My last day of school

Today is the offical last day of school for me. I have to finish cleaning my classroom and packing up for the year. I have boxes packed and pushed in the corner. My desks need to be packed up and I need to commit to what I can part with (throw away! lol).
I got some good and bad news yesterday. I don't get to be in CMC/CR next year. :(  I have 6 classes of LC English next year. I really enjoyed having a light teaching load. The good thing is that I am teaching all of the LC English and I don't have to lose my students. I will be teaching all of them next year. My classes are getting much smaller because we are pushing all of the students into regular English, which is going to fail. Some of my students can't read well enough to survive in a regular English class. My students read at a 4th/5th grade level. They can't cope in a regular English class and they will get lost. I can just hope for my babies to survive long enough for the pendulum to swing back. Because it will, it always does.  Nothing in education is really new, it just gets introduced with new titles.
Well, I better go to the meeting and get my last signatures on my clearance sheet. Then I will be cleaning the rest of the day.
Have a wonderful day!!

My one little word for 2010 is complete

I had a really hard time figuring out my word for the year, but I finally settled on COMPLETE. Mainly because I am so bad at follow through and getting it done! I need to work on completing things in my life.
I blame it on my ADHD. I am very distractible, I just can't help it. I get started on something and get half way through. When I put it down, I forget about it for a while. And it never gets finished.
Today I am completing something today. Today is the last day of school. I have been at Jay for a full year! Woo-Whoo! I love this school and my students. I have some great students that I just adore. My year has been awesome and I am so glad to be here.

My Personal Dictionary

Justice – the bad are punished and the good rewarded.


Love - the immense feeling of warmth and happiness when you see your child feeding her child

Faith – the belief that there is something more than just you

Hope – believing that you can handle all that life throws at you because it will get better

Temperance – tolerance and patience for those who drive me nuts

Character – the ability to do what is right

Charity – helping out those who need a little help

Virtues – believing there are things that you can do, should do and better not do.

Sad Thoughts

I just wish I could change things.
Homeschooling for some is a great endeavor. I have friends who home school so well that their children earned scholarships to the university. But there are some people who do nothing. People who are mean and tell their child they are just annoying. I am seriously considering calling Child Protective Services. But what can I say?

Baby Book Upload 1

Here is a photo of my first layout for Robby's Baby Book. I have a ton of photos but tried not to overwhelm the pages with them. I cropped the photos to 4 inch squares and then arranged them in a square. The retangles are great accents.

Terrible cough

I woke up several times last night coughing. I felt horrible. I am going to rest today and hopefully get better. If I don't feel better, I need to go to the MedClinic tomorrow. I just need to rest.
I love my grandson but I think he gave me this cold!! lol. :)

The Journey

Life is a walk. Each day we take steps. Our tomorrow is determined by the steps we take today. -Stormie Omartian


I know that my walk has been very convoluted. I started out on the road to college, and then found a detour in marrying my first husband Bobby. It was a wild ride there! In four years, I became mother of two and widow at 24. I got back on the college trail and became a teacher. The four years in college were interesting too. Not only did I find a second husband and another child, but a career that I really love. Now, as I look back on that walk, I see a lot of fun and happiness mixed in with the sadness. Gerry is an incredible husband, and I so blessed to have him in my life. He is the best husband in the world. He is awesome with the kids. He has a great relationship with all three of our children. He is so helpful with Robby.
Robby had his first round of shots yesterday. They made him very cranky. He had a rough night. His little legs just ached, I am sure. The doctor suggested that we start juice to help him with his constipation. We are going to introduce apple juice first. He will love it, I am sure. He loves to taste things other than his formula. He loves the taste of the Tylenol and gas drops. He just smacked his lips with the oral vaccine yesterday. The nurse hadn’t seen a baby enjoy it so much. He made us all laugh. He is in the 49% for his height and weight. He weighs 11lbs 6 oz. He has made all the milestones for a three month old, so I guess we are doing something right. He has great head control and a lot of upper body strength. I think he will be turning over early with the way he throws himself around. When holding him you really have to hold on tight. He will try to move if he doesn’t like the position. Lol, that boy has a mind of his own already.
Another boy who has a mind of his own is Tim. We are getting the paperwork all ready for Tim to play football next year. Yes, we are going to let him play football even though he broke his arm last year playing football. I am still hoping that he will switch to golf team, but I don’t think he will. We have to shave his head as soon as school ends. It is the only way that the football helmet will fit. Right now, he looks like a shaggy dog. I don’t think arguing with him about his hair is very important. In a few years he will bald and there won’t be any hair to worry about. So, I tend to let him grow it however he wants. It won’t be there long….
Holly’s graduation is June 10th at the Alamodome at 4:00 pm. We offered to save seats for Holly’s boyfriend’s parents. We will be there early because we are helping line the kids up. I really love seeing all the students I have taught dressed in their cap and gown. I feel like I have helped them on an important journey. Just got to love it!

Wow, only 5 days of school left....

Some of you have taken Big Picture Scrapbooking classes; so I thought I would let you know about 2 of the self-paced classes that I am considering taking. One was mentioned in Stacy Julian’s blog. Stacey is giving a $5 off coupon and that makes the course only $5. The class is Saving Your Sanity. I think I am going to look at it more seriously. The other class is only $5 and it is called Help with Heartache.


Most people know that I lost my first husband when I was 24. My mother passed away eight years later with my grandmother passing away 2 years after that. I don’t let the losses rule my life and I have worked hard on dealing with it but I always think that it is good to continue to work on it. That is why I follow Susan’s blog “Your Life Spelled Out” which has great prompts to help you work on your life. I think it is important to work on your personal mindset. I think it helps me.

On a more exciting note for me, I found a new pair of sandals that I want. They are very similar to ones that I had a few years ago. The old ones were “Mootsie Tootsies” and I just loved them. The new ones are at Dress Barn and just flats, not a very supportive foot bed. But they have little flowers decorating the thong part of the sandal. They also have a very pretty 1930’s style dress that I want. I need a dress to wear for graduation and I haven’t gotten a new dress for graduation in several years. Gerry needs a new suit too. I don’t know if he will get it now or not. We saw some suit separates at Kohl’s earlier this week and he agreed he needed a new suit. He wears his suit to Prom, Graduation and any funerals we have to attend. This year has been full of funerals. We have had our former principal die, two former students committed suicide, and one former student and one current student were killed in car crashes. That has all been since January 28th. I am looking forward to a relaxing and revitalizing summer. I want good things! I want peace! I want life!

With only five days left in the school year, I am happy with the year. It was a very good year on the whole. I have decided that I am happy with my classes and my students and their successes. I have done well with my change to Jay. I really enjoy my school.

Questions from My Life Spelled Out

1. If you had a free day that you could do whatever you wanted, what would that day look like? I would probably spend time with my grandson and my dog. I would also scrapbook with my stash. I love creating. I think I might do some digital scrapbooking too.


2. If you could go anywhere in the world for a week vacation, where would that be and why? If it was my husband’s ideal vacation it would be to a lake, maybe Amistad. I would like to go to a resort. Somewhere I could relax and not do anything for awhile but bask in the sun and read a book.

3. What is your favorite piece of clothing that you own? My favorite clothes would probably my yoga pants and tanks. They are nice and comfortable.

4. What is your favorite room in your house or apartment? Why? My bedroom probably is my favorite. It is a sanctuary.

5. Do you have a hobby? If yes, what is it? I love to read, creative writing and scrapbooking.

6. Is there something that you would like to learn to do or learn to do better? I would love to learn to use more advanced photo shop techniques.

7. What do you believe about God and how does that reflect in your life? I believe in God but I don’t believe much in religion right now. We are looking for a church home again. I hope that we can find one that we can enjoy and agree with.

Great Note from a Student

One of my sweet students wrote me a thank you note and gave it to me today. I just get a chuckle out of it. My favorite quotes are:

thank you for teaching us and never stopping

thank you for smiling all the time and never stopping

I really enjoy these kids!

Tim's Birthday Weekend

It was Tim's Birthday Weekend. He turned 15 on the 15th. Yesterday, he went to the Barnes and Noble for a book signing by Rick Riordan. He has a signed copy of The Red Pyramid. Today, we had a water balloon fight, wiffle ball game, and Wii Bowling to go along with his dinner choices and Birthday Cake. Holly's BF, Robert, was invited. Next weekend we get to meet his parents. I had his older brother in class a few years ago and brother swears I was his favorite teacher. I usually am, I get to be the fun one. When I was out in the portables we could get away with raising all kinds of heck. lol.

We are all watching the Survivor finale up in our bedroom. I am going for Sandra even though she has already won once. lol, the fun place to be. Then we get to switch over to the Celebrity Apprentice finale over on NBC. I am rooting for Sharon Osborne on that show.

Only 13 days of school to go. 2 weeks of full days followed by 3 half-days. I am going to miss these kids, this year has been a blast. I think this is the best year I have had in 12 years of teaching. I have some great kids. I adore them!!

New Paper Journal

May 12, 2010
I had to create a new journal because I have misplaced my other journal. I am so upset that I can’t find it. So, anyway, it is a work in progress. The new journal is decorated with papers from the Fashionista line. I love the retro look to the papers.
I started my 34th book last night. I just started Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. It is a Sookie Stackhouse novel. I am also looking forward to the third season of True Blood that starts in June. It is a series on HBO based on the books. It and Eureka are my favorite summer series. My goal is to read 144 books this year. I am not on track to make it. Though, I do read more in the summer than during the school year.
The baby had a rough day yesterday. He was very cranky and we just couldn’t get him happy. Gerry and I were very tired and went to bed at 9 pm. It is hard helping with the baby and working full time. We were just exhausted. Gerry also hit his head with a low hanging branch. His head was killing him last night.
I am about to earn my next level on Virgin Healthmiles. I am going to use them to buy a book reader. Borders just came out with one that is only $159. But it isn’t wifi capable. I think I am going with the Nook. I like the touch screen on it, the lending of the book and downloading free books while at the book store. That way I can sample books while I am there. I don’t like that I will need a light for reading at night, but it won’t be worse than a book. Gerry says that I turn the pages too loud and wake him up. But I feel my books are still quieter than his snoring. But I am just saying.
The journal prompt on Your Life Spelled Out was about leaving a legacy. I faced this early in life with my first husband’s death when I was 24. I knew that he loved me and that he died doing something he loved. He died saving two of his soldiers’ lives. I have talked with them in the years since and they have made the most of their lives. I am also very verbal with telling my family that I love them. When my mother died in 2001, it was very sudden. But I know that she knew that I loved her very much.

18 days until school is out

The school year is winding down quickly. There are only 18 days left of school not counting weekends. I am going to miss these kids; they are very sweet. I will really miss my juniors. They go to another teacher for senior English. I have decided to shake things up for next year and to have my unit on Goals in August. I am getting a smart board for my classroom and these clickers which will record student responses. I have a training on Thursday to learn how to use the software. I am looking forward to it. My goal is to adapt my goals unit to use the smart board.
Next Wednesday we are having our much delayed Grace Conference. I have been nominated as the MC of the event. I am very excited that we are going to be creating Dream Boards (aka Vision Boards or Treasure Maps) with the girls in the afternoon. I have been going through my magazines and getting pictures out for them. I have catagories such as: Transportation, Pets, Houses, Family, Colleges, and my personal favorite Pretty Pictures and Phrases. lol. It takes a lot of time to go through magazines and to give the girls the most time to play with creation of their boards. I love working with the girls on visualizing their future.
We went to Build-A-Bear on Saturday and built Robby's first bear. We made the "Champ Bear." They also had an autograph graduation dog that we bought for Holly. She loves to have autographs of her friends. Band banquet was Saturday. Holly and Robert went together. They also went to Prom in April. They are a cute couple. Another sign that this is a small town, Robert's older brother, Billy, was in my class. He was a sweet boy and of course claims that I was his favorite teacher. I swear I didn't pay him for that. ;) Holly is hosting a Graduation Party for a few of her friends. The theme is Star Wars and she is going to make snacks from her Star Wars Cookbook and watch the Star Wars Movies.
Kelsey has completed her college semester. We don't get to register for fall until the middle of June. Holly is going to be going to her orientation in June and they auto-enroll the freshman. She completes a form and they will register her for her classes. She will most likely live on campus. Today we have Tim's IEP meeting for transistion to high school. He will be going to O'Connor with Gerry. I have a half day sub today. Gerry is going to try to get someone to watch his last class so that he can attend also.

Another funeral and a graduation

Going to another funeral tonight. This is the third of the year. I just hope this is the last for awhile. I find myself getting so sad right now. Funerals are difficult for me. It brings up lots of baggage that I usually have well controlled.
I really hate it when it is a young kid with everything before him. He was supposed to graduate next month with my daughter. He was an inexperienced driver who was on a very challenging road. He was just unlucky.
It makes me worry more about my girls and boy. I know we are very protective of the kids, probably more so than most. But I worry.
Holly is going to live on campus next year. I think it will be good for her. I am surprised that we can swing it, but with her grades we are going to be able to. She is going to a private Catholic school here in San Antonio. It is Incarnate World University. The dean of the Honor College would like her to be in the Honor's program. She is getting emails of recruitment. She wants to double major in Biology and Nursing. She was going Pre-Med until the health care bill. She may go on and become a nurse practioner eventually but she wants to be a nurse for awhile. My Great Aunt Frances would be proud that she is going to be a nurse. My aunt became a nurse during the Great Depression and for our small town in Kentucky that was quite an accomplishment. My aunt was my hero for most of my life, though I always knew my brother was her favorite. Lee was the fair haired boy. My son Tim reminds me of my little brother. Lee could do create anything, and so can Tim. Tim is very creative and inquiring.
Robby is growing strong. He is hitting the milestones quickly. He is almost 9 pounds. (though I think he is really closer to 10 by now). Kelsey has almost finished her semester. I think she has one more paper. We have to figure out what to take in the fall.
Say a prayer for Holly for the next couple of weeks. She starts her AP tests tomorrow. She is taking 5. He ISM project is also due soon. We need a few prayers for that too.
Have a beautiful week my friends!

Kindle vs Nook

I love reading books on my iPhone and now I hope to get a ebook reader this summer. I have to figure out if I want a Kindle or a Nook. Kindle has way more free books, it is lighter. Nook has a colored menu with the bookcovers. Kindle has a key board, while Nook is touch screen. Kindle has more updates and it is the 3rd version. Nook just came out in November and still has bugs in it. Anyone have any suggestions or recomendations?

A boring day in the neighborhood...

Today, my group of kiddos are not testing. So, I have to entertain them for the day. I have movies and games that I brought from home. This is crazy just shutting down the school for the whole week. Tomorrow is Science and Friday is Social Studies. I am going to make it through... I hope....

Robby is growing big. He gained 2 pounds in his first month. I am very excited that he is doing so well. He grew 1 1/4 inch. He also got his 2nd hep B shot. Next month he gets 5 shots. Poor baby!!!

25 days left of school, not including weekends and holidays.... I can't wait for summer!!!

Documenting your Life

I found a new kit for documenting my life. I am looking at We are Memory Keepers Document your life. I really like this kit. I like it better than the Becky Higgins kit on Amazon and it is seriously cheaper. The amazon kit is $50 and the Memory Keepers is only $17.

Baby's First Bath - sorta

His little cord still hasn't fallen off so we had to give Robby G a sponge bath. Seems Grandpa was falling down on the job during a diaper change. Have you seen that Huggies comercial? Yeah, well, Robby didn't have the distance but he peed all over himself, the changing table and those of us who were trying to help Grandpa. lol. Gerry kinda gave up on it.... ;)

The Vintage Pearl: it's friday! { a giveaway! }

The Vintage Pearl: it's friday! { a giveaway! }
I follow this wonderful blog by the owner/designer of the Vintage Pearl. She creates wonderful custom charms. I just love it. Well, today's giveaway contest is to talk about the mothers in your life.
I am always conflicted about Mother's Day. It always reminds me that my mother is gone. She passed away on December 21, 2001. I miss her every day. There is so much that I wish I could say to her and I wish she could experience. My relationship with my mother was very complicated. She suffered from Bipolar disorder and serious back pain. She wasn't diagnosised until her late 30s and that is when she really had difficulties. I will always remember when she tried to overdose and I had to drive her to the emergancy room because my dad thought she was over reacting. She tried to kill herself over 20 times from when I was 16 to 26. Then she was severely injured in one of many car accidents and the pain pills took over. When my mother was depressed it was like a black cloud hung over her. She couldn't be interested in anything. When she was manic, it was all fun and games until she wrecked a car. One car accident was so spectacular that it made the evening news and I could tell it was her by her shoes. She split her Mustang in half with a fire hydrant. The water gushing into the air really did look good on camera. But for all the drama, she was my mother, I loved her and I miss her.
This year is exciting for me because it will be my daughter's first Mother's Day. This journey for her has been very difficult. First, the father denied that the baby was his. He hasn't supported this child at all. Then the morning sickness began and she was sick for 5 months. And then, she developed toxemia and the baby had to be induced. That was scary! Now we have an adorable grandson and I just hope everything can calm down. I would like to make this a good Mother's Day for her. I am thinking a charm from Vintage Pearl might help..... ;)

Friday at last

The work week is getting longer it seems as it gets closer to summer break. I enjoy spending all my spare time with my new grandson. I can't wait until this summer when we can spend all our time together!

We think Robby is having a bout with colic. Gerry picked up some mlyicon (sp?) drops to help with gas. Robby is really hard to burp, so we are hoping that this will help.

Holly bought her ticket to band banquet. Prom is also coming up at the end of this month.

What is the color of your soul?

Marcus Aurelius said, "The sould becomes dyed with the color of it's thoughts."

My thoughts are bright colors. Because they are usually happy, busy and energetic. My sould should be yellow or orange which are both happy colors.

Rambling....

Boy, this is rough. Having a newborn in the house is much harder than I remember. But then I am 20 years older than I was the first time and I am trying to work full-time and help my daughter care for him. He was really cranky yesterday, so I took him early so she could get a rest. Usually, we take him from 8pm to 2am so Momma can get a good 6 hours of sleep. We want to prevent any possibility of her getting postpartum depression. We have been very worried about that because she doesn’t really have anyone to share this with but us.
This morning was really a great lesson with my first period. My first period is my most challenging class. They are very disruptive and quite a handful. But today was a really good day. I complimented them on their behavior.
We are having a prom dress exchange here at Jay. I brought two dresses but then decided one would be perfect for one of my girls in eighth period, so I just gave it straight to her. She will look stunning in it. I still have a navy blue tea length dress to contribute. It is a great way to help out the kids.
I haven’t been able to keep up with my blog or my journal well this month; I hope to have more responses this month than last. I did really well in January. I am doing well with my 365 project.
Tonight for dinner it is Salsa Chicken, Black Beans and Honey Cornbread.

Baby is 5 days old

My grandson Robby G is 5 days old today. Last night we had a good sleep. I still feel groggy though. This week Gerry and I are alternating days off. I took of Monday and Wednesday and Gerry is off on Tuesday and Thursday. Friday is a school holiday, so we are all off on Friday for Good Friday. Kandra, Kelsey's best friend, will arrive on Friday and stay for 2 weeks. Thursday the baby is going for an appointment and Momma goes on Friday.

Baby is here!

My grandson made his appearance on March 25 at 10:24. Kelsey had start to develop toxemia so the doctor sent us from her office to the hospital. She was induced starting Wednesday evening. She surprised everyone by progressing quickly. The doctor didn't expect little Robby to be here until today. She is still in labor and delivery until her blood pressure drops. The cure for toxemia is having the baby but somtimes it gets worse before it gets better. She is getting magnessium in her IV to prevent seizures. Right now she has me, the mean gramma, keeping her resting and not playing with baby. We have to get the blood pressure down!!! Resting she is still looking at 166 over 90. Please says some prayers for her, I am scared.
He is a blessing. We are so thrilled to have him in our lives. Though I keep getting all the poopy diapers to change.

Week In My Life

April 19 - 25 is Ali Edwards' Week In My Life. It is a week that you document your life and how it is different. I am not sure if I am going to do a separate album for it since I am also doing Becky Higgin's Project Life. I wasn't able to order her Project Life kit on Amazon. It is currently unavailable but it being printed. I did order some of the divided 12 x 12 album pages and just use an American Crafts Album. I have several at home. This way I can use papers that I like a little more than her kit papers.
Spring Break is next week. Yeah!
We have blood tests this week and she had a test for Hep B. At the appointment on Wednesday (which I didn't get to go to because of jury duty) the doctor was surprised at how much the baby had dropped. She was checked and her cervix is softening and effacing. She is barely starting to dilate. I would like Robby to make his appearance over Spring Break... ;)

Dream Board 2

Dream Board 2
Originally uploaded by cluelessapple

This is the second version. I covered up the palm tree and add a baby. lol. This represents things are important to me.

Dream Board

Dream Board
Originally uploaded by cluelessapple

My students and I have been working on Dream Boards. We started last Thursday and have them almost done. I keep changing mine but hear is a photo of my first draft.

Jury Duty

Jury duty is one of the tasks of a responsible citzen. We all need to do it. But it is so boring. I am down at the courthouse today doing my civic duty. I have a sub for my classes. I bet they miss me! Tomorrow when I get back, I have to spend half the day in training. That is going to be more boring than this.
Next week is Spring Break. Holly is getting her wisdom teeth removed. Kelsey will start weekly doctor appointments next week also. She is 35 weeks now. Soon we will have a new baby in our house. I need to make some emergancy sub plans for the exciting event. We should have our workbooks by then and I won't need to make the countless copies. I have loved the new books and now having consumable workbooks is going to be great. The next story is about Magic Johnson, how cool is that?

Sad news

I heard so disturbing news yesterday and I am still trying to process it. Gerry heard that one of his former students had killed himself. Gerry had him in class for 2 years, in Pre-Ap Chemistry and AP Chemistry 2. Adam was the same age as Kelsey. They went to high school and middle school together and even played soccer against each other when they were 4. I just can’t understand what could be so horrible that a young man would kill himself. He was so smart! He was very happy go lucky. I just can’t imagine someone that young making such horrible choice. One friend of mine said that her son saw a movie with him on Friday and thought everything was normal and fine. This must have been something well thought out, right? I am at a loss on how to work through this in my brain. My daughter is pregnant and unmarried but she at least felt the support enough to come to us, tell us and let us help her. Was there no one that he could talk with? Was the pressure too much? What are we doing to our children if this is happening? Gerry and I have both lost students before in car accidents and such, but never has one taken his own life. How despondent does one become before the decision is made?

365 Project

Wow, another month of keeping up with my photo a day. I haven't been as good with my journal and I need to get back into that. Hopefully I can get myself to remember to journal. lol. But at least I am taking my photos! One out of two isn't bad.

I really want

I would really love the Becky Higgin's project life binder at Amazon.com. It is so cool to put my 365 project in. I would just love to own it. But it is $50 though, and hard for me to justify it. lol. There is a digital version also available at Becky Higgin's web site..... :) Check it out!!

OMGosh! I have 3 pages of Apps on my iPhone

Let me just say that the iPhone is the best thing to happen to phones. I just love my phone. Some people probably think it is wrong to be this attached to a phone, but it can do so much.
I have a google reader app so that I can read all the blogs I follow without having to be attached to my computer. I thought google reader was cool on the computer because it puts all the blogs in the same place. But the app on my phone is easier for me to comment on the blogs. The only problem is if someone has their blog print in white, I can't really read it. You know white on white just doesn't work. Journal revolution just has to be shared with others also. Check that one out. I have their book with the forward from Rosie O'Donnell. Great book, btw!
I have facebook of course. I can't be too far from my peeps. Some of the things y'all say!
I have Bejewelled 2 which is the most addictive game ever! I play it so much that I can't play with a mouse anymore.
I also have TMZ app. Gotta know what star has been arrested or is in rehab.
I also have Blogwriter which will update your blog from your phone. I can type really fast with the touch screen. It works for all blog providers.
I just started playing words with friends free (user name winter 41 if you want to play) which is basically a scrabble game. I am not very good at this and everyone gets tired of beating me by 100 to 200 points, but it is fun.
The only thing I do want to do is get a kindle. I love kindle for iPhone but the screen is so small and I read too fast. Gerry is going to help me with getting the kindle. He is giving me his first $100 in gift cards from our Virgin Health Miles. That is another thing I love, my pedometer, but that is for another post.

Manic Monday

Today has been a crazy day. I am ready to go home and sleep it off. I graded papers from when I was sick. Exciting grading, I discovered that almost all of my students think the sun rising in the west is a certainity. I can only grade for so long before getting really depressed.

Sunday & I feel good

Thanks to the Zpack I am feeling much better. I am going to print some work for the kids tomorrow, so that I can hit the copier as soon as I get to work. We have the ELA taks on March 3. Just a few more days for them to practice.
Kelsey got her grades for her midterms. Her grades are much better now. She has a focus now. She did stress her self out too much. I hope we can get her to relax a bit. We have a doctor appointment on Wednesday.

New google reader app

I got a google reader app for my phone. Now I can read all my blogs on the go. I love it. It is much easier to comment.
Feeling much better now. The zpack worked well. My voice is back to normal.

Friday Five

1. Fishing tourney on Saturday for Gerry.
2. Baby Shower Invites almost completed. Just need to add the elephants.
3. Zpacks always mess up my stomach. Enough said.
4. Major math homework this week for Tim. End of the six weeks is next Friday!
5. Grateful for my I phone. This thing rocks!

How white trash is this?

The problem person who is always stirring the pot is trying to do it again. Yes, believe it. The funniest part though is that my girls are now seeing through it. And making fun of it. Seems she called today to share "great news" about her perfect son. Seems his wife is pregnant which is interesting cause she had an IUD. So this is her third child. She doesn't work. Father lost his job many months ago. Mother has a sixth grade education and is homeschooling the children. Boy is 10 and can't read. Or do math. Or act normal. Sounds to me like they are going to be living in the living room of his parent's house, again. Well, my ex mil may hate me but I have a job and a home.
But of course she wasn't just calling to share the good news but try to cause trouble. She starts telling Kels how her parents are trying to run her life and to stand up to us. Kels just told us about it and we all made fun of her and her whole white trash family. She also is the one who wants to take Kels in her ninth month to a concert. Also she suggested they go camping while in the ninth month. Or the great advice that anything that we say is wrong and evil. She is about to be totally knocked out of our lives by her own behavior. But then again, she isn't the brightest. She was at one time owned by a member of a gang and has been married as much as Liz Talor (but her exes aren't as high class). Sorry to be so negative but I just have to vent.

Why do people expect you to sit still in inservices?

The irony is that this is a workshop about differentating instruction and using movement. And I have been sitting for three hours so far. Of course, when I noticed spelling mistakes in his PowerPoint I was totally turned off.
My iPhone is all that is keeping me sane. I have no idea how I'm survive this.
This afternoon we are going to work on our list of credit retrieval students.
We have been watching the Olympics this weekend. Apollo Ono was great this weekend in the short track. I love watching the games. Olsen is on the bobsled team. Many people know he is from San Antonio, but he also went to O'Connor HS. He was a tight end on the football team. And of course Gerry knew him. We will definately be watching bobsled this year.
The kids are home enjoying the day off. Tim is enjoying having my friend's kids over. Holly is babysitting the boys.
Kelsey is getting really big, bless her heart. She is starting her 32nd week. We are getting her hospital bags ready. We have child birth classes on the 27th. The time is getting closer.
We are going to have a baby in the house again soon. I am nervous about the addition but we are going to make it. We will get Kelsey through college. It is going to be hard but she will get through
Holly is excited about next weekend. It is an overnight at IWU with the honor's program. She is pretty much decided on Incarnate Word for college. She is planning on majoring in biology with the idea of going to med school.
Tim starts high school next year. We are transferring him to O'Connor to be with Gerry. Gerry is also teaching Tim to play golf. Tim is really enjoying learning the game.

Baby Shower Plans

We went and looked at the hospitality room at our aunt's church last night. It will be perfect for the baby shower. I am punching out little elephants to put on the invitations. I am going to print them out today and decorate this weekend. Hopefully, I can deliver many of them Monday and mail the others on Tuesday.
In other areas, I have mucho paperwork to work on today, so I won't be up to much but work. My students are researching an Olympic event today and they completed a great web quest earlier this week (courtesy of my buddy Mike M).
Looking forward to a weekend and Monday with no kids. Wish it was a holiday rather than a work day.

Monday Musings

Spent the weekend at a memorial service and funeral. It was sad and moving. Adam Carrillo, an alumuni of O'Connor, played the saxophone at the funeral. While in high school, he was the number 1 sax player in Texas. After 3 years at the university, he is even better than before. In a few years, he will be giving Kenny G a run for his money. It was so soothing to listen to his music. The churches were spectacluar settings. Mr. Martin had two beautiful send offs.

I am starting a book of Why. It is a downloadable class at Big Picture Scrapbooking. It is a book to remind you why you do things and value things. I have the categories of mom, teach, write, wife, create, and learn. It is making me think. I am working more on the journalling right now than the layouts.

Weekend Plans

I have a busy weekend planned. I am going to be going nonstop.

Tonight we have the visitation for Larry. It is going to be over about 8 or 8:30. We are going to go out to dinner afterward with some of our friends who are also going to be there. Tomorrow we have the funeral. I need to get more tissues.

My laundry is piling up so that is a priority. Cleaning the bathroom is another priority. I want to finish the 8x8 album that is sitting on my bedside table. I have a second kit that I can't decide if I want to make it an 8x8 album or 6 12x12 pages. I need to get some adhesive for my project completions. I might stop at the new Scrapbook Heaven on my way home for just a second.

Sunday doesn't have anything planned except catching up on chores. So, it will be a rest before back to work. Gerry's birthday is on the 9th. He will be 47.

Saddness

I have had a tough time writing this week. Last night we went to the library dedication for my former principal, Larry Martin. He recently lost his battle with thyroid cancer. His visitation is Friday evening and funeral is Saturday. He was a great man and wonderful leader.

Another sad thing is the news. Tuesday night the news was full of a woman who had stabbed and killed her two boys (ages 3 & 1). This senseless loss of life is so distressing for me. I just can't understand it.

The situation in Hati is not improving. People still do not have food and shelter.

The weather hasn't helped. It has been cold and rainy for the last week.

The only good thing has been Girl Scout cookies. I adore thin mints. There goes my diet....

January Photo A Day

February is here already

I am very proud that I have kept up with my journal and photo a day project. I am really excited for my upcoming events. We are going to our childbirth classes on the 27th. We are planning the shower for March 13th.
I woke up very cranky today and I think it would be good for me to go back to bed.

Added an App for Blogging

I am trying a new app for my blogging. I think it will help me keep up with it. I wish 365 project had an I phone app. Right now, I also use shuttercal for my photo a day project.
Last night my former principal, Larry Martin passed away. He had cancer. He fought a good fight. He was a wonderful and caring man. My children all adored him. On Wednesday, the O'Connor HS library will be named for him.
Yesterday we had a baby scare. Little Robbie was not moving as much as he had been. We had a rush to the doctor to make sure everything was ok. The baby is fine. We really appricate our doctor. She has an old fashioned practice of just her and a nurse but she really makes Kelsey feel comfortable. Sunday will start week 30.
This weekend I hope to finalize the details for the shower. I think we will just have it at our house. Maybe make it like an open house where there is a window for people to come and go. I have a list of about 30 people to invite and so does Kelsey. Maybe we should have two showers? I don't know.

Making my Bucket List

Today's prompt is to make a bucket list or 100 things to do before I kick the bucket. I only have 4 so far. Any suggestions?

1. Write a novel.
2. Grow my hair out.
3. Weign 135 lbs and stay that way.
4. Create the best homemade pasta sauce. (it is good, but needs to be great!)

10 Chapters of my Life

If my life was a book with 10 chapters, the chapters would be:

1. The Early Years
2. The Teenangst Years
3. The Bobby Years
4. After the Rockslide
5. College Years with Small Children
6. Teaching - A Job to Love
7. Grad School with Teenagers
8. Jay Time
9. Grandmotherhood

My Achievements so far....

Today's prompt on Your Life Spelled Out is about your achievements. I know that I have achieved a great deal, but there are still things I want to do. My achievements so far are:

• Gave birth to three wonderful children and raised them to be caring, loving individuals
• Found and married my best friend Gerry
• Raised my girls after my first husband died and held myself together as I healed
• Finished my bachelors degree after losing my first husband
• Graduated with my masters degree in Autism

And the list is still growing!!! :)

My word

My word for 2010 is complete. I need to be more complete. I need to complete more projects. I need:
complete -
1. having all parts or elements; lacking nothing; whole; entire; full:
2. finished; ended; concluded: a complete orbit.
3. having all the required or customary characteristics, skills, or the like; consummate; perfect in kind or quality: a complete scholar.
4. thorough; entire; total; undivided, uncompromised, or unmodified: a complete victory; a complete mess.
9. (of persons) accomplished; skilled; expert.
11. to make whole or entire: I need three more words to complete the puzzle.
12. to make perfect: His parting look of impotent rage completed my revenge.
13. to bring to an end; finish: Has he completed his new novel yet?
14. to consummate.

Journalling Prompts

I am following a blog here on Blogger called Your Life Spelled Out. It has some really good prompts if you are interested in going along. I have been completing most of my prompts in my comp book, but I am thinking of adding them to my blog.

Today's prompt is to write about something you are passionate about. The subject that I am most passionate about is autism. I have a masters degree in Autism from Our Lady of the Lake University, so you could say that I am interested in the subject. At work, more and more students with autism are getting on my case load or are in my classes. I am also a parent/home trainer for the school district in the evenings.

The really scary thing about autism is new research into the prevelance. When I graduated last year the number was 1 in 144. New numbers came out in December with some stats as 1 in 100. I also heard that it is 1 in 84 boys. I am not sure of the accuracy of these numbers, I am waiting for more collaboration on the subject. But it is thought provoking.

Post #101

I totally missed that my last post was my 100th post. I should have noticed! lol. I watching the news and the talk about being able to claim your pets on you income tax return. I have 3 cats, 3 dogs and 3 fish. I spend quite a bit on the dogs and cats, not really much more than the cost of chemicals and food on the fish. How do you think they will identify the animals. Will we have to send in a picture or get them social security numbers? What happens when one of your pets eats the other? (My cats really like fresh fish, and I can't figure out how they get into the fish tank...)

This whole cold front is really disappointing. I live in South Texas. I can usually wear flip flops in December and January. I don't like this!

Holly got her ACT scores last night. She has a 32 composite. The score puts her in contention for more scholarships at Texas Tech. She has enough scholarships and GI bill to afford Texas Tech and living on campus or going to Incarnate Word and living at home. Both colleges are offering her mucho scholarships, and have honor colleges. She is a great kid, and I think she has a great future on the horzion. One thing that Texas Tech has is Zach. Zach has been her best buddy since middle school. His mother and I taught together for several years. She is one of my best buddies. It would be good for them to have each other for support.

3/365

I am not really using a special program, except that I use my photo shop to add the overlay to my photos. There is a lot of chatter on the scrapbooking blogs. There is even a web site! 365 Project and I joined it. My site is http://365project.org/kimwin/365 please join me there!!

I already posted my photo to my Facebook account and the 365 page, but here it is again. The sewer backed up in front of our house.

365 - January 2 photo

My January 2 photo of my Daisy dog. I am using the Ali Edwards 365 photo overlay which was released today at Designer Digitals.

365 Photo - #1

January 1, 2o10

A photo snapped from my IPhone on our trip back from CA. We were going from San Jose towards LA. Tim said that the hills looked so pretty that they didn't look real. I thought that was very insightful for my 14 year old son. The rest of the trip home paled in contrast.

New Year Thoughts

There are many things going on around the scrapbooking world. I have my memory log book started and ready to record my year. Another thing that I am trying to do is take a picture a day to record my year. Ali Edward's have a word of the year. What do you think would be a good word of the year for me?

patience?

challenge?

Merry Christmas Eve!

It is Christmas Eve and my son is very excited that we are in California because he gets to open presents on Christmas Eve at Grandma's house. My husband is happy to be around his best friend, Dan. Yesterday Dan, his boys, Gerry, Holly and Tim played basketball for hours. He is hobbling around now.
My Iphone probably won't arrive until after Christmas because FedEx is having problems with weather at their hub.
I am a bad mommy. I didn't get all the Christmas pjs this year. Every place I went they were out of pjs!!

12/21/09

Today is the eighth anniversary of my mother's death. I still can't believe she is gone. We finally made it to California. Gerry's mom had a bad spell today and she isn't feeling well. She had a pre-stroke. It is the second time that she has had one of these. Gerry is really sad about how ill his parents are getting.

my to do list is getting longer & Christmas Letter

I am getting a bit overwhelmed with what I need to do for Christmas. The boy wants a target gift card, and so does Dot #2. Dot #1 wants a digital camera to take pictures of the baby. I got presents for most of the extended family at Bass Pro last night. Tonight I have to finish the last of the packing and be ready to go. Kelsey is going to be alone for a while, but her buddies plan on visiting a bit.

And here is the 2009 Christmas Letter

Top Ten Reasons We Didn’t Send Out a Christmas Letter this Year….

10) Kim has a longer commute to work now that she is teaching at Jay High School. But don’t think it is a bad thing; she only teaches four classes and has a classroom in the building.

9) Gerry misses Kim a lot now that she isn’t at O’Connor and can’t make copies for him or bring him lunch!

8) Tim broke his arm, again. Actually, he was very diplomatic about it. He broke the right in July and the left in September. Eighth grade football season was spent on the sidelines.

7) Holly is taking 4 Advanced Placement Courses (English, Economics/
Government, Chemistry 2, and Art History).

6) Gerry is teaching Holly Chemistry 2. She tried to get the whole class to call him Dad, but they compromised by calling him “Sir”.

5) Holly scored really well on the SAT and is applying to several colleges.
She is graduating number 21 in her class. She is being offered numerous
scholarships and Incarnate Word University and Texas Tech are the
top 2 college choices right now.

4) Kelsey moved out, and moved back home.

3) Gerry joined a new fishing club (he won $300 in September!).

2) Bonkers passed away at the mature age of 15 (105 in human
years).

And the number 1 reason we didn’t send out a Christmas
Letter this year is…

Gerry & Kim are going to be Grandparents.
Kelsey is expecting a baby boy in April!

miss the little kids

ok, so 18 and 14 isn't exactly that little, but they are my little ones. They flew to California for the holiday break. We got a great deal on Southwest and thought it might be easier for them to fly down. We are going to drive. Kelsey is going to fly out on the 22nd. We have a house sitter for the big dogs. We still need to put stakes in the back fence to keep Taffy Daffy in. She will just make another hole though. She does not like to be fenced in. She comes around to the front and rings the bell when she wants to go to bed.

oh, yeah, I cut some bangs that I really shouldn't have. Note to self, leave the scissors alone.

4 days left till Break!

Boy, I am looking forward to the Winter Break. My classes are all taking a benchmark from Monday to Wednesday, then we are going to watch a video to relax after the benchmark. My students will be incredibly bouncy by the end of the week.

Kelsey had a dr appt today. It is her 6 month visit. She is still just going once a month. The ultrasound showed the baby was right on schedule for April 11. I am getting excited. We are going to plan the baby shower for the week of Spring Break.

I hit level 5 with my virginhealthmiles!!! yeah! That means $100 gift card for Best Buy. I am going to use it to buy my I Phone on the 22nd. (My contract renewal date is 12/22.) Kelsey is eligible for an upgrade on 12/28. She wants a touch screen phone but isn't going to get the IPhone.

We are getting ready to make a run for the west coast.

some people are very naughty

This situation started last Christmas and will probably continue until the person dies. She is not a nice person and her mask is finally slipping and no longer am I the only person who sees this. Last Christmas, this person came to my house for Christmas and totally dissed me. She brought presents for everyone but me. I didn't make a big deal about it till later.

She also started a situation in trying to get in between my daughter and the rest of the family. Interestingly enough, once we shut her out of our life everything got much better with our relationship with the daughter. Still there was major damage to our family and things that happened could have been avoided.

Well, the girls went over to her house for a Christmas celebration and she didn't get a present for their brother. This upset the girls. Also, she has made several comments that have upset the girls. She is still trying to break up our family.

I wish that people could be happy and loving to family members. I will never talk to the woman again. I have blocked her number from my son's phone. My girls are grown and I will let them make their own choices. It is to the point that I am thinking of moving out of state to get away from the witch!

Falling behind....

I am falling behind in my Christmas Journal. I haven't even opened the prompts for the 9th and 10th, but I have a good excuse. My daughter, Holly, celebrated her 18th birthday yesterday. We didn't have a celebration yet, because we want to celebrate over Christmas Break. I am really looking forward to being off from work.

This weekend we have the Jay Christmas Party and then on Sunday we have Gerry's Fishing Club Fishing Trip. I am excited about the Party....

My Christmas Journal has been started

It still needs some photos to be added, but I haven't had them printed yet. Here are images from my Journal.

Another silly questionnaire

Another silly questionnaire

If you've been tagged or you are reading this, you have the honor of copying all these goofy questions, writing your own response, and tagging 25 other victims. You have to tag me so really you just need 24 more people. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you - but not in a creepy stalker kind of way.

To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your title as "Getting to know each other!", tag 25 people including me (tagging is done in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.


1. What time did you get up this morning? 7 am    

2. How do you like your steak? Medium rare

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Blind Side

4. What is your favorite TV show? Ghost Whisperer

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Probably California to be near Gerry's family

6. What did you have for breakfast? cereal

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Italian

8. What foods do you dislike? onions

9. Favorite Place to Eat? Carraba's Italian Grill

10. Favorite dressing? Ceasar

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? Nissian Versa

12. What are your favorite clothes? Yoga tanks & pants (though I don't do yoga)

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? The beach

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 full

15. Where would you want to retire? The Lake (to join my hubby! Cause he is usually already there)

16. Favorite time of day? morning

17. Where were you born? Bowling Green, KY

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Basketball

19. Who do you think will not tag you back? Not sure. Maybe my Aunt Becky cause she can't get her computer to copy and paste. (love you, Aunt B!)

20. Person you expect to tag you back first? The first person to be awake...

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Not sure

22. Bird watcher? Are you kidding? I annoy the birds

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? morning

24. Do you have any pets? 3 dogs, 3 cats

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? My first grandchild will be here April 11 & it is a boy!

26. What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher (I made everyone play school)

27. What is your best childhood memory? Being with my Grandmother Dorothy and Granddad Cecil

28. Are you a cat or dog person? Both

29. Are you married? Yes        

30. Always wear your seat belt? yes

31. Been in a car accident? Several, so I wear my seat belt

32. Any pet peeves? Too many people

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? mushrooms

34. Favorite Flower? honeysuckle

35. Favorite ice cream? chocolate

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Las Palapas (nachos, just ask my co-workers at OHS)

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? 0

38. Who did you get your last e-mail from? Best Buy ad about cyber Monday

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Barnes and Noble

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Most everything I do is spontaneous

41. Like your job? yes

42. Broccoli? yes

43. What was your favorite vacation? All of them

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? My husband

45. What are you listening to right now? A show on Animal Planet

46. What is your favorite color? purple

47. How many tattoos do you have? one

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? Haven't decided

49. What time did you finish this quiz? 8:40 am

50. Coffee Drinker? No, soda drinker

Lazy Saturday

The results of the blood tests arrived today in the mail. The only significant result was that my human growth hormone is borderline. I have to call on Monday to schedule another test which requires fasting and drinking glucose. Not thrilled with the idea. My urine test and MRI were done this past week. The headaches are fairly constant. Not horrible but always there. I am also very tired in the afternoon.

Kelsey and I went walking at Bandera Point. We had some enchiladas and wandered around. We decided there was some really cute baby boy clothing. The only thing we bought were some Thank You cards for Holly. We also mailed her application to Incarnate World.

Black Friday

Didn't do much shopping today. Bought Tim some jeans at Penney's and Holly some jeans at Old Navy. I also bought 2 circuit cartridges at Michaels. The Martha Stewart line also had a cute elephant punch that I got for Kelsey. I have written a bit of my Christmas letter. This year I don't think I am going to be as funny as I usually am. This letter is going to be on the serious side. Too much happened this year. I started to do a really short top 10 style note but that just seemed too lazy. This year has been a great deal of change. I can't imagine a more eventful year. Heck, I am almost a grandma. Kelsey was saying how fast this time was going by, but I am not sure about that. We are hitting the 21^st week on Sunday. More than half way through. I don't know if I am ready. But the baby doesn't care. I will love the mite incredibly.

MRI over!!! Yeah!!

It took 40 minutes but I survived the MRI. I don't really go for enclosed spaces or crowded places, so I was concerned that I would freak out. But I didn't. I remained calm and collected. I just have to wait until the 10^th to find out if my pituitary gland is enlarged.

Some people wondered what type of car I was concerned about. It is a bright emerald low rider with hydraulic lifts. Just not the type of car I see in our neighborhood. I am just concerned because it is not a family car. We have SUVs, pickup trucks, even a corvette and a few Hummers. There is a bright yellow one down the street that is very tacky. We either have gang bangers or a fraternity moving in. The fraternity is the worst scenario. There was one by the elementary school last year. The parties were horrid. You would see beer cans all over the streets after the party. We are about 5 miles from UTSA and it doesn't have fraternity houses on campus. It started out as a commuter college.

I want to go get a newspaper to decide if I am going to go anywhere on Black Friday. I am taking Daisy to the groomers at 8am. She needs her nails clipped badly. They grow so fast.

The turkey is in the oven, and the dogs are playing. We are going to bring the dogs in this afternoon because the neighbors throw turkey over the fence. My dogs get horribly sick with turkey. So, even though I have asked them not to do this – it still happens. This year I am going to bring them in before they get to that point.

Today I am thankful that all the tests are done. I am waiting now on the results. The results are going to be the starting point for getting rid of these symptoms. I would love not to have headaches every day. I would love not to be so tired that I can't keep my eyes open. I would love to have fewer problems with my vision. The cure is much better than not knowing what is wrong with me. I have put off this for too long as it is.

Today is MRI day

In about an hour, I will be waiting for my MRI. I am not excited about this; I have a lot of apprehension about the test. I have taken all my jewelry off except for my wedding ring. I am going to have some bagel bites for lunch and then go to my appointment.

Our new neighbors are moving in. They drive a very interesting car. It is not one that we see in our neighborhood. We tend to go towards mini vans and SUVs. I am a bit worried. I am sure first impressions are not always the best.

I am supposed to get some scrapbooking stuff in the mail today. I can't wait until I get to play with them.

I am excited about the holiday. We have the turkey sitting in the sink and thawing. We are going to have turkey, dressing, corn casserole, green bean casserole and cranberry sauce. We are going to make pecan bars and cookies. We also have pumpkin pie and whipped cream.

For Christmas, I am getting the kids gift cards since we are traveling this season.

MRI is finally scheduled

I have the mri tomorrow at 2:50. I am going to the STRIC located on Spurs Lane. It is the athletic one right by the Spurs practice building. There is also a great sports medicine place over there too. Gerry his knee looked at there and Tim's foot.

Today I am taking Tim to get his cavity filled. Gerry has football practice this afternoon. That could be hilarious. The teachers are going to play the coaches. The teachers may win because they will play all those trick plays. The coaches only think the way they are told to sometimes. We will see.

Yesterday's ultrasound was awesome. We are going to have a grandson around April 11. The baby is growing well and is measuring for his due date really well. When I was pregnant I never measured right because I ovulate twice a month and got pregnant when I wasn't supposed to. I also have a tilted uterus which supposedly makes it hard to get pregnant. I guess the two eggs a month made me super fertile. We told our neighbor down the street that Kelsey was having a boy. I think he started to offer condolences. You see, he has 5 daughters and 1 son. The one son is more trouble than all five girls combined. I have always said that if my son was born first, he would have been an only child. Boys are just so much more inventive and destructive. Our grandson, Robby, is going to be a handful I am sure.

The weekend is here and it is a long one….

I am so happy for the Thanksgiving break week. My new buddy, Wendi K, supplied me with some fun papers and stamps to play with this week. I am going to get the baby's scrapbook going with all the fun papers I picked up yesterday. The album should be done and just waiting for the pictures by the end of the week. I have 3 scrapbook classes next month which I am really excited about. I am doing Ali Edward's December Daily, Shimelle's Journal you Christmas and on BPS, I am doing Reclaiming Your Time. I am looking forward to the fun classes. Wendi also is going to have a class for me on a calendar for my desk. I am very excited.

I have to go grocery shopping shortly, I am just trying to get motivated to move. I am not very excited about hitting the grocery store this morning. I hate the crowds.

I am really getting myself organized this year. Part of the Blogging for Scrapbookers class was being able to write about the memories that go with the photos so that you don't forget the best parts of the memory. I am also using something that is going to help with remembering the great moments. It is called Log you Memory and it is a calendar that I use to record things that are important to me. I am really excited about 2010 and being organized before this year starts. So much is going to be happening: the baby will be born in April, Holly graduates in June, Holly goes away to college in August and Tim starts high school. I am also talking Tim into going back to karate and finishing his training to get his black belt. He was about to test for his brown belt when he started football last year. There are so many accomplishments next year, and I don't want to miss one.

 

 

 

 

 

    

Medical Day part 2

We filed a report on the dog bite tonight. We took Tim to the doctor and it is healing well. There is no sign of infection! The doc did prescribe antibiotics, but just to be on the safe side. The dog will be quarantined by Animal Control. This dog has terrorized the neighborhood. Pete, down the street, has been bitten twice by this dog.

I know God doesn't give me more than I can handle, but I wish he didn't trust me so much (Mother Theresa).

The tests will be fine. I think knowing what it is will be better than not knowing. I have had strange symptoms, and I just want to know what is going on. The high levels of cortisol can even cause the pre-menopausal symptoms that I was experiencing. The vision changes and swelling of my hands and feet are also problems with the overactive pituitary gland.

On another note, I am getting excited about the coming Christmas season. At the beginning of December, Shimmelle starts her annual Journal Your Christmas with daily prompts to help you remember the Joy of the season. This will be my 3 year to participate. I am going to try a digital album this year. Maybe I can finish it this time….. Or I could do the Ali Edwards December Daily with an album already together. Sigh, so many choices… I do have my Christmas Planner completed and I am using it! I have my Christmas cards made (thanks to my friend and CTMH supplier (and enabler?)Wendy K!) lol! I also have the baby's scrapbook started with her help. I am using the pattern Animal Cookies for the baby book and pre-making the monthly pages with headers and space for journaling.

Medical Day

Ok, so I thought I was going to post only about my dr appointment today and my worries about it. But unfortunately, I have new fodder for my angst.
As I was driving home, I saw this man with two dogs in the middle of the street and my son laying on the sidewalk. One of our neighbors was in front of me, and started to pull over until she saw that I was behind her. Nicki is a really sweet woman.
I pulled over and Tim had been bitten by the dog "Jock". I couldn't believe it. I got the owner's contact number and made sure that the dog had a current rabies shot. I took Tim home with his bike in my car. Kelsey helped clean up his bite, and we now have him sitting on the futon with ice on his leg. He just had his DPT in August, so unless it becomes infected he doesn't ned to go to the doctor. Gerry thinks it is a dog that bites everyone, and if he is right we are calling the police. This dog is a menace.

Today, the doctor requested more tests. I had 7 vials of blood drawn, I have to collect my urine for 24 hours (ewwww!!!) and I am going to get a MRI. The doctor thinks my pituary (sp?) gland is enlarged and it is causing the problems. I go back on 12/10 to find out the results of the tests. At least I lost 2 pounds.

Good things to look forward to...

Thanksgiving holiday is just a week away. I am really looking forward to the holiday break. Tomorrow I go to the glandular specialist to begin to find out what is wrong with my bndody. Friday we are taking dinner over to Larry's house. A week from tomorrow is the ultrasound for my grandbaby. Hopefully we will be able to find out if it is a boy or girl. I think it is a boy. Gerry's parents are going to be here on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Great things are happening soon!

Something fun....

For fun, I spend lots of time on Facebook. No, not talking to friend, but playing games. Bejewelled Blitz, Farmville, Farmtown....

I need a life!!!

OHS Volleyball Beats Regan!

In a close match, O'Connor Volleyball won 2 to 1 to advance to the state semi-finals. My husband reported that there was a great shot where one of his students spiked the ball into another's face. I think that would almost be as good as the soccer player video that Letterman kept playing last night. Click here for the video. The girl has issues!

Shimmelle's Class prompt 6 is about goals. Yeah, it has taken me 3 days to get around to the post. Goals are often something that I make but never achieve. Like losing weight. I would like to get back to 135 to 140 range of my late 20s. I must tell you that I started at 170 (my highest weight with being pregnant). I am now at 156. I got down to 150 this summer, but I have gained 6 pounds back.
So...
Goals for a healthier life....

• lose the weight - I would like to weigh 135 - 140
• lower my cholesterol, raise my iron and even out the cortisol
• lower my stress - relax more

Two of my friends are currently battling brain tumors right now. One is fortunately benign, but it is in a very difficult place to operate on. She is going through chemo right now. One is not so lucky, it started out 10 years ago as thyroid cancer and has suddenly become aggressive and he has tumors throughout his body. Both friends are on my daily prayer list. But they really show to me that I need to get serious about taking care of my health.

Fun Day

Went to a Christmas Card Crop today. Made some adorable Christmas cards. Now just need to write my Christmas letter and adress them and I will be good to go. :) I might actually get them mailed this year!!!

We are going to Wurstfest tonight with a couple that we work with. It will be fun. I will eat way to much. :)

Football Game Recap

The football game was interesting. Neither team has much of a defense, so the game was a race to see who could score the most. The Panthers (our team) lost by one point.
It was also the senior game with all the seniors and parents announced. Gerry and were out on the field with Holly.
I had pictures, but my uploading failed and I lost all my photos. I am bummed.

Day 4: And then

Writing about everyday things is day 4 prompt. Which is easy for me...

After my blood tests, I am more stressed about my health. My cholestrol is high and mmy iron is low. My red blood cells are once again young & immature. And as always --> I really wondered if we need a test for that. Anything & everything about me is young and immature. A new thing is my cortisol is high. From my research on high cortisol, my adrenal glands are over producing because I am overstressed.

I am going to try and eat better, take supplements and relax more. Eating better is very hard for me. I eat horribly. My palate is very immature & leans toward eating lots of yummy red meat.

So, today, I started taking supplements. I am taking fish oil, flaxseed oil and a mult-vitamin. First of all, the fish oil is not setting well on my stomach. And I keep tasting it. Nasty!!!! I think I am going to stick to the flaxseed oil, it doesn't keep visiting me.....

Day 4: And then

Day 3: My Top Five

Number 1 and Number 5 together! My darling husband and my little puppy! Daisy is a dauchsund mix, but not sure what she is mixed with.

My children are 2, 3, and 4 in no particular order.

But I have to add a 6th.....

MY SLIPPERS!!!

Day 2: Blogging for Scrapbookers

A memory that I treasure started out as a fairly mundane day. It was a half day of work followed by a doctor's appointment for my oldest daughter. It was a routine prenatal appointment with measurements and explanations of test results. Then it morphed into something extraordinary. The doctor got out the Doppler stethoscope. At 14 weeks, we were getting to hear the heart beat. At first we heard Kelsey's heart beat--> the slow steady rythm. Then the doctor started moving the transducer and the rythm changed. It was the heartbeat of my grandchild beating at 156 beats a minute. But the best part wasn't the sound but the look. The look of wonder on my daughter's face as she realized that her pregnancy was real and the was a baby inside her. She had known she was pregnant, the morning sickness certainly proved that. But I don't think it was real until that moment. This isn't the plan that I had for my daughter but I know we are going to make it through as a family and together. (picture to follow tomorrow!)

Day 1 of Blogging for Scrapbookers

Today is day one of Shimelle's new scrapbooking class. I think I will be going the short version of the prompts to start with. I hope to beginning blogging more. I think it is important for me to record my life. The time is going by so fast. I just can't keep up with it anyone. It is always more fun to scrap about things that I remember clearly. Though, I have joined several classes with good intentionsl. I just I can't seem to complete them. Soon my grandbaby will be here and I will have even less time to keep up with my world.

Another note, I have to take a half day tomorrow. My blood tests came back and they weren't good. They won't tell me what is exactly wrong yet. At least the mammogram hasn't made itself heard yet.

I am going to check out everyone else's blog and maybe get motivated to do more later. Right now I am worried about the test results....

It's noon and I need a shower still

What a lazy Sunday today is. I did manage to start my novel for NaNoMoWri. But I am procrastinating a great deal on it. I have got to get in the mood for writing. I also have paper work to finish for tomorrow. I have two meetings and I really haven't started on the paperwork.

I am starting on a class at Shimelle.com on blogging and scrapbooking. I really enjoy her classes. Her ideas are so cool. I did manage to finish a small scrapbook last week. I promised it to my cousin Karen. I just want to take some photos of it first. I really think it turned out well.

I have to go to the grocery and pick up all the prescriptions that I got on Friday. All the blood test results will be back on Monday. The biopsy and mamagram will be back later. My obgyn wants me to take the birthcontrol continously to lighten my time of the month. She really doesn't want to go the route of removing anything.

Daisy is still traumatized from her day at the groomers yesterday. My time at the groomers went well, I got my nails and toes done. I am going to go clean up and get ready for my day. I made brunch for the family, so I haven't had a totally wasted day....

Why I teach

Today was an exhausting day, but it was eventful. I am teaching summer school this year. It is a bit different from my regular teaching assignment. It is preschool program for children with disablities. I have three students in my class. All are completely nonverbal. Only one student babbles when he is enjoying something.
Yesterday, the little girl mimicked the chorus of a song and said "roll over." I was so excited just for that little bit of language. Today she was doing even more. She was babbling all morning and repeating words from different songs that we had playing. She had speech therapy this morning and the therapist reported more interaction than she had ever seen before.
These little victories are why I teach. I did a little something to help someone communicate a little bit with the world they live in.

In a cast again

Tim compressed his growth plates in his hand and is now in a cast for the month of July. He didn't break anything, they are using the cast as a protective measure to make sure his growth plates heal.
I have another week off from summer school. Next week we go back. I will have a student from UTSA next week. She also has had mainly high school experience, so it will be a case of the blind leading the blind.
I hope everyone is having a good summer.

First Day of Summer

Well, the longest day of the year is here and I have nothing planned. It is also Father's Day.
We got Gerry a great Fred Flintstone card and a photo viewer keychain. He likes it and already has me putting photos on and charging it.
I am also feeling a little puny. I am going to relax and hopefully feel better.

Grandparents are Visiting

We are having a blast with Gerry's parents visiting. Tonight, Gerry, his dad and Pat Gardner are going fishing for crappie. Tomorrow we are going to have crappie for dinner. Not my favorite meal, but I will find something to eat.
They brought their dog, Annie. Annie and Daisy are having a blast together. Daisy is excited to see a dog that she is bigger than. Well, sort of. Daisy is about an inch taller and 2 inches longer but Annie out weighs her by 5 pounds.

Inservice Days are a total waste of time

I just spent 8 hours of toture today. I don't see why they have to do stupid meetings and listen to the talking heads. I really hated being squashed into a computer lab with 140 other teachers in a room for about 60. I thought I was going to have a panic attack. And then nothing worked the way it was suposed too. Naturally!

Gerry's New Laptop

I ordered Gerry a new laptop from Best Buy. We had $160 in gift cards from our Virginhealthmiles and I used that to bring the $399 price down. He got a good Valentine's day! It is an HP with 15.4 screen, so it is bigger than mine. I have the 14. Both have 250 gig hard drive & 3 gig virtual memory. I have a built in webcam but I don't think Gerry's does.

Valentine's Dinner

Holly and I cooked a Valentine's dinner for the family. We had steak, baked potatoes, ceasar salad, and sour dough bread. We are a simple family, meat and potatoes is our mainstay.



Holly is going to babysit for my friend Wendy tonight and Kelsey is working at the bowling alley. Tim, Gerry & I are going to be hanging out with the pupsters.



Amazing Race starts on Sunday. I think that would be a great reality show for me & Gerry to go on. We might bore people though, we get along to well.

My husband

Here's a chance to see how well you really know your husband. Cut, paste and fill in the answers, then forward . . . shoot, you know what to do. The real challenge is to send it to your husband to see how right you really are.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
If it is Wednesday, it is Ghosthunter. Any other night, NCAA Football or Madden Football games

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ceasar

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Onions!!! It is almost phobic!!

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What drink does he order? Diet Coke if we are not drinking, and Shiner Bock if we are.

5. Where did he go to high school? Elk Grove High School

6. What size shoe does he wear? 12

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? He collects fishing equipment

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? reuben

9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Chinese Food

10. What is his favorite cereal? He really doesn't have a favorite cereal... doesn't eat it enough

11. What would he never wear? something pink

12. What is his favorite sports team? Raiders (football) & Kings (basketball)

13. Who did he vote for? McCain

14. Who are his best friends? Dan & myself

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? picking my cuticles, he swears if I was a bird, I would be bald. And bringing home stray pets (we have a small zoo!).

16. How many states has he lived in ? Two, California & Texas

17. What is his heritage? German

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? I usually make chocolate or strawberry cause they are my favorite & he doesn't like sweets much

19. Did he play sports in high school? football

20. What could he spend hours doing? fishing or playing football on the game cube

21. What is something cool about him? he really cares about his students and his job

Getting Rid of the Old Lady Wings

I have been participating in the health miles for 2 years now, and this is the first time I have used my personal training sessions. I am hoping to strengthen my back and get rid of the beginning of the old lady wings. Yesterday was the day. Boy do I hurt today! My shoulders and biceps are killing me. I am sore!!
I guess round is not being in shape, it is just a shape.

Gerry's Bday is Monday

Gerry will be 46. Today is Lola puppy's birthday, she is one year old. She weighs about 70 pounds and is a very well behaved dog. She knows how to shake hands and that is the only trick she wants to do. I think it may be because Daisy does more. I am not sure. Daisy is over the mange, but we continue medication for another month. She went to the vet yesterday and weighs 19 pounds. None of the animals want us to sleep late on the weekends. They become very upset when we aren't up by 6:30. I need a dog with a snooze button....

New Car for Kim

I have a new car. This isn't a picture of the exact car I have, but it looks just like this. It is going to be detail tomorrow, so I am taking its picture then.

I am very excited to have a new car. My Nissan Versa is very cute. All the kids have said it is the hero's car. It was featured in the first season of my children's favorite TV show. So, I think it may now be known as the hero car.

Hitting 40

Well, I have been 40 for two days now. It doesn't feel too terribly different. I took Daisy for a walk and I think she was tired! Poor little Daisy!

Daisy

Daisy is such a sweet puppy. I am a little too attached to her, but she is so sweet. Everyone thinks she is an ugly dog, but I just adore her. Right now, she has my afghan and is making a nest for herself. She is such a momma's girl. :)

Plans

I am trying to get my kids ready for our finals next week. Tuesday we have a full day, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday are half days. On Wednesday I have 3rd period exam, Thursday is 2nd & 5th and Friday is 7th.
Daisy has puppy class tonight. We have missed the last two. We are way behind. Last week Lola was very sick with her ear infection and the time before was Holly's Christmas concert.
Gerry, Johnny, Holly and Tim are going to the Monster Truck Jam on Sunday.

Back to school

There are 99 days left of the school year. Yes, we are all counting.
It seems that I will not be getting a new portable. The old portable will stay on campus until it is bought by someone. Unfortunately, I don't have a classroom. I currently float into 3 different classrooms. In 1st period I am in Portable 16, 2nd period I am in portable 9 and 3rd period in portable 30. I am getting 13,000+ steps a day on my pedometer. It was very miserable today with drizzle and a high of 42. I am so thrilled with my schedule.

Last Day of my Vacation

Today is the last day of our holiday. We go back to work tomorrow. I don't know where my classrooms will be. I was told that they were going to try and move in a new portable for me over the break. I haven't gone up to see if they even moved the old one out. I would really like to have my own room again. It is going to be really cold and rainy tomorrow.
Lola is starting to feel a little better. She has a very bad outer ear infection. We have been on meds since Friday. I have to cleanse her ear a couple of times a day. She is still swollen.
Daisy is being a sweetie. She likes to sit on my feet when I sit in my recliner. She loves my afghan and thinks it is hers.

Virgin Health Miles

We have this program through our health insurance that we get membership to Spectrum Health Club and participate in Virgin Health Miles. We have a pedometer that we wear and earn points for steps and health challenges and stuff. There are 5 levels, and you get health cash that you reedem for gift cards. This year I made it to level 5. I almost didn't make it! I was 730 points short, then there were opportunities to earn points for agreeing to be smoke free and creating your own challenge. Each was worth 500 points. So, I got to level 5 and earned $100!! Last year, I bought my new range with gift cards. I am giving this gift card to Gerry for him to buy his own laptop. We got a really good deal on Kelsey & my computers and will be able to get him one shortly.
Gerry and I both want to get to level 5 this year. :)