Sunday, February 9, 2014

cabbage and collar makeover


well, this post will make much more sense if you read my previous post about the 'cutest cabbage in the world.' so...i couldn't help it. i defaced faced(?) the cabbage.
i just couldn't help it.the only thing missing is the yarn hair.

another thing that happened this week was the snow and ice. no snow-days, but there was one day when microscopic snowballs were falling, and when i went out to look at them, the sound was so unique and i couldn't help but think about which type of animal could come out and have a snowball fight with these little bitty, ready-made snowballs...maybe a  thailand bumblebee bat? the only problem is that bats don't really have hands, and it might be difficult to throw snowballs with their wings...or legs...
look at these tiny snowballs-they were just plinking down and bouncing- kinda look like they belong on a barbie and ken dollhouse set..
anyhoo, like i said, no days off. but we did get to leave right after school to avoid bad roads-which was great because i had to stop by the post office, and target...and i had to beat the fed ex man to my place, because if not, i would get all the way up to the third floor just to realize that he took my parcel down to the office. no worries, i beat him.

i have been to the post office more in the past month than usual. i may have spent over $50 on cards at target the other day (they always run out of the good cards before i can go back and get them, so i stocked up!).

ok, now for the parcel...i have been wanting to get a yellow 'nervous' collar for chaco ever since my mom post an article on my fb wall (READ IT HERE). so i finally found one on amazon-i had looked previously, but the movement seemed to be more well known in europe, so all of the collars were being sold in euros...well, i found one the other day for dollas! so i purchased it even though it didn't say what size it was (it looked like it was adjustable, so i figured-surely it will adjust to fit chaco). well...
ma, it fits!
 that was with it at it's biggest, so i then tightened it to the smallest possible setting:
i'm pretty sure that the metal rings, thick plastic and the collar itself might weigh half as much as he does...
 so, we improvised and attached it to one of his harnesses, and went for a walk. i will be working on a more convenient way to attach it
we need to work on this because he said the caribiner was a little awkward-yes, he said caribiner (it's never too early to teach them tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary, folks)
 when we got back to the apt, bruno tried it on, and it kinda' fit...

only it feels like a neck brace.
after we finished playing with the collar, i decided i should probably start working on the boxtops...so i spent a good portion of my friday night and saturday cutting and counting boxtops. i was really hoping that having the fifth grade students in my champps group, they would be able to pull a bulk of the load. apparently not. there just isn't enough time to keep up with the demand, so i am still doing most of the work. hate. it. (but it's money for the school).


Tuesday, February 4, 2014

umm..cutest cabbage in the world? i think: YES.

i don't usually admire or fawn over fruits and vegetables. but c'mon, is this not just the cutest little cabbage you've ever laid eyes on? i showed it to the boys and bruno rolled his eyes and said (unimpressed), "sure. almost as cute as those rats with the mini teddy bears." chaco merely lifted an eyebrow and said, "no comment....but it's really not all that." i used that as a teachable moment to explain to him that once he said no comment, he forfeited his right to continue commenting.
i had to hide it in my office so no one would thieve it...you know what they say about teachers: beg, borrow and steal.
so, is it wrong that i kinda want to cryogenically freeze it? i mean, this little guy is so small, he could almost be adopted by a couple of brussel sprouts and fit right in...i wonder if i could draw up adoption papers on legal zoom just for kicks...(why do we say just for kicks? kicking isn't funny...i suppose it could be funny depending on the person doing the kicking, and the type of kick...karate, rockette-style, field goal...i can think of some people that might look funny doing any one of those).

yeah, so when i was making that salad last night, i couldn't cut this one open! the salad was a hit, so if you're interested, here's the link.

and i don't know why i just looked this up, but i was curious to see if there were any songs out there about cabbage...well, as a matter of fact, there is. but you may choose not to watch it unless it's really late and you are delirious...or you've had a glass of wine...you may not be as amused as i was-i may or may not have watched the entire minute and a half (a minute and a half of my life i will never get back)..

tomorrow a vast majority of our students and teachers will be going to the symphony. i LOVE the symphony (but let's just be honest, i love it more without being responsible for students!) so in honor of the symphony, i will be playing classical music whenever possible tomorrow!! (and when it's not playing, i will be thinking it).

keep practicing those kicks-
jules


Monday, February 3, 2014

squeaky cabbages that really wanted to be cabbage patch kids, but didn't make the cut

this week has been a crazy-fast week. yesterday i went to a training workshop and i found it very interesting! i wish my students were at this point. anyhoo, while at the workshop, i had to use the restroom during a break. in order to avoid the traffic and all of the tables in the room, i found a door in the back partition-wall and it opened into the grand ballroom (which was dark). fortunately the door to the right was open and light was shining through (now i know what those bugs feel like out in the dark night, flying toward the zapper).

when i got to that door, about 50 ft. away, there was a long line out the women's restroom door... thought 1. go to the men's restroom, b/c there are hardly any men at the conference (not a good plan-pass) 2. go straight back across the ballroom to the door on the opposite side, because surely there is a bathroom there, mirroring the set-up (shouldn't things be symmetrical? i submit that they should) there was a service hallway with no restroom.

so...back into the dark ballroom. i looked across to the far side of the ballroom and saw more doors, and slowly made my way toward them, fortunately i saw the dark shadow of the stage and was quick enough to realize that there were stairs before i tripped over them. with my eyes on the doors, i was able to make it without tripping over anything..note to self: bring night vision goggles to the next training or workshop...

i almost fell on my knees and praised God when i opened the door to find a vacant "family bathroom." YES! (had i not drank my half gallon of h20, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but hindsight is 20/20)

later that night when i had gotten home, i was getting in bed and i felt crumbs on my sheets...that was strange, as i never eat in the bedroom. hmm. that leaves the boys. bruno doesn't get up on the bed as much, but i KNOW chaco burrows into the sheets. so i said to him, "i've told you not to eat cookies in bed." to which he replied (in an english accent, mind you) "but motha, they weren't cookies...they were fig newtons!" ummm...NO. i'm here to tell you that there are no fig newtons in my home--to be clear, i am pretty certain he took his milkbone into the room to try to get it out of the kong toy. jerk. 
this is the one...seriously? fig newtons?

that's pretty much the worst. being ready to go to bed and having to change the sheets...boo.
- - - - - - - - -
oops...a few days later
- - - - - - - -

so the cabbages have been on my mind, i was worried that the weather had foiled our plans. i kept noticing them when i'd walk by the window going toward the art room. so today, after an after-school meeting, i went out and harvested the cabbage and the broccoli. as i was coming upstairs to the apt, the cabbages were squeaking. who knew that cabbages were squeaky?? so, they weren't huge, but they were enough to make some cabbage salad-so i looked up a random, un-tried recipe....and i'll be honest, once i tried it, i was pleasantly surprised; i'll take it to school tomorrow, and i'm sure there will be takers...it's teachers we're talking about here.

the cabbages were really cute. i totally understand why they called those baby-dolls of long ago cabbage-patch dolls. i kinda wanted to put a diaper on one, make some yarn hair and draw a face in sharpie. no worries, i didn't..but i wanted to. but i DIDN'T- i PROMISE!
 
not bad...for a bunch of greens-heroes. they made it through the frosts and freezes..i love hearty veggies!

 and in closing, i found some sweet-tarts and thought i was eating pac-man ghosts! wocka-wocka-wocka...
 then i took a closer look and realized that it was actually the big guy from monsters inc!
but as it were, being famous wasn't enough to save them, i ate every single one...ok...calm down, there were only 4.

one more monday down...18 more to go!
 jrob