She’s got legs…

Does anyone else remember that old L’eggs panty hose jingle (in my title)? Okay, just checking to make sure I am still only a little crazy.

Whatever. Remember this?


I added some legs to my Craigslist ottoman/coffee table/storage bench doomaphlotchy (sound it out). Sexy, huh?


Yeah, not so much sexy. More like the cutest chubby baby legs you’ve ever seen. You know the baby legs that look like they have rubber bands on them. Chunky.

Okay, scratch all that. I’m calling her Eliza. As in Doolittle. Cause she has been transformed into a classy lady.


Do you think Professor Higgins ever had to use a staple gun and fabric glue?

Now she can no longer be a head rest for Darby. Or a bib, whichever way you choose to look at it. Cause classy ladies don’t let lazy dogs lay all over them, or drool all over them.




*This was the most randomy, jump around, ADHD post ever. Welcome to my world!

Reposted for DIY at A Soft Place to Land

Dear Daddy,

Today you would have been 54. I miss you! (And the biscuits, and cornbread, and the way you slurped your coffee)

 
I am glad you get to be with Mama and that neither of you are in pain any more. 

Now, I have to go to the store to stock up on chicken breast (on sale for $1.87/lb) like you taught me to do. 


And I think I will read out of your Bible tonight instead of mine.  
 

Update on the JOB

As of this moment, the job I thought I had is no more and I have another interview in tomorrow morning. Oh well, so goes life.

The position I did have was 3rd -5th grade Reading Coach in an urban school. The grades I prefer and the subject I am best at. Needless to say, I was excited.

Tomorrow's interview is for a very inner city school teaching Kindergarten. And to practice what we talked about in Bible class this Sunday (Phil 4), I will think on the good things. Here goes: My best friend used to teach Kindergarten and she will be my saving grace. I know this area because it is in the neighborhood where I student taught. People are praying for me. God has a plan.

Okay, so the negative list is a little longer.

God is in control. I do know that.

Week in Review

First things first – I GOT A JOB! woooooo-hooooooo!
Our Bible class cheered yesterday when I announced this. Jacob cheered longer than anyone. Ha! I celebrated that day with a trip to Chick-fil-A to get a kids meal and trade my toy for ice cream – my favorite!


I guess I was feeling all confident and stuff. So, I bought a storage bench on Craigslist and recover it while I watched Practical Magic. That movie is a fall staple for me. I need to add legs to bench so it can become a coffee table/ottoman. Here’s the before.


Then, we went to visit some friends in Arkansas. Fun times. Good food. (Oh, the food.) Sydney and Darby even had a friend to play with too. Why did I not get any pictures of the friends?


Then, we spent some good time with family to celebrate Jacob’s grandmother’s birthday. Here is one of two pictures I have of Jacob and his grandmother. That’s is our nephew’s foot – not grandma’s. Ha!


Speaking of nephews……they LOVE their uncle. I think he loves them too.

Running a Temperature

No, my body temp is not higher than 98.6 degrees, but I do have a mild case of baby fever. It is okay, Jacob is helping me by staying away and not spreading this smallish disease.

Anyways, when we do get to have children, I hope they dance like this kid. LOVE IT!

October 5th, 2009

Just a regular day, but here's what happened....

listened to message from an optional school principal who wanted to interview me for a kindergarten position......called her back immediately......the position had already been filled.....she had been interviewing all weekend......i asked when she called and left the message.....it was saturday while we were in the back woods of arkansas camping......i told her that......then i got off the phone and cried

i babysat two beautiful girls tonight that i had never met in person......their mother and i went to college.....she was in town to photograph a mutual friend's engagement......when she left she said my house was beautiful and adorable......i said her girls were beautiful and adorable

my husband just made me s'mores

thoughts i am taking to bed.....God has something planned and i am glad for the wake up call to keep my phone within range of a cell phone tower.......i would much rather have my kids complimented than my house.......jacob is the best

Raccoons, and Tears, and S’mores, oh my!

What good would this weather be without a little camping trip? Chilly and crisp at night and just warm enough in the day to enjoy yourself. Absolutely perfect weather for camping. Absolutely perfect weather. Period.


We had originally planned to go with some friends, but it did not work out for them. We packed the car with the camping gear we got as wedding presents and headed over to Arkansas to enjoy a weekend getaway, just the two of us. We got there around 4pm on Friday afternoon and were greeted by a slew of Pickin & Grinnin Seniors. We were not aware we had chosen the mobile retirement home park of the south. We had.


We got all settled in – cooked, played rummy, yadda, yadda – you know, the usual. Except, I forgot to put the food basket in the car at the end of the night. So, what happens when you are nestled back in the woods away from the pickers and grinners and you leave your food out? (See below)


Notice anything missing from my s’mores pack? Yeah, the chocolate! What kind of raccoons take just the chocolate? Seriously? They must not have known who they were messing with. Seriously.

Also missing but not pictured: bread (all but two pieces), wheat thins, and the best chips in the world.


Jacob and I took inventory, cooked breakfast and then decided to explore a little. This park had some decent trails that we wanted to get in before lunch. Hence, the tears.


Sometimes I feel so out of shape that I could cry, but the tears were not ours. We walked the longest preserved portion of the original Trail of Tears. It was amazing. We thoroughly enjoyed being surrounded by nature and checking out all of the cool little things the “woods” have to offer. Mostly this included mushrooms and spider webs. We are dorks. We do not care. We have fun being dorks together.
















After our excursion in the woods, we drove down into town to replace what the raccoons had taken or left contaminated. Lunch was nothing special, but dinner, oh my goodness. Let me just tell you, if you have never had wings marinated for a full day and cooked over an open fire, or a burger with onion soup mix in it cooked over an open fire, then go do it. Both are SO good!

Then, then, came the s’mores. Also known as the best s’mores I have ever eaten. Not sure what did it for me, but they really were the absolute best ones I have ever had the pleasure of savoring.

We topped the weekend together off by making it to church just in time and then relaxing on this rainy Sunday. Have I mentioned I love our little life?

Finances Teacherized

My dad would be so proud. Just a few months before he passed away, he left his staunchy office job and partnered with another accountant to start a new CPA firm. His firm almost immediately became an Endorsed Local Provider for Dave Ramsey. My dad prescribed to Dave's (we may as well be on a first name basis) guidelines and strict financial advice. My dad even paid for me to go to one of Dave's big seminars several years ago when it rolled through town. I paid full attention, took notes, and wanted to start saving for my emergency fund. (Jacob was no where near being in the picture at that point.)

Well, we are about to complete our first month working with Dave Ramsey's envelope system from the old Financial Peace University. Jacob figured out our budget and I took it from there. I went and got the cash necessary to be set for the month. Instead of buying the envelope system wallet that is available, I got a streak of teacher creativity.

Above are the envelopes I carry on a daily basis.

I just got some regular ole envelopes that were tucked away in a drawer. Added some leftover scrapbook sticker letters I had tucked in another drawer (hence the funky labels on each envelopes), and then had them laminated using a gift card to Knowledge Tree a former student gave me.



About a week into the process, I went back and added this little piece of velcro. Necessary for all file folder game pieces holders and cash envelopes, in my opinion. These are things I learned in college - okay and may a few other things.

I also learned that you can write on anything that is laminated with a Sharpie. Yes, I know they are permanent.....I smelled, I mean, I uuussseeddd them a lot in college. Anyway, they also taught me that if you combine the high fumes of a Sharpie with the overwhelming fumes of Nail Polisher Remover, then you will be in total bliss and have not a clue what is going on in your classroom. Okay, not really but the nail polish remover will "erase" the permanent maker. (Not so tough and permanent now are you, Mr. Sharpie?) See?



Now, they are all ready for next month. Works for us - and hopefully we will be debt free in about 2 years. I am proud of our good start. We couldn't have done it without you Daddy.

What I do best.

teaching 5th grade class
Hope Christian Academy, Ghana West Africa
March 2006

Okay, maybe it's not exactly what I do best, but I am pretty stinkin good at it and I had to try to convince some people of that today. Teaching, that is.

I began this blog this past Spring whilst I was student teaching. I spent most of the summer as a regular teacher would except I was taking Praxis exams and getting as far with the application processes as I could. The blog and the projects that appeared here (and many others) were my way of staying busy in the mean time. Well, the mean time is over.

Small group reading instruction (with half the group paying attention)
Student teaching - 2nd grade, Spring 2009


Now, my license should be in the mail any day, I have been subbing this past week, and I just completed one of two interviews scheduled for this week. A classroom is where I really shine if you want to know the honest truth. I feel at home there, I enjoy the children, I enjoy education. It is my calling and my mission. It wears me out and I love that about it. It is fun.

I forget that sometimes when I spend too much time blogging or squirting out what little creative juices I have around the walls and furniture of our house. Today, I would rather be in a classroom with 24 stinky little bodies that just enjoyed the beautiful weather we had. Today, I would rather be called my name and still not recognize who is being addressed (even though I have been married for 18 months now, I still do not know my own name)! Today, I would rather pretend that I know all there is to know about regrouping, proper nouns, or what exactly are the differences between a spider and an insect when I just found out all of that stuff last night! Today, I want to be a teacher again.


So, move over Elvis, I'm about to hit the stage and rock this hood! Er, as soon as they let me and with a little less hip shaking cause that might not be so good for the kids or me. Ha!

See. Spot. Save. Craft.

See. Target has always been one of my favorite stores - if not my favorite. I know the layout of each Target in the area. I know where every clearance endcap is and that is usually what I end up shopping. But one of my favorite things that Target has incorporated in recent years is the Dollar Spot right behind the carts as you enter the store. Sometimes I find some good stuff and sometimes I don't. But I always look. Don't you just love that section?

Spot. Well, I just wracked up on some great fall items and knew exactly what I wanted to make with them. They had these sticky-back chipboard letters (orange and sparkly), fall scrapbook paper, and small Halloween scrapbook paper.

Save. So for only $4, I had all I needed to make some cute bunting banners. I knew I had some black cardstock, some brown craft paper, and some jute twine somewhere in the house. (With and 1100 sq.ft. house you can't really have one of those fancy, shmancy craft rooms)

Craft. So easy and so quick. I made one for Halloween and got a jump on things and made one for Thanksgiving too.

sorry for the blurry pics

I treat the area below as if it were a mantle. The Halloween stuff will begin its yearly showcase next weekend, so the spooky banner will be coming down for a few days. I just think it is a fun little addition and SO easy and cheap. Plus, I have lots of leftovers to make other decorations and maybe even some invitations for a par-tay!

do you see Sydney right there in the corner?

Well, Happy Fall and Happy Decorating. I am linking up to the DIY party over at A Soft Place to Land.