DONE DONE DONE!

Finally! My room is done! The pencils are sharpened, the copies are made, and everything is kid-prepared! After a long, warm, tiring but happy week, I really feel ready for the new school year. Whew. Here are the pictures of my finished classroom, and if you are interested, you can compare them to the BEFORE pictures. What do you think? I LOVE my new room!

Go here to see the rest of the pictures.

T13

Thirteen Sounds That Make Me Happy 1….Kenny's singing to Garth or Toby (cute honey!) 2....My sewing machine's hum 3....Sparky in his wheel 4....Fall's wind, light and cool 5....My students' baby voices asking if they can help me 6....Dad saying "Hello Lindsey" on the phone 7....Mom saying "Hi Tootz" 8....Car on a gravel road 9....Casting the line on a fishing pole 10....Talk radio on the morning drive 11....True Ceramic Pro straightener 12....Kenny's typing on the keyboard 13....The 'Happy Birthday' song Links to other Thursday Thirteens!1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Summer's Slip-Slidin' Away

The last 3 days have been a blur! Getting ready to start school again is never a quick thing, but the last 3 days have done by so fast and there is still so much more to do. I don't think the work ever ends! Today I almost took a nap in my classroom at one point, that's how pooped I was from all the running around and getting things ready. I have a nice new community circle carpet, nice and fluffy, and it looked mighty comfy right about 3 o'clock this afternoon....no one would have ever known!

I'm sure that everyone who reads this blog is sick of hearing about me going back to school. Sorry! I will talk about something else. Labor Day Weekend. Anyone doing anything exciting? We wanted to go to the U.P. but I don't want to go that far now this close to school. I want to spend this 4 day weekend relaxing cause I won't be coming up for air again until Thanksgiving, so being in the car a whole day there and a whole day home doesn't seem appealing! We will, however, be going to the lake house I think. There's no computer, but I can still do some school work (my masters classes just started again too) and be on/in the water. THAT sounds perfect. I'd love to hear what everyone else's plans are if they have already made them!

I really will post the finished pictures tomorrow...I promise:)

Oh me oh my

Stop! Please stop time for a day or two!! My head is spinning from the new school year. We don't have students until next week, but our first day of meetings and orientation was LONG. And the sad part is that we were done early. I forced myself to stay awake during meetings, and when I was awake, I was thinking about things that had to be done in my room, and copies that needed to be made for the first day, and so on. I'm sure everyone else's minds were doing that same thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to meeting the new kids into my room next week, and I'm very excited to be back with the people I enjoy working with, including Miss Z! She and I are even carpooling...that's awesome for the gas tank when you have to drive 60 miles a day! But I am going to have to adjust my sleeping schedule AGAIN to getting up early. I have to go through this every year, and every year, when the time comes, I act like I didn't know I would feel like this. But I knew! Here's something I wasn't going to tell, but I guess I will: I couldn't sleep last night. Can you believe it? This is my 5th year of teaching, and even my first year, I wasn't sleepless the night before the first day back. I wasn't even sleepless the night before the first day with kids! But I was last night. I tried to sleep and then got up and whined to Kenny that I couldn't sleep, and he told me I sounded like a 6 year old. Very fitting, don't you think? I wasn't anxious, I wasn't upset, I wasn't uncomfortable, I just couldn't sleep. So I layed on the couch and listened to Kenny type on the keyboard and that finally put me to sleep. And then BLAAAAAAAAAAM BLAAAAAAAAAAM BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAM BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM. Dammit. The alarm already? Nooooooooooooo! Snooze once, then twice, and on third time I forced myself up and into the shower. 1 bowl of grapenuts and a few minutes to check the weather online, I was dressed and ready when Miss Z knocked at the door. We piled up the backseat of my car with things for her new classroom and awaaaaaaaaaay we go into traffic! The day really wasn't as bad as I made it out to be, I just can't stand sitting in meetings when there's so many more important things to be doing!! Right now, it's probably more important for me to go to sleep rather than play on the internet, because I do have to get up again tomorrow and do it all over again! I promise tomorrow I'll have more fun things to report, and pictures of my room put together.

PS-This is my 100th post. That went fast!

Misc

~At the Lake~

Kenny & I spent lots of time at the lake house this summer. It's so peaceful and relaxing, and when the leaves start to turn colors, it's even more beautiful. I'm looking forward to that!

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August Blogging Challenge:

Happiness Is!

(To find out what August Blogging Challenge is, click here.)

I haven't kept up on this AGAIN, so I'm catching up now. This is what made me happy on:

8/16: Sleeping in.

8/17: Helping Kenny with his work so he had a lightened work day.

8/18: Working in my classroom again, and feeling more prepared.

8/19: Driving in the country where I feel very AT HOME, and having lunch with Grandma W.

8/20: Being lazy with Kenny.

8/21: Laying in the sun with Bethy!

8/22: The weather!

8/23: Seeing B.R. feel better after many treatments for cancer:)

8/24: Learning a little more about teaching phonics....a refresher course that I needed and enjoyed!

8/25: Kenny's smile and his karaoking to me:)

8/26: Sleeping in and being lazy on my last weekend of vacation.

8/27: Being with family as we celebrate my grandparents' 60th anniversary at their church (will post pics later!), and a late lunch with Shannon!

One Word Answers

I found this from one of my daily reads, What Lies Beneath. It looks challenging!

YOU ... C A N ... O N L Y ... T Y P E ... O N E ... W O R D !

Not as easy as you might think...

1. Yourself: Baby
2.Your bf/gf: Strong
3. Your hair: Curly
4. Your mother: Continuous
5. Your father: Unconditional
6. Your favorite item: Purse
7. Your dream last night: Real
8. Your favorite drink: Tea
9. Your dream car: Red
10. The room you are in: Clean
11. Your ex: Nothing
12. Your fear: Depression
13. Where you want to be in 10 years: Married
14. Who you hung out with today: Bethy
15. What you're not: skinny
16. Your Best Friend: Kenny
17. One of your wish list items: Mansion
18 was missing!!!
19. The last thing you did: AttackKenny (it's still one word if there's no space!)
20. What you are wearing: Shorts
21. Your favorite weather: Sunny
22. Your favorite book: Novel
23. The last thing you ate: Lasagna
24. Your life: Fun
25. Your mood: Loud
26. Your body: Healthy
27. What are you thinking about right now: Punching
28. What are you doing at the moment: Laughing
29. Your summer schedule: Hectic

What I did last night!

Finally, I finished something! Actually, 2 somethings. My cousin Miah graduated from high school a YEAR AGO and I started making a quilt for him then. It never got finished. So I vowed it would be done this summer. I finished about 15 minutes ago, with 3 days to spare! Whew. I asked Miah what colors he wanted, and he told me to make it the colors of the college he would be attending....so I did. All in all, I chose red, black, and white. There are a ton of steps when making a quilt. For anyone interested in seeing the steps, go here. For everyone else, here is the BEFORE picture, where I had just cut the fabric into squares (last summer).

And here is the AFTER picture...all done!

I'm shipping the quilt to my cousin tomorrow. Hope he likes it.

The second thing I finished last night was the hanging fish. In my classroom, I have 5 tables, all numbered. I wanted something to hang above the tables to show the numbers, and I came up with the fish idea.

All I did was cut out the fish, sew them, stuff them, and glue the numbers and eyes on them. They turned out cute!

T13

Thirteen Things I like AboutGoing Back to School! 1. New group of students (whew!) 2. Get to go clothes shopping! 3. Strong sense of organization. 4. I'm generally better with time management during the school year. 5. Seeing friends/co-workers that I enjoy every day. 6. Coming home with a sense of accomplishment. 7. Hearing my students say the cutest, most innocent words. 8. Being told "I love you" by my students and knowing they really mean it. 9. Short people hugs-they wrap their arms around my legs when they hug-priceless! 10. Slight pay increase (and I do mean SLIGHT!) 11. I'll be tired before midnight, and that's a good thing! 12. More shopping for shoes...woo-hoo! 13. A new coach purse? Can you tell I'm really trying to pump myself up for going back? It's working pretty well. I am not as sad about it today. Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Miss Z

This is a story about one of my best friends, N. I met her in kindergarten, and through the years we became friends, along with the rest of our "girlfriends" (see my post titled Girls' Day at the Beach). N went to college close to where we grew up and it took her a little longer than she expected (7 1/2 years) because she paid for it herself and worked FULL TIME. She finally graduated last year and has been looking for a teaching job ever since. Teaching jobs are not easy to come by, so she's been subbing and playing the waiting game. This spring I heard that there was going to be an opening at my school, middle school computers, which is N's specialty. It didn't occur to me until sometime in early August that I should tell her about this.

Side Note: Since we graduated from high school almost 10 years ago, the 5 of us have kept in touch very well, and 3 of us live by each other by chance! The other 2, including N, aren't too far away.

This is exactly how the conversation when B, N and I were on 3-way on our cell phones about a month ago:

N: I'm so frustrated! I can't find a job to save my life!
B: Don't worry, something will come along. Now that 3 of us live over here on this side of the state, within miles of each other, you should be looking for jobs over here instead of there.
Me: Yeah, that'd be great if we could ALL be together here, and you and A are the last ones to move closer! Ya know, there is a middle school computer job opening up at my school....OMG....why didn't I think it sooner?!?!?
N: Uh, yeah, why didn't you? Are you serious?
B: OMG you could move over here with us!!!! Do it do it do it!!
N: L, are you for real?
Me: Yeah I'm for real. I'll be at school tomorrow for summer tutoring...want me to mention your name?
N: YES. It can't hurt. Wouldn't this be crazy, me teaching with one of my best friends?

So the next morning I went to school to do summer tutoring and mentioned something about it to the human resource secretary. She was shocked, because at that very moment she was preparing to run the add in the paper to find a new computer teacher. Talk about fate. She asked me to give her the name and number of N immediatly, which I did, and then I called N and told her and she was in disbelief at how fast this was all unfolding. N was here the next day for an interview, and hired a few hours after that. It happened so fast, and in 2 days, she's moving here!

And that is the story of how N officially became Miss Z! Congratulations! We're so proud of you!

Miss Z checkin' out her new classroom.

Me and N a few weeks ago.

Tid Bit Sad

Every year, at this back-to-school time, I get sad. Sad for the summer being over, because, even though there's a good month of warm weather left, when school starts, that's all she wrote. Maybe a couple of good weekends, but really, the summer's over for teachers and students. And this is when I start to whine and cry. It's not that I don't want to start a new school year, and it's not that I don't want to work, cause I do want both those things. It's just sad that summer's coming to an end again.

I worked hard in my classroom last week, so much so that when teachers report to school on Monday for our week of training and meetings, I won't have to stay after to get my room in order. It's practically done already. I can concentrate on my new task this year: teaching a 1st grade/2nd grade multi-age classroom. I'm nervous still, excited A LOT, and ready to just get in there and get my hands dirty, meet all my new short people, and just WORK. I love to work. Really, I do. So why am I whining because it's back to school time?? Because I love having this freedom for about 8 weeks every summer (it used to be 3 months, not anymore!) There's nothing better than having that.

While I'm thinking of it, here's a myth I must clear up about teachers. Most people think teachers get paid for 12 months of work, including the time they don't work during the summer.

WRONG.

Here's the real deal: Teachers get paid for 10 months of work. They can choose to have their 10 months of pay be spread out over 12 months, or they can choose to be paid over 10 months. Most teachers choose to be paid over 12 months, so they don't have to budget their money during the 10 months of working for the 2 months of summer vacation. So teachers don't get paid to be on summer vacation, it just means they have chosen to have their pay checks spread out over the year. I get really irritated when someone accuses teachers of getting paid to sit on their asses in the summer and still make money. We're not making money, we're just getting what we earned! There are so many "myths" about teachers that really irk me, but I'll go into details about that later. I get real pissy about this! Can you tell?

Okay, back to the back-to-school issue. I'm trying to cheer myself up about going back to school. I have many reasons to be excited about it. I have a new classroom, new tables (BRAND new), I get to see the people that I love to work with daily, my classroom is on the first floor, one of my best friends just got hired at my school (can you imagine how that happened?-more about that tomorrow), I have $200 worth of supplies waiting for me in my room that I DIDN'T have to buy with my own money (that's amazing these days!!!!!!), and I think I'm finally starting to feel better about the new school year. There are far more good things outweighing the bad things, which basically boil down to getting up at the ass crack of dawn and having to wear business attire every day again. Ugh. My school is strict about the dress code, and it sucks. So those are my biggest complaints. So it's not so bad, as I look at it now. I guess I just needed to bitch a little bit to anyone who would listen.

The Dropsies

This is what I have been dealing with the last few days....

The Dropsies....

It started yesterday. I spilled coffee on my nice, clean, white shirt about 15 minutes after I put it on. And as I ran back inside, swearing every step of the way, I find another clean white shirt to put on, and within an hour I spilled coffee AGAIN. You think I would learn.

We were riding our bikes yesterday and as I pedaled under a tree, a bird shit on me. No joke. At least it was on my hand, NOT on my coffee stained shirt. I gave up on putting a clean shirt on 'cause I knew something else would happen. Now you know if I had put on a clean shirt for the third time that day, the bird shit would have been on the shirt, just because it was clean. I know a bird pooping on me isn't necessarily considered dropping/spilling, but this just adds to the events.

Today, I spilled Dr. Pepper on the couch, and it soaked in. Ooooppps. As I was talking on my cell phone, I was doing the dishes too and was holding the phone between my ear and my shoulder, and I dropped in on the ceramic tiled floor. HARD. And the worst of all of my droppinesses (is that even a word?) was about 15 minutes ago, I opened the fridge, and the butter fell out and splattered (and I mean SPLATTERED) EVERYWHERE! That was the last straw. I'm just not allowed to touch anything else today. My luck is ruined for a while. I'm usually clumsy, but not like this! I am officially done with anything today. I should just stay inside, away from birds and phones and anything liquid.

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Just to make myself feel better, I need to catch up on my August Blogging Challenge. I've been neglecting it again. I am very happy and grateful to have one more week of wonderful summer vacation before returning to another hectic school year. Even if I drop things.

Pink & Blue

This was the sky a few nights ago.

B E A U T I F U L !!!

21

Happy Saturday!! I got this from Tasha so I thought I'd try it too.

21 Firsts

1. Who was your first prom date?

John Belcher (that was really his name!)

2. Who was your first roommate?

Amanda Mae!

3. What alcoholic beverage did you first drink?

Hot Damn from my mom's liquor cabinet

4. What was your first job?

Dishwasher at The Brass Lantern

5. What was your first car?

A 1991 Saturn

6. When did you go to your first funeral?

5th grade

7. First Kiss?

Brian, at a 5th grade dance, on the cheek

8. Who was your first grade teacher?

Mrs. Hoyt

9. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane?

St. Paul, MN

10. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with?

The Ex

11. Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them?

Bethany, we met when we were only a few months old.

12. Where was your first sleepover?

My house!

13. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?

Niki, she gives me sympathy even when I don't deserve it:)

14. Whose wedding were you in the first time?

Aunt Vickie & Uncle Tim's

15. What is the first thing you do in the morning?

Get in the shower

16. What was the first concert you ever went to?

New Kids On The Block!

17. First tattoo or Ears pierced?

Ears pierced at 12, tatoo at 18

18. First celebrity crush?

New Kids On The Block, all of them

19. First crush?

Garrett

20. First TRUE love?

Who else? Kenny!

21. First time you smoked a cigarette?

18

What a walk down memory lane that was!

Couldn't Resist This...

Well, I had a couple different things to blog about, but this took the cake.

I know, I know, most people put pictures of their kids on their blog, but since I don't have any yet (except you Kenny!), I will put pictures of my 6-week-old hamster Sparky. So this is a cute picture, right? Wait, there's more.....

Sparky picked up my ring!!! I couldn't even believe what I was seeing. Total cuteness. And just when I thought I had seen it all.....

He starts nibbling on it!! I was in pieces watching this. It was too hard to take the picture, so Kenny had to take it. What a stitch. Imagine how crazy I'll go when we have real babies.

Fishin'

This is what I did last night.

Talk about peaceful! And the stars....beautiful. I grew up in the country, where this kind of peaceful night often went unnoticed. Now, since I live in the hustling bustling suburbs, I tend to forget what it's like, and man do I miss it. I'm not really much of a fisher-woman, it's more Kenny's cup of tea. But I go with him and cast a few out there and hope that I don't catch something for fear of touching a fish (yuck, I hate scaly wet things!). I fish for a little bit, then pull out my book and flashlight and read.

Talk about relaxing. And on this particular lake, there's NOBODY out after dark, so the lake is glass and quiet and all things wonderful. There was no real moon (Kenny did drop his pants and moon me just for fun because I said there wasn't a moon outloud....should have kept that one to myself) but the stars were bright anyway, and the dippers were clear. Just being away from everything for a few hours does wonders, especially when you go somewhere as serene as this. Ahhhh. Here's Kenny in his "I'm all serious about fishin' so don't bug me" stance. I'm getting ready to go to sleep right now and I can still smell the bug spray. Makes the night complete!

The Mess!

I spent another 4 hours working in my classroom today. I forgot to show the before pictures yesterday.

What a mess!

Here they are. Kenny brought me (thanks, honey!) a few more things that I bought this summer for my room....bookshelf....another filing cabinet.....misc free junk.....ebay-bought books.

This is my fifth year of teaching. My first year I was hired 2 days before school started, so I barely had time to buy and prepare (I wasn't ready, to say the LEAST!), but I made it work and by the end of the first week, I was ready. My second year was the best group of kids I've ever had! I was still in the same classroom, so setting up wasn't so hard because by that time I knew how I wanted things to be. My third year was almost as good as my second, and I had the same room again. My fourth year....I started out with a better, beautiful room with lots of windows and storage, every teacher's DREAM. Little did I know that this year would be the most trying of all. I won't go into great detail, but let's just say that I hope I never have to relive another period like that. I will say one last thing about last year...I knew on day 1 that it would be bad. A teacher ALWAYS knows. Great kids, bad mix. I loved them all, but together they took ALL the wind out of my sails EVERY DAY.

Back to the upcoming year....I'm so excited! Not only am I teaching something slightly different, I had to move again to a different room (ugh!) but it's sooooo worth it!! Kenny was in my new room today and he said it was the best out of all the years. I agree. Lots of windows and windowsill space (great use!) and storage in cupboards and shelves AND it's close to the door so I don't have to trudge 1/2 mile to my room with arms loaded.

Unlike last year, I am working in my room much earlier so it's not such a chore, more of an enjoyment. I truly had a good time today going through all the s#*t I've collected in the last 4 years, and throwing some of it away! Love that feeling. I also enjoyed looking at some of my stuff and thinking about kids I've taught and how it reminds me of certain lessons or students that just make me smile. I have had some of the most sensitive, outgoing, intelligent students in my 4 years of teaching. I think back to some of my teachers from time to time, and I wonder if my students will do the same with me. I hope they think about me in years to come and can hold on to just one thing that I taught them.

When my room is finished, I'll post the pictures!

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August Blogging Challenge:

Happiness Is!

(To find out what August Blogging Challenge is, click here.)

This is what made me happy on: Tuesday, August 15th:

Being able to use my sewing machine.

I love sewing, and I have missed it. Just haven't had time lately. I'm very thankful for the quiet time I got doing something I absolutely love doing.

Flip-flops

August Blogging Challenge:

Happiness Is!

(To find out what August Blogging Challenge is, click here.)

This is what made me happy on:

Monday, August 14th:

Flip-flops!

I love them! Lots of people (girls, usually) like flip-flops, but I LOVE them. Every spring I buy some new ones, more than one pair. I think to myself that I don't really need them, but what's a couple more pairs? Then by the end of July all the stores are blowing out summer stuff, so I stock up thinking next summer I won't need to buy ANY. Not so much. I ALWAYS buy more anyway! You need to have lots of colors.....and then ones that are just for the beach too. They are one of the most wonderful "comfort" things a person can have. I will always wear flip-flops.

Click here to out this year's favorites.

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I realize that I haven't kept up on my August Blogging Challenge for a few days, so I'll play catch up.

This is what made me happy on:

Thursday, August 10th:

Coming home to Kenny after not seeing him ALL day

Friday, August 11th:

Spending the day with a good friend (A) from work!

Saturday, August 12th:

Girls' Day at the Beach!!

Sunday, August 13th:

Taking care of my sick boyfriend (I'm not happy that he's sick, just happy that I could make him feel better WHILE he is sick)

Girls' Day at the Beach

Saturday was Girl's Day at the Beach. My 4 best friends and I have been planning this day for a LONG time. It used to happen every year, and then we got too busy, and now it's on again! Instead of camping, we decided to go to the beach for the whole day. It was soooooooooo relaxing!

After we were beached out, everyone went home and changed and we met at a sports bar and had more fun together. It's crazy how we've all gone our separate ways, yet still stayed in touch, and most of us now live within 5 miles of each other. We're still working on A to get herself over here!!

Here are the rest of the pictures!

AND here are the pictures of the new baby hamster, Sparky.

Yay!

The lovely and VERY talented Lindsay from My Splatter Painted Life made over this site! She's amazing! Check her stuff out on My Splatter Painted Life !! Thanks AY:)

Tag!!

Brandi tagged me. Here goes!

Five items in my freezer
-veges
-popsicles
-ice tray
-ice tray
-ice tray

Five items in the closet
-clothes
-shoes
-purses (way too many)
-unused golf clubs (rolling my eyes)
-unused copy machine (rrrrr...)

Five items in the car
-CDs
-sunglasses
-bills
-classroom stuff
-stuff for salvation army

Five items in my purse
-wallet
-checkbook
-cash (maybe)
-sunglasses
-lip gloss

Five people I tag
-Tasha (when she can!)
-Niki
-Lindsay
-Bethany
-Helen

August Already

I can't believe it's already August. There's so many back to school commercials and sales, and that is really the worst thing for a teacher. THE WORST. I need every single day of my vacation to recooperate from last year, and most teachers will say the same thing. So when people ask, "When do you go back?" I start getting anxiety. Ugh. This year I'm starting a new position, same school, different grade, so the anxiety level is a little higher right now. I did get into my old room today and I moved everything to my new room, so that helped take away some of the frustration. Now I can go in at my leisure and start putting the room together, however, it takes away from my last few weeks of vacation. But at this point, it's worth it. Whatever keeps that anxiety down, right?

I know that on the first day of school I'll meet my new students and fall in love with them and things will be off to a good start.

I know that the first week I'll teach the kids all the routines and rules and how to respect each other and myself.

I know that there will be over-anxious parents wanting to know every little detail of the day when they pick their children up.

I know that I'll be exhausted at the end of the day for the next 10 months.

But I also know that I am a teacher not because it's something to do, but because IT'S WHAT I AM.

Teaching is the most exciting and rewarding experience I've ever been through so far. There are lots of times during the school year when I wonder if I'll make it to June. And then there are the more important times, the ones where I catch a kid saying please for the first time, sharing toys, making connections between what I teach them and real life, lending a hand, learning to read, hugging my legs (cause they are that little)....these are the precious moments that I wait for all year, and it makes what I do worth it. So, to end on a good note:

August Blogging Challenge:
Happiness Is!

(To find out what August Blogging Challenge is, click here.)

This is what made me happy on: Wednesday, August 9th:
Going to school and moving all my stuff from my old classroom to my new classroom. I've been dreading this move all summer, and it went off without a hitch!

PS-To see pictures from my dad's birthday at Comerica Park yesterday, go here!

Happy Birthday Dad!

August Blogging Challenge:

Happiness Is!

(To find out what August Blogging Challenge is, click here.)

This is what made me happy on: Tuesday, August 8th:

Going to a Tigers' game with Kenny, my dad and stepmom to celebrate my dad's birthday.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happiness Is....

I got this idea from Tee-Tee of 2 T's in a Tub:

Do a post focusing on happiness each day in August. You can post about the things that make you happy or you can post about the things that made you smile every day of the month. Since I've missed August 1st-6th so far, I'll make up for them today. This should be a great way to focus on positive things rather than negative things, an act I always need help doing. I challenge anyone else who reads this to try it too, even if you have to play a little bit of catch-up! Here goes:

August Blogging Challenge: Happiness Is!
This is what made me happy on:

Tuesday, August 1st: Getting a massage...ahhhh....

Wednesday, August 2nd: Spending time with my brother Mark.

Thursday, August 3rd: Staying home for once!

Friday, August 4th: Sewing for many hours, out to dinner with my man :)

Saturday, August 5th: Bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, 1 man on, Tigers down 3-2, Pudge steps up to the plate and nails a homer, Tigers win again!!

Sunday, August 6th: Successful auction for family friend:)

and today:
Monday, August 7th: Spending a few hours with a long-time friend.

Rusty

My little baby hamster (not really a baby) died last night:( Rusty was almost 3 years old, and that's VERY OLD for a hamster, so he had a nice long life. He was sick for the last month, and so I knew it was coming, but I'm still sad:( I know, I know, it's only a hamster, but he's still my baby, and I miss seeing him cruise around his house and on his wheel. I even used to let him run around my desk while I was typing and he'd step on the keyboard and actually type letters.......SO cute. I grew up with lots of big animals like horses and sheep, and I never thought in a million years I would like a small animal. Rusty started out being my classroom pet that I brought home on the weekends, and after the first summer, I just kept him at home cause he was so darn cute! This picture is my favorite one.

Glengarry Bhoys

Last night we went to dinner and thought that it was too nice outside to go to a movie, so we drove around trying to find something to do outside. Right down the street from us is a place called Greenmead which is a historical "town" that puts on craft shows and entertainment during the summer. They were hosting the annual Highland Games which is a Scottish heritage organization. We got there and the MOST AMAZING scottish band was rocking the tent....literally! They were SO GOOD! I've been to irish bars where the band is good and everyone dances and has a great time, but this was even better. There were tons of people there, all kinds.....moms, dads, kids, grandparents, teens....you name the age group, and they were there! I thought it was so neat because where can you go these days for everyone to be entertained like that? Teenagers don't want to be seen with their parents, grandparents usually don't want to be where it's loud, you get the point. But this was for all ages! We got there only a few songs before they finished, but we're going back again today because they were JUST THAT GOOD!! The band is called Glengarry Bhoys. Click on the link and you can see them and hear their music too. Talk about good, clean entertainment! Kenny commented on how he remembers now how much he enjoys this kind of music, enough to buy the CD and play it in the truck. His dad is 100% Scottish, so he was raised with many things from that heritage, including going to see bands like this perform. He said that when he was younger he loved this kind of music, and then as he got older, it was forgotten about and never had another thought about it until last night. Now we're buying the album!

PS-And THANKS TO OUR LUCKY STARS for a break in the nasty, oppressive heat. We can breathe now! Yay!

Crazy, Silly Email

Kenny sent this to me today. It's funny how we email each other even though we are always together. Anyway, this is pretty funny. It's like the baby has multiple personalities. Cute!

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DADDY IS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER:

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things To Do When It's Hot & Humid

1. Stay in the air conditioning....duh!

2. Go swimming....anywhere there's water.

3. Take a shower every hour on the hour.

4. Read a book in the AC.

5. Take a nap in the AC.

6. Blog in the AC. (is there a pattern here?)

7. Talk on the phone and bitch about the heat index.

8. Consider moving north.

9. Look at online real estate in the Upper Penninsula (Michigan).

10. Walk very slowly to the mail box for fear of passing out from the heat.

11. Pray for rain.

12. Drink gatorade.

13. Cry until the hot spell is over.....in like, a month and a half here in Michigan.

*****UPDATE-IT IS NO LONGER UNBEARABLE IN MICHIGAN! IT'S NOW A PLEASANT, UNSTIFLING TEMPERATURE!*****

OMG

If you were going to get married in France, would you wear this.....

or this?

I know they got married on a yacht, but come on, how can you respect anyone who says their vows with their who-who's and cheeks hangin' out? Maybe, just maybe, if I had that much money, I'd.......naaaah.

Still wouldn't do it!