as anyone his age does. So far, he has been fairly lost in this area. But, I do know there is a very artistic side to my son. He is a deep thinker, a sensitive soul, lover of nature(and animals), and someone that appreciates new ways of looking at things. Maybe photography will capture his heart.....

For Matt

2008-03-26T11:25:00.002-05:00

I am posting this message for my hubby, who has been complaining that I haven't been posting enough on my blog lately. I admit....I have not been faithful to my blog. I have found facebook, and I have become a junkie over there, I guess. Actually, I think it is more that this blogging takes more time. I don't have a lot of that these days. (Even on my "Spring Break"!) I am still too busy trying to get my house in order, and attempting to be a student!
Class is going okay....it is just a lot of work! My first paper is due in a couple of days, and today I need to outline what I want to say. It is on any chosen discipline model. I chose Canter's Assertive Disipline. Sounds exciting, huh?

Okay....that is it for now. Again...I mainly updated for Matt's sake. This is for you, honey! :0)

Did I mention....

2008-03-17T22:33:00.002-05:00

I got the long-term sub position? :0) That starts in May.

Homework?

2008-03-17T22:22:00.003-05:00

Okay--so I have been out of the whole homework scene for a while. Well, at least for me. My boys have to do it all of the time. BUT- I am a bit overwhelmed with how much I need to do in the next three weeks. (I am taking a 3 credit course with University of Phoenix Online.) Apparently, this same course was once taught in 5 weeks, but they condensed it down to three.....keeping all of the reading and assignments the same. So--for this first week, I have 15 chapters to read in the main book, 4 articles to read on eResource, a paper to write, 2 discussion questions to answer, I must participate in forum class conversations at least 4 days. By the end of the third week, I should have completed 2 more papers, produced an outside project with classroom application, designed a discpline model and plan, taken my final exam, and read a whole lot more! YIKES!!

Thankfully, Spring Break is next week. And while I would like to spend it taking it easy....I am obviously going to be working on my schoolwork. I also was hopin gto unpack some more boxes. I still have too many boxes left unpacked around here. It is kind of embarrasing! Maybe over the summer I will get that done. UGH.

finally in the know--sort of

2008-03-11T06:58:00.002-05:00

So, yesterday, while putting up a bulletin board in the hallway....I was called down to the office. I had a VERY small hope that this had something to do with the interviews on Thursday, but I had already come to terms with the fact that obviously I was not going to be in the mix. Anyway-When I got down there, the principal was waiting for me. AND, in his very oddball way of doing things, he said to me..."Thursday". I just looked at him, because honestly, I wasn't positive I knew what he was talking about. Then he said, "What time would you like?" I was still like, uh, what are you talking about?? (Why can't this man just speak normally?) Then I glanced down at some papers he was holding, and realized he had my application in his hand. So finally--lightbulb moment. I guess this was his way of offering me an interview.
My immediate reaction was to say-"Thank you." Mainly, because I just didn't think he was going to ask me. At all. He told me I was the first person he asked. That I had my pick of times, and that there would be 5 people coming in. I suppose I should be flattered that I was the first person he scheduled, but I know better.
Sadly, I think that this interview will only be a practice run for me....I have already been told that the superintendent called and talked to the principal about someone he had in mind for the position. And we all know what that means....:0)

I fell extremely unprepared this time, I had thought that I wasn't going to get another chance, so it hasn't been on my mind that much. I am asking for prayer....that I am ready to answer whatever questions that get thrown at me. That I will be more confident this time, and that even if this job isn't for me, that I will make a strong enough "case" for why he should consider me for a teaching position. Basically, I want to be alert, and ready, and myself. Last interview, I don't think I seemed like myself--I was just too nervous.

Okay-on to other things.....
I got myself totally registered (finally) for my two classes at University of Phoenix. I start on March 18th--with a refresher.--"Classroom Management". Then I will take another refresher "Primary Reading Methods" which will focus on decoding reading problems, assessments, learning centers, and integrating Language Arts into classrooms K-3. I figured that I have been submerged in deeper comprehension strategies and traits of more advanced writing for a while.....so refreshing myself on early reading decoding strategies, and early writing might not be a bad idea. Both classes will be done by mid-May.

who knows

2008-03-05T16:42:00.002-06:00

I still have no clue what is going on with the third grade long-term subbing opportunity. I have been talking about it with some of the teachers, and basically no one knows what is going on. I was pretty convinced that I was just not even going to be interviewed, because even though my application is in, I haven't been asked to interview. The teachers know they are holding the interviews on the 13th, but they haven't been told who, just that the interviews will last the whole day. They are expressing frustration at the fact that they need to give up a whole day of teaching to do this, when in reality the sub will only most likely been in there for about 2 weeks. The last two weeks, in which the kids have basically checked out anyway.

When Jen (the co-teacher) asked about this, she was told that the principal was interviewing for the long term sub position, but keeping in mind the different teaching opportunities coming up. (there is a 5th grade slot opening up, a long-term sub for the third grade in the beginning of the year next year, and if this teacher decides to not come back after the summer, he wants to have an idea of who he could slip into that slot.)

I still am not holding my breath---believe me. I am not sure what in the world this principal has in mind. I was in the work room with him today for at least a half hour (just the two of us), and not once did he mention anything about doing interviews next week.

It is really odd---because I keep finding myself in conversations with staff where they are asking me if I will be taking over the class.....and I just say, that so far, I haven't been asked to interview. Then they just stare at me, like "What?" One teacher in particular was dumbfounded by this. She kept going on about how it only makes sense, about how I know the kids, and their routines, yadda yadda yadda......

What can I do, though? I don't even know what to think about it. I would like to at least think that I would be considered. I am just not sure if the principal is even entertaining the idea. He is driving me crazy. I can't read him at all.

craziness!

2008-03-05T16:25:00.002-06:00

Okay- so, I just thad to post this....
on the topic of selling premade scrapbook pages on ebay, I came across this seller who has 2 pages going for over $265 at the moment. Out of curiosity, I figured I'd check to see if this was fairly normal for her. so, I checked her feedback from buyers. Not all buyers leave feedback, so it is possible that some of her sales are not even recorded. I did see though, that in the last month, she sold a 2-page layout for over $400!! Isn't that crazy??
AND-
I added up all of her sales in the last month, and she sold over $4400 in the month of February alone! Isn't that nuts? Good for her! She sold a total of 30 2-page sets. So, her average selling price for one 2 page spread is $147.

Is anyone else shocked by this?? Who buys this stuff? I noticed one woman spent over $1000 this week on her stuff....I think she got like 4-5 layouts for this money. I am totally floored that this is even happening! What does her husband say?

Can you imagine being the chick that is making the layouts? I wonder if she can believe it? I mean, her stuff is done very well, but, come on people!!! Amazing. Totally amazing.

paper bag book

2008-03-03T21:10:00.002-06:00

This weekend I made a paper bag scrapbook for my third grade teacher who's prego. Her staff baby shower is Friday. I will give it to her then, along with a group gift (a book shelf) and a Sandra Boyton book. I was pretty excited with the way the paper bag book I made came out. It was a fun project, and one I'd consider doing again.
Here is a link to some other books that I modeled mine after:
http://www.staceyandcompany.com/ginny/

You can also see samples on ebay. Just look under "paper piecing paper bag" as the search. Speaking of ebay, every once in a while I look at the premade scrapbook pages for sale. I am never tempted to buy, and I am not looking for my self....but I am amused by what people are paying for these things! I saw two 12x12 pages today with a bid of $102!! Isn't that insane? I keep joking with Ben that this is what he should be doing....making scrapbook pages to sell on ebay! He is quite artistic....and always looking for ways to make some extra money. :0)

On a sidenote--I subbed two times last week. On Tuesday, I subbed for a fifth grade class in the morning and a first grade class in the afternoon (I was requested for that class!) :0) AND- on Thursday, I subbed for one of my third grade classes. (Mrs. Smith's). Her sub didn't show up (she had meetings all day) so I got to do it. When I walked in, she told me that the kids were really excited I would be teaching them that day. I was excited, too. I had a great day with them. Things went smoothly, and all was good. :0)

new laptop

2008-02-25T21:38:00.002-06:00

How exciting...I am now posting this message on my brand new laptop. I got it with money that I earned.....and it is actually MINE! It is a MacBook, and it is way cute. :0)
I got it now, because I plan on starting my classes in March, and I wanted a semi quick/portable computer to work on. Not to mention, the one I was using before this one was old, and it blew up. (not really that dramatic, but it stopped working for me anyway.....)

Anyway, I thought I'd share my exciting news.

By the way--I sent my resume' and application in for three jobs yesterday. We will see. Only one of them was for a position at my current school.

bit of an update

2008-02-20T17:00:00.002-06:00

With all of this house stuff going on, and not even going on my blog that often lately--I don't think I ever mentioned that I didn't get that long term sub position I interviewed for. It was quite a let down, I admit. It hit me hard--made me feel discouraged. They hired a girl fresh out of college. The principal told me that she was amazing--that she hit the ball out of the park. You can guess that I obviously didn't. I guess I hit a foul ball. He did tell me that I should still interview for other jobs.....but part of me feels like I was being humored. I am not convinced he thinks all that much of me. Other teachers told me they were shocked I didn't get the position, and the teacher getting the sub, actually came up to me after the decision was made, that she couldn't sleep nights over the whole thing. She felt for sure I was going to get the job. (The principal made the decision....and the 4th grade team didn't know who he was going to pick, until they were told three days later.)

Now--I am leary of even trying again. Being rejected is not easy. I felt completely inadequate.....and I haven't been able to shake the feeling. There is another obvious chance for me to teach again coming up. this time it is a long-term sub position for my current teacher I work with. She is prego and due in May. It is for less than a month. The job is with the class I already know, and who already know me. The position is also just half-time, as this teacher job shares with another teacher. She only teaches language arts, and switches with the other teacher, who teaches math, science and social studies at lunchtime.

Here is the thing---no one has mentioned this to me. Not the principal, not this current teacher. I noticed the posting online this morning. How pathetic is that? I can't figure out why someone wouldn't have brought up the opportunity---or at least told me they were going to post it. It makes me feel worse. I just feel like if they can't trust me in this teaching situation....when would they? Of course, this is the teacher I feel the least comfortable with. My other teacher, I love. I feel that she trusts me completely. But the one that is leaving has never really given me any teaching opportunities. She keeps me busy with filing, and correcting papers, and monitoring the class doing seatwork, while she does guided reading. I never understood why she doesn't use me otherwise--like to work with small groups, etc. She knows I am certified. It makes me feel like a lost cause....like I am never going to get there.

I really am discouraged--can you tell? I suppose all I can do is apply for positions and see if anyone calls me for an interview. I just thought that my best shot would have been with the school that knew me best.

not a moment's rest

2008-02-12T22:29:00.002-06:00

Things never seem to be easy over here.
I won't go into the VERY long story about this, but the short story is that Jacob had this science experiment he was working on for school. The science fair is at the end of the month. I spent $25 on petri dishes and agar, and a couple of hours preparing them for an experiment to see if a dog's mouth is actually cleaner than a human's. We were testing to see how much bacteria grew from each of the samples we swabbed. Anyway....Jacob blew it. He was supposed to be following a calendar of deadlines for each part of his scientific method. He did okay until this week, when we found out he was actually about a week behind. He was supposed to be completely finished with his observations and data collecting on Friday, and this week they were to spend three days in the LRC developing their graphs with software they have there. Okay--so here is the problem. We just started the experiment, and have had no growth yet in the dishes, and therefore nothing to observe or graph. So-after talking with his teacher, she is allowing him to start a whole new experiment--a "quick" one, so he can catch up to the rest of the class.

ARGH! That also means he has to do all the other parts over. He has to write a new hypothesis, write the procedure, do research and bibliography, etc. all so he is able to make the graphs at the same time as the rest of the class!

I actually appreciate her letting him change experiments at such a late time in the process......because I was worried about the petri dishes not showing growth in time, BUT this has added urgency to everything we are doing! No rest for the weary over here, for sure.

The new experiment is to determine how different storage temperatures effect the amount of microwave popcorn that pops. He will test popcorn stored in the freezer, the fridge, and then at room temperature. Not quite as fun as the dog/human saliva thing....but quicker anyway. :0)

Whew!

2008-02-07T18:25:00.000-06:00

Well--we are in our new home. It has been about a week and a half. Lovin' the new place....although sometimes, I wonder if I don't miss the "closeness" of all the rooms in my old house. To find someone in this house is nuts sometimes! Mainly, because the upper floor is open to the bottom floor, and the basement door is usually left open.....so, when I call someone's name, and they answer, I can't tell what part of the house they are in! I think I hear them from the upstairs, and I go up, search the rooms up there, and then, I call again when I can't find them.....and usually they were someplace completely different ...like the basement! Very odd.
Also, we have a regular visitor to the house. A very friendly (?) cardinal. I remember him from one of the times we walked through the house. He was hanging out in the bush by the dining room window. Every once in a while he'd bang into the window--and his beak would knock on it. It cracked me up. Well, he has been back a few times since then. Today, I heard knocking first thing this morning, with some birdie tweets....and there he was, all cute and red, trying to find a way into our house via the window. He makes MANY attempts. He flies from a bush branch to the window, smacks into it with his beak and legs, and the flies back to the bush. He does this over and over. We all thought it was funny and cute in the beginning. BUT-after a full day of this....we are starting to think it is just annoying.
Our neighborhood has been great so far. Since we moved in, I have not driven to one soccer practice. My nice neighbor friends have given me time to "unpack" and just picked Jake up, and brought him home. We have had a fresh oaf of Chocolate Cinnamon bread delivered by someone else, had another neighbor snow blow or whole driveway for us, another guy take his snowplow and clear away some heavy slushy snow off the bottom of our driveway, had another neiighbor clear our walk way, etc!! Nathan has played with the boy across the street everyday since we moved in, and Jake has been to a couple of friends houses, too. Most recently, he went up the street to his friend T.C's house for a snowball fight with all his buddies. Ben has still managed to see his best friend acre=oss town a few times a week, and also went to a friend's house in the neighborhood soon after we moved in. I guess we are doing just fine in the adjustment!

There has been a ton going on.....my mind is filled with more things to write about--but it will have to wait for another time. My typing fingers have said this is enough for now! :0)

no news yet

2008-01-17T16:58:00.000-06:00

I am waiting patiently (???) for the news about whether or not I got the job. My interview went okay, I think. But the longer I wait, the more I wonder how I did. One of the teachers asked me if I knew anything yet.....when I said no, she asked why they were waiting so long to tell me. She thought they must know who they want in the position already.
Of course, then I think, maybe they were waiting until tomorrow, when I was off from school, to call and give me the sad news. At least then, they wouldn't have to face me until Tuesday!!

Yesterday I was so elated that I was past the interview......but now, I just want to know the facts. Hopefully, I'll get a phonecall tomorrow.

I'll post when I know more.

deep breaths needed

2008-01-13T23:47:00.000-06:00

Okay-so I am trying my hardest not to feel overwhelmed with life in general these days. Between the packing that needs to be done (and how slow it is going), and my interview on Wednesday (I've spent a lot of this weekend reading teacher manuals and resources for the new Language Arts curriculum our school has taken on this year, spent time working on my portfolio, and also tried to figure out how to answer some of the interview questions I am sure I will be asked), and the nagging thoughts about how I need to get myself registered for my upcoming class in February (to keep my certification active), and also dealing with a child (Nathan) who is a HUGE procrastinator (can't imagine where he gets that from!) and hangs on to the "baby card" way too often--which is likely my most difficult challenge in life lately.......I am feeling like my head is spinning, the days are going by way too fast, and just a bit clueless as to how to tackle some of these things taking over my brain! WHEW! Deep breaths needed.....

As a sidenote, we visited a different church today. (We had a soccer game at 7:45 this morning with Nathan, and then went to church after that. Why do we always get the stinky soccer schedules?) We have been in the process of deciding whether or not we should be looking for another church for a while now. It is a VERY long and involved story, but the main reason comes down to just not feeling spiritually fed in this last year or so. ANYWHOO....we popped into Riverside Community Church today....and we really liked it. It was great for many reasons.....but I am just too tired to go into them right now--I'll try and catch some time (uh, and when would that be, Kim?) to write a bit more about that later. Let's just say, we will be going back--and that was the concensus from the whole family. Even Ben--and his reasons had to do with the applicable sermon! Wow! :0)

Other off topic statements:
-I am anxious to see the rest of our family photo shoot pictures.....not that I have the time to view them!
-Two aquaintences of ours had large masses removed from their insides this week....one on his kidney (which was cancerous) and who lost 1/3 of his kidney, and the other had a fist size mass removed from her intestines, and had to undergo recontructive surgery. She also just had a baby in November....... She is waiting for the lab results on whether hers was cancerous or not. UGH. I guess when I think of both of these young people being faced with these life changing types of issues....I feel like I definately shouldn't be complaining about my silly stuff. It is sometimes good to view things in their proper perspective. I am VERY thankful to be healthy.
-I realize that this blog entry is written very poorly....major run-on sentences that might not even make sense....but I am too sleepy to go back and edit. Sorry for the bad read! I just thought I'd say that I DO realize it.

our sneak peek

2008-01-10T18:05:00.000-06:00

When we were in Colorado for Christmas, we had a photo shoot for the whole family, while we were all in the same location at the same time. The photographer (who attends the same church of the rest of my family) just posted a "sneak peek" on her blog. Take a look! We are posted on the Jan. 8th posting:

www.cathywalters.blogspot.com

Can't wait to see the rest of the photos!

oddball weather

2008-01-06T18:30:00.000-06:00

So-I am in my kitchen packing boxes (which I have decided is NOT an easy task) and I have my window open to catch a breeze....our house has heated up to 75* today....due to the warm front that came through this morning. You'd never guess that all last week we RAN to our cars, or the entrance to stores, or to our front doors, etc. everytime we had to go outside because it was sooooo cold! We had -10* windchills, and everything was frozen. There was about a foot of snow on the ground, and the tree branches were snow/ice covered all around. Well- the snow is gone now, there are puddles everywhere, the dog is getting full of mud every time she has to go out, and i am actually hot in my house! So odd. You'd think Spring was here.

I need to enjoy it....tomorrow is going to be 58*, and then it will slowly get colder again all next week.

YUM!!

2008-01-06T13:54:00.000-06:00

Our Laotion (spelling?) neigbors just brought over a plate of handmade eggrolls for us to enjoy. What a yummy surprise! Pong made them with her 2 daughters (5&7) and made too much.....so they called to see if we would eat some. Oh my gosh, were they good! (The plate had about 15-20 eggrolls on it.....too much for us to eat, too. The MUST have made a ton!) :0)

Wish I could transfer Pong and Tom to our new neighborhood! Pong's cooking always smells so good---and she is so sweet. We know the new people moving into our house have two young children....it would be great if they could be little friends for Allie and Alexi. (???)

interview set up

2008-01-03T10:51:00.000-06:00

Well...I finally know when I will be interviewed for the 4th grade Long Term substitute position. Wednesday, January 16th at 2pm is the official day and time. Start praying now! :0)
There will be 5 people total being interviewed--and I expect the competition will be stiff. Yes--I am nervous about it. Yes, I feel I should have done much more to prepare for that day. (I still have almost 2 weeks though, to work on some sort of portfolio......it will just be tough to dedicate the proper time to it, when we will also be mad packers for our move on Jan.31st.)
I have decided that I am not going to work myself up into a tizzy about this whole thing, though....as I feel it is completely in the hands of God. He knows what is best for me and my family. Honestly, the hardest thing to accept (I imagine) if I don't get the position is just that I will feel like a bit of a loser. It will be hard to get my confidence up to interview again--as I already struggle with feeling inadequate....and no one has said no to me yet! Not to mention that so many people know that I am interviewing for the job.....that it will be hard for me to have to tell so many that I didn't get it. It will be embarressing.....
BUT---like I said, I'd rather be embarressed and feel like a loser, than be in a position that may not be right for me at this time---and God knows these things. I just have to trust Him to work out the details. In my own head, this seems like a perfect fit--4th grade (the grade I student taught in), a school I am already comfortable in, a sub position to kind of get my feet wet in....before I try and attempt to run my own classroom for a year....etc.
Of course, the timing may be off, too. I have 2 classes to complete before the end of June (which might be difficult while also trying to teach for the first time), we are moving into a new house and will need time to settle, Nathan may not be ready for more independence, etc.

Soooooo.....like I said--God knows best. Prayers would be appreciated, of course. Mainly, no matter what the decision, I'd like to make a good impression. I'd hate to also sever any possibilities for future employment, because of my lack of knowledge, or poor interviewing skills! UGH!

I will be interviewing with the principal and the whole 4th grade team of teachers. I know one of the teachers really well....(actually, one of the them wrote one of my letters of recommendation! Mr. DiNicola was the teacher I spent half the day with last year, and he will be a friendly face to see in that room!) Nicole Cournaya will be the teacher I would be substituting for, and I know her a bit...mainly from the discussions I have had with her about this position. then the other 3 teachers I know very little. They know my face, I know theirs, but that is about it. Two of them have the reputation of being very difficult and sort of "know-it-alls".....but-since I don't really know them, I'd like to develop my own opinion of that. I am sure all of them just want the best candidate to be hired. I am hoping that my easy going personality, being team oriented, and my desire to work hard and learn much will work to my benefit.

Anyway--that is my update on the job front! :0)

Mom Frustration!

2008-01-02T12:04:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, I get so frustrated and discouraged raising my children. All of the sibling angst, and squabbling with eachother just drives me up the wall. I occasionally feel like a complete failure as a parent. I wonder how on earth our boys, who from the moment of their arrival-- have been taught how to love, how to be kind, how to not hurt......seem to forget all of what they have been taught, or at least choose NOT to care about anything we have taught them....and just become wild, mean, uncaring things.

I know when you are a child it is harder to see past yourself.....to see how your actions affect others. I know that teenagers are known for their grumpy, moody behavior. BUT--truly....these kids of mine are sometimes VERY difficult to live with!

The sad thing about this whole thing, is that I can understand why they might just WANT to be out of this house....to want to leave and go to friends' houses. Because when they are here, it is not peaceful. There are arguements, someone is getting hurt (physically or emotionally), there is not the same kind of freedom they might experience over a friend's.....etc.
It makes me sad. I want my kids to cherish their home....to WANT to be here, to feel love as soon as they walk through the door.

Ben never wants to be here. We don't have "cool enough" stuff, we have rules (not that these rules are always followed---like cleaning up after yourself, for one), he has annoying (in his opinion) brothers here. He practically lives at his buddy Aaron's house. We try to get him to hang here occasionally with his friends---and he rolls his eyes. Because apparently, that would be asking him to subject not only himself, but his friends to something he feels is sucky.

Jacob is not quite in the middle of the teenage hormone rollercoaster yet....so I am thankful for that. BUT-I see glimpses of it for sure. Nathan is always over dramatic about everything....but he is also the one that is picked on the most by his brothers. And I am the one that feels terrible everytime there is a problem between them. I wonder what I can do to resolve all of this fighting---how I can make our home more peaceful, and loving. I pray for wisdom all of the time, and do my best. But honestly, I sometimes feel my boys feel like i am just being "emotional" mom again. Sensitive and fragile. How I hate that.

ANYWAY- I am having a hard morning. I feel like I want to have a "do-over" with my kids. I thought how I was raising them and teaching them was a good balance between discipline, being reasonable, and being fun and loving. Obviously---I went wrong somewhere.

Baiscally-I know my kids are good kids. They are. People tell us that all of the time. There are moments that I couldn't be prouder. But, somedays--like today, I am embarressed for them....scared for them, wondering how they will function in a much harsher world---when they think our homelife is "harsh" and unreasonable. I mean--we are SO unfair to make them clean their rooms, and take out the trash, and have to eat lunch before they disappear out the door for the day!! It is obvious that they have NO IDEA what kind of toughness some kids go through....the sad homes some people have to live in, how many children would give their eye teeth to be part of a family that cares about and loves them.

I have been close to tears all morning....which of course, is not that difficult a thing when it is "that time of the month".....I know I am feeling things more than I normally would.
So--I pray. I pray for strength, the wisdom I so seek in raising my kids, and pray for them to have some softness of heart and desire to be someone God wants them to be. Just like all the other moms I know.

This "mom thing" is not an easy task.

I WILL POST SOON.....

2008-01-02T11:03:00.000-06:00

Okay-so, it is very hard to keep up with a blog during the holidays. I really intend to sit down and get "blogging" again soon. Right now, though, I need to get ready to shopping with the hubby. We have a pair of new shoes to find for him!

I am not looking forward to going outside. It is 10* outside......about -15* with windchill. UGH. Why do I live in Chicago?

SOLD! (Almost....)

2007-12-20T06:52:00.000-06:00

Well--here we are again.....
Exciting news--we sold our house for the second time last night!
We excepted an offer after just one hour of negotiating. It literally was a new counter offer every 10 minutes for little over an hour. Hopefully, this time, things will stick! Our excepted offer is slightly more than last time, which is good news, too. :0) Of course, the difference is mostly being spent on improvements we are making (we scheduled these before the offer) to make sure the new inspection doesn't bring up some of the same issues it did before.

Today, an electrician is coming to move our outside power lines over a couple of feet where they connect to our house, so they are farther away from our deck--so that they are now within current code guidelines. (When our deck was built, the guidelines did not exist). Also, on Friday, the electrician is coming back to change our fuse box over to circuit breakers. This is not a safety issue--it is more or less something that just makes our house more livable. (Is that spelled right?) Fun stuff.

We leave for Colorado on Saturday. I feel so not prepared for us to leave. I have so much laundry to do. (With the electricity off for a lot of the day on Friday....this makes things difficult!) I haven't finished Christmas shopping either--I still have a few things to get, and all of the stocking stuff to buy. It will happen somehow.

Well-I better stop typing and go help jacob straighten his hair. He discovered this option a few days ago--and we have been doing it ever since. It looks cute with his blond highlights.

AWAKE :0(

2007-12-18T01:37:00.000-06:00

Well, it is the middle of the night, and I am awake. I slept for two hours 10:30-12:30 and then I woke up--decided to check on Ben, (who was working on an English project when I went to sleep....a Power Point presentation on a poet--but thankfully, he was in bed already)--took some more cold medicine because I couldn't breathe well.....and never could fall back to sleep. i hate that. Between my mind not shutting off, and the fact that the "night-time" medicine seemed to have the opposite effect, I am awake, alert, and mad that I am! So, here I am.

I had a nice birthday overall. I had some moments that were good, and some that were not so good....like any other day. The "not so good moments" were silly....like when the students were trying to guess how old I was--and all guessing older than I actually am--that is depressing! (the average was about 43....the oldest someone guessed was 46--UGH.) Maybe it is time for Botox?? :0) AND, another moment was when I found out that I will be having huge competition for the sub job come interview time....

Apparently, Mr. Adkins has pulled about 5 applicants he wants to interview. While I am justly concerned someone will be more qualified for the position...I also kept trying to tell myself that I still had a real good chance, because I was a "known". He knows me, he knows my character, he has teachers in the school vouching for me, etc. But, today, he got one more application. It was from the student teacher that was in one of the 5th grade teacher's classrooms for the beginning of the year. I forgot about her, because she left at the beginning of November to go do another part of her practicum in a Special Education room, due to her double major. She was sent to another school for that. Anyway--apparently, she has now graduated, and is looking for a job. This applicant concerns me the most. She too is a "known". She also is fresh out of a classroom practicing teaching full-time, AND if she is hired, instead of me....Mr. Adkins would not have another job vacancy to fill....unlike if he hired me. (My current position would be open, and would need a replacement.)

Sooooo.....that has been on my mind today, too. I know it is in God's hands--I know He is in control of these things, and ultimately, He knows what is best for me and the class of children needing a teacher. While I know these things, I can't help but be hopeful that I am the one chosen....and that this was His plan for me all along. The deal is....I may NOT be the one right for this job....and possibly, He may be orchestrating things differently for me. I can see why taking this job now might not be good timing....considering i have two classes to take between now and July, and also, we have a move coming at some point, too. BUT-I also see how this would be the perfect opportunity for me to "babystep" my way back into the teaching role. I need to trust Him. I can't help thinking about it, though.....and wondering how this all is going to turn out.

To end my blog tonight (this morning, I mean)--I will leave you with two "quotes" from my birthday cards from the kids....things that particularly made me smile:

--"Happy Birthday, Mrs. Sterling....I hope you have a Funny Bunny Birthday!" (this was from a very serious boy in Mrs. Smith's class. He is the kid that raises his hand to tell her when she has calculated something wrong, spelled something wrong, or if her definition of a word is not complete enough, in his opinion. :0) (Anyway, I was not expecting a lighthearted wish from him!)

--"It's your birthday! Wake-up and have some cake! That way you'll be the first to get a peace. I hope you have a great birthday!" (Now there is an idea for all of us! Just get up and eat your cake first thing! Then you don't have to worry that someone will get to it before you! Ha ha.....Too funny!)

They really do crack me up. I never go a day without something funny being said, or done by one of the kids. I hope I never lose appreciation for the innocent or quirky things the children say and do. :0)

this could have been BAD!

2007-12-17T16:18:00.000-06:00

Okay-so today I was running late getting ready for work. Nathan was running behind (as usual), and I was focusing on getting him out the door, while also running around trying to straighten the house in case of a showing. No one had made their beds, so I was going room to room, making beds, picking up anything left out, etc. etc. Then I remembered I had to bring my Secret Santa gift today, since I wouldn't be able to attend the "reveal yourself" breakfast in the morning tomorrow. It hadn't been wrapped yet, and the card still needed to be written......and long story short, I left the house at 9:02am, when I am supposed to be there at 9 o'clock! So, I frantically grab all my things; the gift, card, mail for the mailbox, my purse, keys, my lunch, and a pop, and ran out the door.

As I was driving home today, I had this eerie feeling that I may have forgotten to blow out the candle I lit in our bedroom. Then I questioned whether I had even lit it this morning, because I always light it for about 15 minutes each day, while I am getting ready (so our house will smell fresh for any showings that day), but I didn't really remember doing that this morning. So, I decided I must have NOT lit it, because #1, with all of the back and forth into the rooms this morning, I should have noticed it....AND I didn't get called at school about our house being on fire. I made a mental note to be extra careful about that. I couldn't live with myself if I had burned our home down....especially with Emmy in it! The thought of it just makes me sick to my stomach.

ANYWAY--I got home, checked the mail, let out Emmy, and answered the phone when Matt called to wish me a Happy Birthday. Then I realized I smelled the candle. I quickly walked to my room, hoping to prove to myself that I only thought I smelled it.....but no---IT WAS STILL LIT!! I was amazed and sooooo very thankful that in the 6 1/2 hours I had been gone from my house, that a fire didn't start! There was a black sooty ring around the jar opening, (thankfully it was a jar type), and the wax was all liquid......but it hadn't set the room on fire.....and believe me, I was soooo thankful!

I have decided that it just isn't worth the risk to light candles in the morning---I am too absent minded apparently--especially when running late! We will have to settle on just the air fresheners from now on!!

Finally--officially submitted

2007-12-13T23:22:00.000-06:00

Whew! I am done with all of my paperwork--and all materials have been submitted to the Kane County Consortium. I have officially just applied for the Long Tem Substitute position at Ferson Creek Elementary. What a relief to be done with that part of things!

I still don't know when interviewing will take place. Not sure if I'd like it to happen before or after break. I do know that a lot of applications are coming in. I am trying to not let that get me anxious.

I think I am coming down with something. I have had a sore throat all day, on and off earaches, headache, and occasional nausea. UGH. I have been taking echinacea, drinking tea with lemon, and pushing water. Here's hoping the smptoms never turn into anything worse.

Ben is mad at me for not letting him go to the park today---at dinnertime, in the dark, in the freezing cold, to meet a girl (which I just found out is a "girlfriend".) Call me crazy--but there was no way I was letting him leave the house!! He thought I was being completely unreasonable, and wouldn't talk to me or look at me for at least a good two hours. Ahhhhh....the joys of mothering a teenager.

Too busy--when can I think of Christmas?

2007-12-12T22:26:00.000-06:00

I feel like there is always too much going on.

christmas is less than two weeks away, and I haven't started shopping yet. I am sooooooo behind. I haven't thought about christmas cards. I hope we get a great picture in colorado I can use for New year's Greetings, instead. Matt and I haven't decided what we are doing for the boys for christmas.....since originally we thought we were moving that week, so they thought they were just getting a new house for Christmas. Now that that isn't happening---we have to talk presents, for sure.

the house is on the market....and it is hard to keep up with the cleaning in the whirl wind of Christmas stuff. Just keeping up with mail and school papers is a task within itself. And then there is the dog hair...and dishes, and laundry, etc.!!

The long term sub job posting was listed on Monday. I am in a rush to finish uploading my "stuff".....I finished writing my resume tonight--got to still do my letter of application, though. the principal has pnemonia.....so, who knows when interviewng will be. I still think he will be determined to fit it in before break.....we will see.

I subbed for a kindergarten class yesterday. that was an experience. it had its great moments, and it's moments of panic. (like when I arrived and found out there were no sub plans left for me!) Yikes! I got through it fine, with the help of the PIR woman (Partners in Reading) that helps out with the class. Thankfully she was familiar with their routine. i was thankful that when the assistant principal stopped in, he was pleased with the "flow" of the class. Two points for me! :0)

Let's see, what else. I have been keeping up with the Secret Santa thing. Yesterday, I had to bring in something yummy for the person to make, with the recipe. Today, i brought in a handmade card, and poem with clues of who I was. All of these things are "assigned" tasks for the week. Tomorrow, it is bring something that smells good day. I will be bringing vanilla handcream and vanilla scented antibacterial wipes, packaged up pretty. Friday--is "appropriate beverage day". :0)

We found out this weekend that one of the dads from nathan's soccer team was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He is 37. they will have to remove his kidney, and when they are "in there" they will look to see if it has spread anywhere else. Please pray for him.....I am sure it is a very scary thing for his family. It is a really hard time of year for bad news.

We think we discovered a tumor on Emmy yesterday. she has got a marble (or bigger) sized "knot" behind her right front leg. She is due for her rabies shot this month, so when we bring her in for that, we will need to ask about it. Pray it is nothing to worry about.

I need to squeeze in a visit to the DMV before Monday (my birthday!).....my license expries then. I will finally get rid of the ugly picture that was taken in 1999 (?)....the last time I had to renew my license, I just got an updated expiration sticker. I don't really have time for this, though.

I also STILL have to register for two college classes to earn my 5 credit hours before July 2008. I don't want to lose my certification after all of this!! I am hoping to take a class in January and February....so I better take care of this! Like NOW!

And finally--I need to locate my high school diploma somewhere. I am thinking of my friend deanna who talked of having to do this to be a lunch recess volunteer. Since I also need to give me transcript from college....why may I ask do they need a HS diploma?? Since when do they let non HS graduates into college? (I have to submit this stuff to the County Dept. of Education so I have all my paperwork to be an ENROLLMENT AIDE, which I have been doing for a year and a half.....and NOW they discover I am missing pieces needed for my file???? Hello?? Why didn't I get told this sooner?) Very sad. they must be a bit behind over there.

I am sure I am forgetting other things on my list. I feel every time I turn around there is something else.....and it needs to get done beofre Christmas. Can we celebrate Christmas a month from now instead???? :0(

Two to Go...

2007-12-09T23:28:00.000-06:00

Well, it seems like I have completed a gazillion steps in getting my application complete--and now I just have two more steps to go. All that is left for me to do is my resume' (in which I planned the format already, I just have to figure out what my "bullets" are going to say), and finally, my letter of application (or cover letter)....which I don't think will be too difficult. Of course, i haven't worked on my portfolio yet.....but I am feeling like that is going to have to be something I work on slowly, and hopefully develop over time. Whatever is ready for the interview, I will bring. Thankfully, the portfolio is mainly used to give more insight into what kind of person/teacher I am and will be. I have an advantage, in that, the people interviewing me, already know me. So at least, I will not be relying entirely on my portfolio to make an impression. I would like to eventually have one--I just don't know how I will get it done before THIS interview.

Ben is going to weight training for diving tomorrow morning. He will be leaving the house at 5:15am! UGH. Then he has practice in the afternoon, which ends a 5pm. Talk about a long day!

Tomorrow is the first day of our Secret Santa program at school. We were supposed to get our person some kind of candy that represented them or the job they do. That is not as easy as it sounds. The person I got is a teacher in the Early Childhood Department. I ended up getting her Miniature Chocolate Bars, to represent her helping the "mini's" at our school. I know, I was stretching just a bit. I couldn't get something that represented her necessarily, because I really don't know her well. All I know is that she seems nice, and she is a bit (actually a lot) overweight. Not very helpful in helping me find candy to represent her!

Today we put up our Christmas tree, but decided not to take out all of our Christmas boxes that contained all of our decorations and "stuff". Mainly, because there is a lot of them, and we already have boxes mounting up around us. So, after a short discussion, and figuring next year we will most likely have TWO trees in our house (one in the front bay window-more for outside effect) and the regular family one in the family room.....we decided to just get a new tree skirt, and some general/basic Christmas balls to hang on the tree. (The we can use the stuff again next year on the LR tree.) I ended up going with a "snowflake" theme.....and bought things very different than we are used to. Our tree has white lights on it already. The tree skirt has white chenille hooked snowflakes on a felted light tan (?) skirt. Then I bought different size and shape glass ornaments. Mostly in silver, some frosted white, some with frosted snowflakes on silver or white. It is going to be different for sure......but, I think it will be pretty. Next year we will be back to putting all of our personal family ornaments on the tree. This year, it will feel good to not unpack all of them, and only enjoy them for a short time before we leave for Colorado.....and then have to pack them all back up again. This pared down look fits with the simplified theme we got going over here for showing the house, anyway. :0)

I haven't started shopping for Christmas presents yet. I am a bit worried! We haven't even talked about our budget for Christmas this year. Now that we aren't moving on Jan. 4th.....we will have a little more $$ to work with-but not much! It will have to be a pared down Christmas for gifts, too. I do need to get going on this, though. I am running our of time! There has been so much going on over here.....I just haven't gotten to the stores to concentrate on this. Soon......I hope!

something new

2007-12-07T23:10:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd share what Ben has decided to do. It totally cracks me up and surprises me. He has decided to join the school diving team! WHAT? (That's what I said!) The answer is......No, he has never attempted diving before. It is a BRAND NEW venture. I give him credit for doing something unknown. I suppose, if you can't do that as a Freshman, when can you do it?

Basically, the state champion swim team cannot compete unless they have a diving team, too. (or something like that.....) They do not have enough guys on the diving team apparently. Ben's PE teacher approached him last week and asked him if he would think about joining. He said "you are athletic--I think you could do this". Next thing you know.....he attends a practice, and is diving off the diving board, being coached on form! Can you believe that? I am just glad he is doing something else with his time that doesn't involve the computer or video games. You never know, maybe he will actually come to like it. Maybe he will even be good! In the meantime, I will try and not laugh at him wearing a Speedo. Ha! (Although, he informed me after practice today that there was a bit more coverage than the typical Speedo we were thinking of....thank god!)

Tomorrow he attends his first swim meet--he will not be competing....he will just be going for support. I just think this whole thing is very funny. I can't imagine he will score very well when he starts competing himself--like I said, he has never even gone off a diving board! (with the exception of a few cannonballs and bellyflops!).....I hope he has fun anyway. :0)

Wanna know something even funnier? One of the biggest reasons he thinks he'll like it is because there is no conditioning involved! After a year on Campton, he was done with conditioning for a while. All there is involved is repeated practice on form, and voluntary weight training before school 3 days a week. That is a huge difference than the exhausting conditioning he put in for Campton United Soccer!! It does seem like a fairly large time commitment though......hope he realizes that. ben has a habit of thinking something sounds good until he realizes the reality of it. I hope this isn't just one more thing he has us pay money for, and then wants to quit. I am waiting for him to find his niche. I hope he finds it soon. Maybe this is it, who knows?

Boy, I am tired!

2007-12-06T21:45:00.000-06:00

I think that I will go to sleep now. It is early....but it has been a long and hard day. My eyes are sleepy, even though the last time I cried was at about 4pm.
Matt took me out to dinner tonight, so I wouldn't have to cook. We just went to Bennigans. I was craving a loaded baked potato. You know, comfort food. :0)
Maybe I will go to bed and look at a magazine until I fall asleep. That sounds carefree and relaxing, doesn't it?
We told our realtor that we needed tomorrow to get our house back in showing order. We'll be ready again by Saturday.

What a let down!.....sigh

2007-12-06T17:48:00.000-06:00

Okay-I am just going to say it. Our house sale fell through. The contract on our house, that is. The guy flaked out on us, and decided to "walk away". He says it is over the inspection--but we don't have details yet about what it was that threw him over the edge. He mentioned the furnace being older, but he knew its age before he made the offer. Something about our washer and dryer being plugged into the wrong power outlet....easy fix on that. Something else about the wiring to an outlet being backwards (???).....the electricity works in all our outlets--so I am not sure what is up with that. We are hoping we will get a full report of what they found. Because right now, it seems the guy just had buyers remorse and used the inspection as an excuse to change his mind.

It is very disappointing. I feel deflated. BUT--I am trying to remember and trust that this was not a surprise to God, and that He is in control. Obviously, this was not the right buyer. This has been a hard thing to accept, though. I won't lie. I have cried many tears over the whole thing. When Matt told me the news, I was in disbelief. Then came the tears and nausea.

Now I am concentrating on moving on, and accepting what I cannot change.

I need to focus

2007-12-05T15:41:00.000-06:00

With all of this house stuff, I have gotten a little behind with getting myself ready for interviewing. I have been counting my blessings that so far, the position has not been posted yet! I have GOT to get focused!

I had a giggle today when a little girl in one of my classes told me that she FINALLY made a Santa hat for her pet hamster. A hat for a hamster?? LOL! I tried to keep a straight face when she described how she attached a rubberband to a little hat that had previously been on an ornament, and carefully slipped that hat onto her hamster's head! I asked if the hamster tried getting it off--or if it acted funny when it was on....and she said no. Since I must have looked surprised over that answer...she quickly explained that "actually, the hamster was sleeping when I put it on!" Okay, does anyone else think this is an odd story? :0)

miracle! :0)

2007-12-03T07:26:00.000-06:00

Last night, we accepted an offer after 5 hours of negotiations on our house! We actually sold it in less than a week....which in this market, is a miracle, as far as I am concerned! We are very excited, as you can imagine.
Our closing date is set for January 4th.

The only downside to this is that with this closing date, we will be packing and moving the week we were originally supposed to go to Colorado to visit my family for Christmas. It is very disappointing, as we would have loved to be all together for Christmas.....but, we also know that this would be the ideal time to get ourselves moved as it is the only time we both have two weeks off. We will be getting a POD to be filling on our own all month (we might need two PODs!)--so I suppose if we get ourselves all packed up BEFORE the end of December, we might have a chance of going.....but I don't see how that could happen. We would need to be completely packed with the exception of the bare essentials and furniture, all by December 21st. (We are leaving the furniture to the professionals.)

This whole packing thing is overwhelming to me. I don't even know how to approach it. Not to mention, we will need to get ourselves a gazillion boxes, and appropriate packing materials.

My guess is once we finally move in, it will take completely until the summer until we are fully unpacked. Working will slow down the rate of unpacking, I am sure. Especially if I am trying to swing my first teaching job, and dealing with preparations everday for the following day.

Even with all my concerns about packing and unpacking, and my small sadness about leaving our first home, I am VERY excited about moving into our beautiful new home! WOO HOO!! I am still in shock, and amazed at the swiftness of our home sale!

house update

2007-12-01T15:16:00.000-06:00

We had a home inspector over at the new house today. Things looked good, with the exception of a hornet's nest in the crawl space, and some white residue in another spot of the crawl space that we need to ask about. I took a bunch more pictures (of the things I wanted to remember, like light fixtures ,and general room shots, floors, etc. Matt took photos of all the pipes, furnace, roof, water heater, etc. :0)
We had another walk through today at our house. It was another young guy. Then we have a 3rd showing with the original guy tomorrow. (That is a good sign, wouldn't you say?) Then another walk through with a new person after that. Not bad, huh?

These are exciting times!! I will post a link to the pictures once they are up somewhere I can share.

offer accepted! :0)

2007-11-29T15:52:00.000-06:00

FINALLY-after four days of negotiations....our offer has been accepted on the other house. Woo Hoo! Sooooo.......now we just have to sell ours! Minor detail, right? :0)
Actually, things have been going well. Monday, our house went on the market, Tuesday we had our first walk-through, Wednesday we had a caravan of real estate agents through (17 of them!), and today, we had a second walk-through with the guy that came through on Tuesday. Not bad activity for being on the market for just 4 days!
Hopefully, someone will like our house enough to make an offer....and ideally, we will get more than one bidder.....and maybe even get our asking price!! (I might be pushing it there.....!!)

I am still working on my application--but I have to admit, my effort has been sporatic. I do need to get on with it, though. I am feeling it in my gut, that my interview will happen in the next couple of weeks. A teacher asked me about it today, and even mentioned a question that will most probally be asked in interview time...... I thought it was nice that she shared the question with me. Basically, she said she always felt it was a hard question....and decided to give me a heads up! So, here is the question:
"Teachers wear many hats. What hat won't you wear?"

I guess I reacted in the same way all the other interviewers did in the past.....because she kind of laughed, and said, "I know. I always wondered what kind of answer he was looking for with that question." I guess I will have to ponder that one.

first showing

2007-11-27T18:39:00.000-06:00

we had our first showing today, which is kind of cool, because the sign out front only got put up last night, and the group of realtors don't tour the place until tomorrow. it will be interesting to find out how the person that came through found out about us. we are now on realtor.com....so that might be possible, or maybe he just happened to be looking (stalking?) in our neighborhood??
anyway-from what I know, it was a young guy that came through with a Baird and Warner agent. we think he is engaged to be married, and he is interested in maybe coming back with his girlfriend and his parents to show them. a second walk through would be very encouraging! especially when it is the very first person that saw the place! i guess we will have to wait and see.

since all the realtors come through tomorrow, i need to make sure the place is spic and span before i leave for work. i better vaccuum tonight.....a shedding dog makes for lots of upkeep! Would it be silly to pray for our dog to stop shedding for a while? :0)

on a sidenote.....
i think the long term sub position will be posted soon. the teacher needing the sub is getting antsy, and she is anxious to know who will be taking over her class! (me, too!) of course, i still need more time to complete all of my "stuff".....but i guess i am getting closer. i better get busy!

I'm Piglet?

2007-11-26T18:42:00.000-06:00

This quiz was for you, Kerri!

Which Winnie the Pooh Character Are You?
	You are Piglet. You are timid, quiet, and like to stay in others' shadows. Though your shyness can irritate some, you are courageous when it counts and are always loyal to your friends.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

I can't be Piglet! I love him, but he is supposed to be tidy! Not exactly me.....:0)

anyone wanna buy a house?

2007-11-26T16:30:00.000-06:00

take a look at our home listing at:

www.amynelsonhomes.com

we are the fourth house under "featured listings" or the first house on the second page of featured listings. (The house we made an offer on, is the first house under "featured listings".)

By the way, I thought I should mention that the kitchen really isn't THAT green in real life. It is a little more subtle. :0) And I really am tired of the tired looking furniture in the lower level.....but what are ya gonna do, right? It is funny that once you look at pictures of your home, rather than just living in it--and you start looking at it like other people see it.....things appear a little different to you.

we also plan on getting to a couple of repairs on the deck outside. the lattice needs a fixin'. :0)

Okay-there it is. Now PLEASE somebody buy it!

Signs of Christmas

2007-11-25T20:47:00.000-06:00

We put our outside Christmas lights and wreath up today.
We usually put our big wreath above our front door, with a light shining on it. Our all white lights cover our front bushes.
Of course, we first asked the real estate agent is this was cool to do when showing a house. She said, "Of course it is!" that is a good thing, because it would feel just too weird not doing any of that. We haven't put up our tree yet, though....but I am sure that will be up by next weekend.

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas......