Back to School

Though the temperature outside is 95 and I'm sitting here wearing flip flops, the school district I work for has teachers reporting back to school tomorrow. Tomorrow! I'm in denial summer is over. August is when I usually catch my stride, go on vacation, and read another book. Not so this year. With a full time contract again duty calls, meetings begin and I shine my apple and wait to see my student's smiling faces. And I remind myself, even while writing this, that it is the kiddos that keep me coming back day after day. Happy Back to School everyone!

What was I thinking?

I'm a planner. I like to plan trips, make lesson plans and meal plans. I like to know what's coming ahead. In an effort to plan ahead for an emergency such as a tornado or earthquake, one day I was inspired to get some things together and put them down in the basement. I got some bottled waters, some can good beanie weanies, and put our important papers in a fire-proof safe. Atleast we'd be able to survive a couple days. But then I got to thinking several weeks later. I live with a husband and two teenage sons. What was I thinking getting all these men beanie weanies!? I mean what if we were actually confined and stuck down in the basement in a small area and we're all eating beans? Think about the ramifications of that! Seriously, I would need a gas mask as well! Anyone know where I can get one of those? Oh well, the best of man's plans, right?

In the Kitchen

This week I was very sick, like the sickest I think I've ever been in my life. I ran a high fever and in general was just "out of it". When a woman literally forgets about chocolate and Pinterest, like I did for a few days, well, let's just say she is one sick chick. Thankfully, I have older sons who are quite capable of managing on their own and a husband who was so sweet and attentive to my needs... But, when I emerged from my bedroom for the first time after being so sick for four days I was quite shocked at how three men can neglect a kitchen and be so content with it! There were two rotton peaches in the fruit bowl, a rotting tomato in the vegetable bowl, dishes strewn in the sink, crumbs on every counter (still makes me cringe!) and numerous other items that normally don't reside in a kitchen. So I had to tidy up before I could function back in there. As I was cleaning the counters and putting things away I was reminded that the crumbs were probably from the toast my husband had lovingly made and served me, the dishes in the sink were probably from one of my boys' lunches they'd made themselves and soon my attitude softened as I reclaimed the kitchen and restored it back to its natural order. It hadn't been easy on them with me being sick either though no one had complained. A family is truly a blessing when they work together. All is well now.

My Earliest Memory ...& thoughts on it now

In a discussion with my Mom this summer, I discovered that my earliest memory was when I was two. I really think I was two, isn't that early to actually remember something? My mom thought so too and was amazed. But I do remember. I remember being over at a neighbors house, with a little girl I used to play with, Janie. Now I had forgot her name, but Mom helped me with that one. We were playing Colorforms and I had this little navy blue rectangular cubed shaped suitcase (I know there is a proper name for it but it escapes me at the moment, if I recall it, I'll edit it back in) that housed my toys that I'd brought with me. I can remember walking through the yard or yards, as I don't recall just how many houses I was away from home. I was two afterall. But back to Colorforms, remember those? Those plastic-y vinyl cling forms that were so fun to peel off and put on a scene or in my case a doll to dress. They had such a distinct smell. I loved that smell! I bet right now in a blind smell test I could pick out Colorforms over other toys'smells. And why is it that certain smells can take you back to your childhood in an instant, transporting one back to decades earlier of more carefree times? Very interesting how that whole olfactory sense works in the brain! And so that's about it for that memory. I do wonder now "why would a two year old be allowed to go play at another friends house" which seemed unsupervised at that time? Perhaps it is in the details where my mind is a little foggy. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I was very independent and capable even at a young age. Oh and I still have that little suitcase by the way, it's up on our garage shelf with contents unknown to me at the moment. And I do still have the top of that Colorforms box packed in my childhood belongings tote. If only it smelled the way it did...

Pinterest

Pinterest has been my guilty summer indulgence. Over the past school year a few teachers kept telling me about it but I put checking it out off until I had some time in the summer. Boy, am I glad I did wait! Pinterest is the best thing since sliced bread but I could be on that site for hours! Pinning this and that and creating boards takes time ya know but all the AMAZING ideas I am getting is worth it. Especially when the temperature outside is 100, for the 8th straight day I might add. If you've not checked out Pinterest, venture over and do so, but I warn you it's addicting. Happy Pinning!

Reaquainting

Well, it's been about a year since I last sat down to blog. It's not that I haven't wanted to it's just the fact that I started working full-time outside of the home. Working seriously cuts in to my creative time and blogging was one of those creative luxuries. Fortunately, I am blessed to have my summers off and am able to tap into creative outlets once again. How can I possibly sum up this past year? It would have to start and end up with God helping me find and keep an excellent job in this tough economy. If you are not a believer in prayer, you should be, there is no other explanation as to how this past school year happened. God worked in a mighty way, despite my puny efforts, a mighty way I say. I am blessed to work with some of the most precious children, some with speech disorders, some with language disorders and still others with autism. Their hugs and smiles keep me going back day after day, despite the huge amounts of paperwork each one of them generates. ;) I hope to be more faithful in blogging once again. Let's get reaquainted.

Transfer blog

Today I switched back to Blogger because I find it more user friendly and transferred over some previous posts. I hope to get in the blogging habit again. I've really missed it.