on a happier note

I finally have good things to blog about! =)

Yesterday was MY day. So many good things happened. First, my principal finally came and did my mid-year evaluation. It could not have gone any better! I am so glad that is over with! We are scored on a scale of 1-4, with 1 being bad. I made all 4's. The only bad thing was that another K teacher asked if she could observe me teach reading, math, and maybe science. Awkward. I do not like having people watch me teach- especially my fellow teachers.

Let's see... what else. Oh, I'm getting 2 college students in my classroom. They have to do many hours of observations before they can enter the Eduaction program at MSU. They'll be in once a week from 8-12. At first I was NOT happy about this, but I've began to see the positive side. When I did student teaching my first placement was horrible. At one point I almost dropped out- the teacher was that bad. Now granted, these students are not doing student teaching, but I can still use this as an opportunity to show them the good side of education, give them good resources they can use one day, and hopefully spark a love of teaching and children in them.

On the moving front, my kindred spirit, T, has been helping us look for a place. She called last night with some good news. If everything goes according to plan we will be moving by the first of February.

I called and made an appointment with my hair stylist. I'm going to go from this blonde, blonde, blonde hair to..........brunette! I finally settled on a color and I'm ready for the change! I will definitely post before/after pictures. This is just my season of change- new hair color, new house, new car....

Yesterday was our first day back at MSU. I was happy to have a class from 4-6, and not 6-10. Even better was learning that this class is hybrid, so we only meet a few times. This is the way my other class is also. It's going to be so nice to be able to come straight home after work, spend some time outdoors, cook dinner, and actually sit and relax for a few hours instead of making it home after ten every night.

But, the best thing that happened yesterday was.......... having the principal announce that school was canceled today for a SNOW DAY! And, there's a good chance we will not be in school tomorrow either. So, I just got out of bed and I'm still in my PJ's. Here's to a snow day spent on the couch eating comfort food in my pajamas, sipping hot chocolate, watching Food Network, and doing some reading!

*update* School was also closed for Friday! Yay!

Now, all I need to make this day complete would be the SNOW. I don't think it's going to happen, but here's to hoping!

Make A Wish

When I was a little girl, my brother and I used to pick dandelions. We would hold then up to the sun, make a wish, then blow the seeds away...... We called them 'wishers'.


Once again I sit dreading what tomorrow brings- back to work and another semester of school. Yet, at the same time I find myself daydreaming of the possibilities that this new year brings- the hope of moving in the next few weeks, finishing my Ed.S in July and taking a much needed year off from the doctorate program, the beauty found when winter relinquishes it's grip and allows Spring to resuscitate the world, lazy summer days spent talking with my Dad while enjoying a cold Coke, finding my way back to where I'm supposed to be.....

Once again, I'm hoping for the future. I feel the exact same way I did this time last year. Earlier I read this post from one year ago and gasped when I realized just how fast 2009 disappeared. I'm still counting down the days until Spring break, etc... That's just who I am. However, this time around I'm not wishing time away- instead, I want to savor every minute.

At times, yes, life can really stink.

But every now and then, life is utterly beautiful- and is further illuminated by the peaceful hope ushered in by new year.

So....
Close your eyes and make a wish.
Now is the time dream.

October, November, December

I am still alive- believe it or not.

The past few months have been a blur. Good things happened. Sad things happened. I needed a break from things- even blogging. I'm still in my gloomy frame of mind.

But alas, I'm back. I've been debating on how to catch my blog up on the past few months- at times I considered just leaving those three months as a mystery.

Lucky for you, I changed my mind.

October

The hubby and I took a well needed get-away to Vicksburg, MS. I'm a huge history buff and had been planning this escape for months. We stayed at a fabulous B&B, called Anchuca Mansion, click here to check it out.



I survived another field trip to the pumpkin patch and began counting down the days until Thanksgiving break.

November

I cried almost daily over my stats class.

Decided on a whim one Tuesday afternoon that I wanted a new car. That same day I drove home in a brand new $32,000 2010 Camry XLE (without my hubby even seeing it yet). A few days later, on Friday 13th, I made it official and put my name on the car. Of course,the first thing I did was put limo tint on it! I cannot stand riding in a car that doesn't have tint. I hate feeling like everyone can see me.... silly, I know. I love my new Camry. It has every option you can imagine (but for $32 K it better be loaded, right?).

The Camry the day I brought it home (before the tint).

The Camry next to my trusty old Altima. When I was 18 my mom bought me this car. I walked on the lot, picked out this brand new $25 K Altima SL, and she paid cash for it that day. That was a once in a lifetime opportunity! The Altima was the car I drove to my honeymoon in and had when I graduated college. Hopefully, the Camry will be part of many new memories, like bringing my first child home from the hospital in. =)

Over Thanksgiving break I killed a 5 point buck while hunting with my Daddy. This is a memory I'll forever treasure.


December

On December 2nd I took a personal day from work to take care of a few things. Everything went well and I could not have asked for a better day. A big thanks to everyone who sent up prayers!

Went to the movies all alone (felt so old in doing this!). Watched "The Blind Side" and fell in love! Awesome movie!


Finished up the semester and did some much needed celebrating. Thank goodness I passed stats!

Survived my class Christmas party- still not sure how I made it out alive. I was recognized during the Christmas awards program as 'growing the most students on the Winter CPAA assessment'. I was thrilled and very proud of my students. Needless to say, my class rocks!

I was a grinch this year and skipped several Christmas parties (including the faculty party at work).

While everyone else was counting down the days until Santa came, I was counting down the days until I could take down all the silly Christmas decorations. Yeah, it was that bad.

Was ecstatic that the hubby bought me John Mayer tickets! He's coming to Birmingham on Feb. 9 and I'm planning on going with my friend Mizz Hoppa. I know you are soooo jealous! (I also highly recommend his new album, Battle Studies. I posted a few songs from this album on my playlist at the bottom of my blog- 'assassin' and 'edge of desire are my two favorites').

Finished reading "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks. Now I cannot wait to see the moving coming out in January!




I bet you've stopped reading by now! =)
You are now up to date!

Happy New Year

And The Golden Dustpan Goes To.......

.....Mrs. James' class for the cleanest classroom!

We proudly hung our dustpan up on the front board to display for the week.
I can already see that it's going to be hard to give it up to next week's winner.

That's right- my class won the prestigious Golden Dustpan Award for having the tidiest classroom! This was the second week they gave out the award and I won! I hate that I wasn't the very first teacher to receive it (you know how competitive I am), but I'm happy none the less. My kids all started applauding when they announced the winner! They were so proud of themselves.... as well they should be! Every afternoon my designated 'helpers' clean and tidy up the classroom. I bet you've already guessed by this point that I'm just as 'anal' about my classroom as I am about my house.


Some say that cleanliness is next to godliness. I'm not too sure about that- but I know cleanliness is a high priority for me.

So- congrats to all of my sweet peas for doing such a great job of keeping our pea pod spic-n-span!

Aaaahhhhhh - Chooooo

Once again I'm sick. Thursday I awoke with a scratchy throat and a slight case of the sniffles. Friday morning I awoke with the same symptoms. By Friday afternoon I was dizzy, having chills and body aches, had a SEVERE headache, sinus congestion, and cough. I've never gotten so sick so fast. I came home and was in the bed asleep by 5:30. I didn't get up until after 10 Saturday morning. I spent the entire day on the couch with the heated blanket. The worst part about this cold is the headache I've had. It's killing me!

Today I'm even more congested and instead of a dry aggravating cough- my chest now burns and all sorts of yuckies are coming up.

Just great.

If I'm not any better by tomorrow I'm heading to the doctor after work. I hope I can get over this before next weekend. The hubby and I are having a romantic weekend away in Vicksburg at a Bed and Breakfast. Not to mention that Wednesday is our first field trip of the year- to the pumpkin patch- so I will need all my strength to survive the day.

The only thing I hate about working with children is that I'm always sick. Veteran teachers tell me that it gets better with time - as my immune system builds up it defenses. I hope they're right! I worked in a hospital for almost 2 years and only caught 2 colds. I guess people are right when they say kid's germs are different.

Precautions I've Been Taking To Avoid Sickness:

1.Germ X. I've Germ X'ed my hands, and my students hands, so much that they're peeling! I've found I prefer the apple scent.2. Clorox Wipes. Every afternoon I give every student a clorox wipe and we clean the room trying to kill the 'yuckies'.
3. Airborne. This stuff was created by a teacher. You take it to help boost your immune system to avoid catching colds. I take it daily but to no avail. I prefer the Lemon-Lime Flavor

4.Good Ole' Vitamin C. I take one large vitamin C tablet every morning- religously!

5.Hand Washing. Again, same thing with the Germ X. We're washing our hands so much they stay 'pruned'!

If anyone has any other suggestions that I could add to my daily defense plan please let me know. I need all the help I can get!

Mr. Gucci

Yesterday one of my sweet peas said the funniest thing. That's one of my favorite things about teaching kindergarten- the silly things kids say!

I had to speak to one little girl in paticular, whom I'll call Toots (as in short for Tootsie) about talking during naptime. She immediately responded by saying "Please don't move my stick Mrs. James because I really don't want to have to see Mr. Gucci." I said "Who's Mr. Gucci?" She quickly informed me that "Mr. Gucci is my daddy's belt."

I laughed until I hurt! I'll admit, being blonde, it did take me a minute to figure out that Mr. Gucci was a Gucci belt. But once it clicked in my head it was toooo funny! I told her mom what she said and she just laughed and laughed!

So, when I have children and they act up, if 'time out' doesn't work then I'm going to purchase my own Mr. Gucci!

Hilarious!

The Obsession Continues

So, not only do I love the Twilight saga, but I also love the Twilight soundtrack. I downloaded onto my iPod a few months ago and LOVE it! The song I blogged about previously, Supermassive Black Hole by Muse, is one of the songs from the soundtrack. A few of my other favorites are 'Eyes on Fire', 'I Caught Myself', 'Never Thinks', and 'Full Moon'. I added these songs, as well as a few others such as Older, Magic, and some Anna Nalick songs to my player below.

Speaking of Older by Colbie Caillat - It's the best song describing my emotions these days.... Along with her song Circle.

I keep saying that "This Too Shall Pass" but I'm beginning to wonder just when it will pass. I'm beginning to become quite fond of my friend sadness, which I've found is often accompanied by quiteness and seclusion. Then again, I think that's just my depression speaking.

UPDATE

Today I blogged about several things: my girls trip to Mobile, a difficult time I'm going through, my first kindergarten crud cold, and the Twilight Saga. So, please scroll on down to view all of my new posts. I back dated them for the sake of my journal.

So, scroll on down and enjoy!

*Update* 1/8/10

Because I've decided that I'm ready to take my blog off of private I chose to 'hide' several of my posts discussing my 'dry season'. Those of you who had invites when it was private will know what I'm going through. I would still prefer for those insights to be kept a private matter. When I'm ready to bring them to light, I'll re-post them for everyone to read. Until then, your discretion is appreciated.

Thanks for understanding!

Twilight Saga

Last night I finished reading the last book of the Twilight saga. This was such a good saga! I'm so disappointed that it's over! I woke up this morning wanting to read more about the characters lives but then I remembered that I'd finished the book....... sigh.... I really miss the storyline. I guess now I can look forward to the New Moon movie coming out in November.... and then Eclipse coming out sometime next Summer. Also, I'm really hoping that Stephanie finishes writing Midnight Sun - Edward Cullen's side of the story. The rough draft was leaked and thus discouraged Stephanie from finishing the project. However, the latest update on her website stated that she is planning on finishing the book...


Stephanie- please finish Midnight Sun because I'm already going through withdrawals! Also, why not write a book for Reneesme, that would be nice! Thanks!

I highly, highly recommend this series. It's not just some silly book for teenagers. It's a really great story that readers of every age will enjoy! This saga is now my all time favorite story, even beating Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I love, love, love this book!

I'm currently reading How Full Is Your Bucket. I'll blog about it once I'm finished.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Happy Fall! I'm so excited that it's finally officially Autumn! Just a few more days until October =) The early signs of Autumn are beginning to show- hopefully the cool weather will soon arrive!

I had a great artsy weekend getaway and was sooooo thrilled to be in a big city with lots of stores! Needless to say, I snagged lots of cute fall-ish outfits! Fall is my favorite season for fashion!

To me this really is the most wonderful time of the year!




(I still haven't forgotten about posting pictures of my classroom 'mystery' changes! ;) And I'm going to blog about my getaway weekend soon. Stay tuned! )

Gotta Get Away

WARNING
This post is really long! Continue at your own risk!

*I'm a bit late blogging about this, so I'm backdating it*

Since our last artistic outing last October, my kindred spirit, T, and I have been trying to find the time to get away again. It took us almost a year, but we finally escaped! We have been dying to get together and paint again, but just couldn't work our schedules out right. Finally, we were able to get away to Mobile for a charity art event this past weeked. Last year we came back the same night, and it was REALLY late when we finally arrived home. This time we decided to stay the night. So, here is an overview of our fabulous get away!

I picked up T early Saturday morning. We wanted to get to Mobile early enough to do some shopping before the charity event that evening at 6. I think my favorite part of the trip was the girl talk we had on the way down there and back! (T, I think you'll agree with me on that one!) Our first priority of business was to find a hotel. T and I are so much alike- we both are extremely picky about where we stay (blame it on our OCD). So, before we would commit to a hotel we had to check out the room for cleanliness, smell, decor, etc.... We were dressed alike in black shirts, jeans, and black flats (not intentionally, but great minds do think alike!). I swear the front desk workers at the hotels must have thought we were lesbians! They made some comments to suggest we had other intentions besides just 'looking' at the room. It was hilarious! We finally settled on the Hilton and quickly unloaded the car to go shopping. Our room was really sweet!


We ate lunch at the Picadilly cafe and then did some serious shopping! =) We had so much fun! I don't think Bel Air mall was ready for the two of us! My goal was to buy a new Fall wardrobe. I succeeded but the only catch was the boots. I wanted to find some cute black boots and brown boots to wear with my skirts and dresses during Fall. I had a few pairs already, but wanted a different style. However, I decided that since the weather would not cool off for another month at least, there was no point in buying boots then. So, I decided on some cute brown flats and some gorgeous black suede wedges. (I did end up buying boots the following weekend after a cold snap hit! haha). I ended up with several new accessories, purses, dresses, tops and skirts. New wardrobe for Fall- check!

After shopping to our hearts content, we headed out to the charity event. This was a blast! All of the proceeds went towards Ginger Woe's father who is suffering from cancer. Ginger Woe is a local artist who worked with us on our last artistic outing last October. There was wine, champagne, food, and a silent art auction. Here are some pics of our time.....

*Note: The number of fingers I'm holding up indicates how many drinks I've had..... T was my designated driver! Thanks T!

My blank canvas!



Getting Started on my painting- "Java Blues"


Almost done!


Adding the highlights.....

T's pears..... I love them! =)



Loved the flower next to me! Pretty! =)


Number 2....


Number 3....

Yay- I won a door prize!



T and I - number 4....


"Java Blues" by Sylvi G

They had some gorgeous art by local artists at the silent auction. I fell in love with a sunflower... and a biding war ensued. I gave up once I reached my limit..... oh well.... I found another nice piece of art a few weeks later to put in my office.

The Sunflower that I bid on... so cute!


Haha, love it!


Loved this piece by Ginger Woe... so pretty! This was also one of the auction pieces.


Another auction piece....


A Picasso interpretation by a local artist.... auction piece.


LOVED this auction piece also!


Another Picasso interpretation. Going by my mood lately, this melancholy piece is what I should have painted. I think I will paint this at home on my own.

After the charity event, we went back to the hotel. We ended up going to grab pancakes around midnight. It was so nice to eat when I wanted, sleep when I wanted, go where I wanted.... and not have to worry about time or work or the rest of the world! We slept in late Sunday morning and headed back to Target, Bel Air Mall, and Michael's. We made it back home around 8ish Sunday night. We had so much fun! I cannot wait until we do it again! Hopefully we can plan another trip in November to do some Christmas shopping.

T- I had such a great time! I cannot wait until we do it again! =)

Here is the piece I fell in love a few weeks later. I ended up buying it for my office.

Not My Style

I cannot get this song, Supermassive Black Hole, out of my head! I downloaded it onto my iPod and it's now my pump it song when I'm running. Let's just say this song is totally out of character for me- and I kinda like that!


Uhhh..... LOVE it!

muse - supermassive black hole songs
Free mp3 download | free music download