if the bath bombs don't kill ya, the scrub bars might!

bath bombs! i know. i'd gotten a couple at lush, and i really like them-not gonna' lie. i don't usually take baths (don't worry, i shower), but when i do...it's because i have a bath bomb to use. so, as with everything, if you google it, you can make it. now that i had most of the ingredients, i finally found a youtube video with a lady showing exactly where she got her citric acid in a pinch (the whole i-don't-want-to-wait-for-amazon culture). so i went to walmart and in the canning section, there it was. when i got home, i set to work...and by work, i mean i mixed a couple of things together, then i mixed a few other things and combined them...gave them the waiting period and voila! homemade bath bombs! color. i need to work on the color-i think i will have to purchase the dye.

not sure if the half bomb is enough, but it was easier...

and as you can see some of them have been shrink wrapped, as i may or may not have access at home to a roll of shrink wrap, the sealer, and the heat...thanks to stationery adventures...i spent money a long time ago on this set-up and surprisingly, i've found lots of things to shrink-wrap...in fact, sometimes just for kicks, when i have it out, i'll just shrink wrap paperclips, or pennies, or whatever small thing is lying around #toomuchtimeonmyhands #easilydistractedandamused

then i got everything around and ready to go because i knew that ginger was coming to pick me up in the afternoon. i was ready to go to cleburne! woohoo. i enjoyed the driving, and being able to get to know ginger. she is so easy-going and i loved hearing about her family! kankuk kids, and i was so tickled (i don't often get to use that phrase) when i found out that her daughter is working for klife of north dallas-i only have positive experiences with klife! go girl! anyhoo, google maps took us in a round about way to arrive, but we arrived, checked in, grabbed some dinner and stopped into walmart for the $1 earbuds, as the dolla-make-ya-holla store was closed for the evening. i highly recommend the dollar store over the walmart earbuds, as they fit the ear better. walmart earbuds are like shoving a mentos candy in your ear, whereas the dollar store earbuds are more akin to a gummy bear (unsucked..not that i would know about either of these things). when we got back to the hotel, we were able to go over the power point, and i got to see the handouts that we were going to be using. so i was informed and ready to be of assistance, as need be. somehow i keep getting the handicapped rooms. i guess i'm okay with that because it's like having a dance hall in my entry, and being the avid break-dancer that i am...plus, when i get to winded, i can sit to straighten my hair and wash my face...

it was really a great group to be working with-mostly instructional coaches and lab teachers-they would be the accountability and influencers of the teachers using the program-they were highly engaged, and excited to understand the program better; they seemed quite ready to go back to their campuses to get going. and we had a good trip home afterward-minus the traffic, but once you hit the traffic, you start to get that feeling of being home-

did i mention (no) that when i decided to make the bath bombs, i may or may not have also looked up the massage/scrub bars, because i really do like these things! i'm here to let you know that shea butter and cocoa butter are NOT the same as shea butter CREAM and cocoa butter CREAM. nope. and guess who figured this out after putting them in the pot to 'melt' them...i mean it should've been a hint when the instructions said that it would take awhile for the cocoa butter oils to melt, as it is harder. it was messy. and now i have a half jar of each to give away to friends with dry skin who use lots of lotion. (i threw my concoction out.. #massagebarfail) and then i did a little research and had to go to amazon. even so, when i had my redo, they seem still a little too oily...being single, my mind goes straight to liz lemmon (30 rock) and death by slipping in tub headliner... gonna' be working on that recipe.

bring on friday afternoon-one of my friends was in town, en route to oklahoma, so a group was meeting up at top golf (i'm a first timer), so i didn't swing immediately, as it was more satisfying to spend time catching up with leah, nika and ally-they are the locals (minus leah, who was in from washington), but i've seen shea more in the past year than the locals, and she lives in florida! what gives?! but seriously-good times-love this crew! some key players were missing, but you take what you can get while you can! nika and leah had to go pick up lo from the airport and head on to OK, so we stayed behind, i ruined nika's last few round scores (i can barely putt-putt, give me a break! shank!)..i did better when we went to the batting cages #redemption. and all too soon, it was over. shea and ally were going to sprinkles, but i am proud of myself, i refrained. now, had they been going to nothing-bundt-cakes, i might've caved (those things..).

more of this, please!

and then it was on, the race to get ready to take the boys up to MO to see mom and dad-extended vacation for the boys! mom agreed to take them on for a couple weeks, as it was looking pretty busy. on the way up, i saw a new quicktrip on the way through ok, so i stopped, did my business, and then let the boys out to walk around and stretch their legs (their tiny little legs). there was a welcome center right next to the station, which they are working on, building a pavilion, picnic tables, etc. i was approached by two older ladies who began talking about all the future plans, and creating a little dog-run, etc. yep, they sucked me into their conversation and held on like pitbulls...note to self-don't offer additional information that can be construed as "yes, i'd love to sit and talk with you for a year" i mean...everything. the lady told me all about her being a volunteer at a school and helping with the reading program and about the teacher not wanting her to tell the kids to read without tracking with their fingers...about her giving her husband a hard time, and the teacher thinking she was rude because she didn't know they were married...yep, we're friends now. nope, just kidding. but i AM including a photo of the place in case anyone out there just wants to strike up conversation and take an extended break while travelling through eastern ok. she said she is there most of the time!

oh, and just a fun little extra, i want you all to know that the babies in oklahoma are pro-police:

blue lives matter-that is what the blue strap means, right?

i really do enjoy being at mom and dad's, and i know the boys do too. we didn't do a lot on saturday-just hung out at the house, watched some wheel, relaxed. then on sunday, we went to church, and then lunch afterward. there is this mexican restaurant that they enjoy going to, so we met up with pastor and his wife, and their daughter and husband, and another gentleman who was visiting the church for the first time. the boys talked down at their end, and we held conversation at ours- i keep getting fajitas whenever we go there, but i've never been really impressed. the taste just isn't there-rather bland. but the portions-woah! plenty where that came from! after sharing a fajita platter with mom, we barely made a dent, so we took almost a full to-go box home. crazy! and as we were leaving, they invited us over for games that night.

torn. i enjoy games, but i don't really know them... so just go and enjoy it. suck it up. so i went and was pleased to play banangrams (which if you recall is one of our favorites from UIL). so that was fun, and then after several rounds, we switched it up and played a round of yahtzee-first time i've played since grade school...and then UNO. so it was a full game night. we've been throwing around the option of having a game night sometime back here in dallas.

the following morning, i was to be getting up early to travel back to tx. note to self-don't stop at the info. station, park on the opposite side of quick trip and sneak in and out. mission-stealth, accomplished and on my way! it would've been the perfect trip, had there been no other drivers on the road! i may or may not have a heavy foot...even with flip flops on. i just can't help it. i rely heavily on my radar detector. i let this flaw slide, because i mean..it's not really addressed in the bible per se...c'mon, they had chariots..and carts..so yeah..i made good time and arrived home to prepare for the epic adventure to utah!

never been to utah, didn't know what to expect, or where exactly we'd be, but i knew i was going to enjoy it and i'd been looking forward to working with jane shields since we met at the summer convention-a wealth of knowledge-and humor to boot. more about that to come.

julie

love affair...i'm sure i'll get over it...maybe if there weren't thousands of recipes

and yet another week has managed to slip away...already we are entering our 2nd 6 weeks of school. strange, as i have still not been able to settle into any semblance of a routine. that is not good for me. i'm like a kindergartner-routine can be a good thing.

i mentioned in my previous post that my nutribullet RX came last week-and already i have been putting it to use. made the usual shake-enough for two, so i could have some for lunch...and then i made a tomato soup on saturday. that is a minor mystery-miracle. i don't even like tomato soup. in fact, when mom used to make it for us, i'd skip the soup and just eat the grilled cheese sandwich. well...now i'm skipping the grilled cheese sandwich and eating the soup! it was SO good! that i ate a little...then i ate a little more..and then i was craving it for dinner...and i may or may not have had the last of it today for lunch. yikes..i know. and so i decided to try making a hot pumpkin spice latte drink...only i fear i did it wrong, because when i wasn't watching, the liquid started coming out, and when i came around the corner (because something in my gut said jrob, you better just check it out, being the first try and all...)...when i saw pumpkin coffee-stuff oozing out of different parts of the machine, and puddling on the counter, a little on the wall, i quickly unplugged and tried desperately to salvage what i could because i really wanted to taste it! so i had this dilemma of: SAVE THE DRINK vs SAVE THE MACHINE-dry it out! i know it's not supposed to be submerged, so i'm fairly certain it isn't supposed to be self-deluged either...good thing i got the 3 year warranty...

that said, i was able to save about a cup-worth...but it needs some tweaking. i wasn't thoroughly impressed.

this morning i was hopeful that when i plugged her back in, she'd work like a charm...and she didn't disappoint!! (must come up with a name for her). so...today i decided to try a couple of different things. this week i decided to revert back to fish tacos, so i made my avocado/roasted pepper sauce for the coleslaw....yum. and then i decided i should try another drink-this time a cool drink, so i had a caramel cooler-that recipe is a keeper! it fixed the rumbly in my tumbly. and now all i can think about is what to make next...is this what a love-affair feels like? surely this cannot be healthy..even though technically everything i am making is healthy...

it's amazing to me how those little blades can extract all of those goodies and make the smoothest drink ever! even more so than my ninja (which i thought was pretty amazing-looking somewhat like edward scissorhands). if all other weapons are not accessible, turn on the nutribullet and try to get the villain to come closer and stick his hand in...ok, so not that practical as a weapon.

yum! papaya, mango, pineapple, raspberry, greens...i pulled some russian kale and pumpkin leaves to try them...it was a little nutty. (not like nut-house-crazy, more like a nut-flavor); perhaps it's an acquired taste.

the comforting tomato basil...and i added a few of my own ingredients (turmeric and nutritional yeast for a cheesy-flavor)

 a few weeks ago, i decided that i liked an idea on fb, so i thought it would be a good exercise to start collecting some of the things that make me happy and filling up a jar. after i got a couple in a jar, i realized that they only put that picture on fb because it looked cute. if you're putting in a 'happy' every day, they would never fit in that little jar (unless you were a fairy and wrote with the tip of a baby safety pin on a 16th of a square of toilet paper and wadded it up and then put it in the jar). so i found this old cereal container-and since i don't do cereal, it is working out perfectly. i just have to remind myself, and sometimes i forget, so i do double duty-triple duty ok, sometimes i just don't even limit myself, and i write several.. #doesntplaybytherules so yes, i may have more than 365 by the end of the year-and i've only been doing it for a few weeks-WHATEVER!! don't judge! there are just so many things that make me happy! deal wit it!

 one thing that made me sad was when i got into my car the other day and my trusty escort did not turn on. i've had my little radar buddy for a good 6 years now. it was a sad day. so i brought it inside, and i haven't had time to look at it. i don't know if it might just be the cord, or if it is the radar itself. either way, it is a necessity, so i will have to go into the shop (hopefully it's still there!).

i don't think even mcgeyver can help with this one. sad day. 

i love it that we are working with social/emotional learning at school this year! our second graders are learning about their brains, and this week, i believe this class is going to be looking at some tools to help students, like breathing and the glitter ball to calm their little brains.

i am thoroughly excited to be going up to branson to visit and play for my long weekend-bmayes will be joining me after work! woo hoo!! i'll get to see mom and dad in their new place (maybe help with a little unpacking?) and then head down to b-town. yay! one of our friends is getting married-but it's not until 4:00 pm on sunday-i have to work monday, so i don't know that i will get to attend the wedding as originally planned (i didn't realize the wedding was so late in the weekend). and i have a feeling that after playing all weekend, i won't do well driving late into the night. but at least i will get out of dallas for a bit, see the autumn leaves-good times! the boys will be staying with joanne, and they seem excited about it! bruno was happy about not riding in his car seat for so long, especially as we will probably be making the trip for Christmas.

today, we actually got to share our walk with joanne and fudge, they all walked really well! it was nice to actually have a chance to talk to joanne, because we've seen each other at a couple of PL things in the haskell building, but each time, there has been something going on, making it impossible to actually catch up! boo. so it was good to catch up today-we have certainly missed having her at cabell, but i am excited that she is enjoying what she does in her new position!

i've spent most of my weekend working on curriculum maps, because although we worked on them last week, the materials that the district has made available to us are better than the curriculum we have at hand. especially after going to the training and asking our teachers to go to the training...i felt like this should be something they have at hand. i still have one more grade level to work on, but hopefully it will be helpful-

and with that, i think i will call it an evening! (and yes, breakfast shake with the RX!)
julie

anagrams, target goodies and a wonderful weekend!

it's so nice to have summer school over and done with! i'll miss it. BA HAHAHA! i made a funny...i won't miss it at all! (certain people, but not the rest!) on friday, we had fun and games day, and one of the math teachers was trying to figure out an anagram, so he gave me one to try it. he ended up looking up the answer, but not me! and i wouldn't take any hints either. i was finally able to figure it out

i attribute it to the cross anagram at k wet-thank you kanakuk!

 and the kids had a chance to draw and finish books.

this is a portrait by a third grader...apparently he sees me as an amputee with scraggly hair...but he got the eye color right.

i came home and had to run over to target, where i found some really cool buys (only i didn't buy them...trying not to do impulse buys)

i absolutely fell in love with this clock-quirky like me

and since our doors do not have kick stands, i thought this would be a classy little door stop!

last, but not least, God save the queen-solar powered...she waves! it would be even funnier if she tooted once in awhile.

then i saw this little button in the parking lot. he looked very distressed about being stuck on the sweltering blacktop!

the boys and i packed up on saturday and took off for the wedding! woo hoo!

bruno just chilling out in his car seat

we got to stay with bmayes because her roommate was out of town, the boys were thrilled that they were getting to hang out with reagan and thatcher again. they did fairly well. it was good for me just to have intelligent conversation-thanks brittany!

when we got to the wedding, we were walking in about 5 minutes early, and someone in front of me was fixing her shoe; mother/daughter. she turned around and there was a look of recognition-"jrob!" it was mrs. higgins and sally! sally had just rolled in from kamp. good times! it was a beautiful ceremony for an amazing couple!

this is their save-the-date pic, they are perfect for each other!

not gonna lie, i teared up a bit when lauren walked down the aisle with her brothers on either side. wow. their mother passed away when they were young, and their father passed away just a few years ago, so it was rather emotional! her sister, katie was the maid of honor and is also a dear friend and she and lindsay(one of the other bridesmaids/k2 friend) are quite possibly two of the funniest people i know! the reception was beautiful as well, and there was dancing! in fact one of the most prominent dancers was a little 7 yr old (i am guesstimating...i did not ask her age) this little gal would get right out into the middle of any group she could and pull out her moves-all night long! non-stop. i'm certain she slept like a rock!

the sparklers to see them off were beautiful and bmayes and i wanted to keep an extra, but this older guy came by and took them away from us. rude.

when we got back to the house, the pups were all ready to come out from behind the gate! i was exhausted (because i am a little sick-the sinus stuff really hit me hard!) the bed is super high, so i had to rig up a little stepping method-bruno caught on quickly, but chaco did not. i tried not to get up to go to the bathroom too many times for toilet paper (drainage), because chaco was a mess whenever i got up. he just wanted to get out the door and play with the other pups. all. night. long. he had a quiet whine. then i would pick him up and get him to lay for a little while before he was up again. it was ridiculous. i don't think he slept at all...hence, i really didn't get much shut-eye either!

when i finally couldn't keep them still any longer, we got up. some chloraseptic and green tea and cool enough weather outside was just what i needed to start the day! it was fun to watch chaco and thatcher pouncing around! then we went for breakfast at jimmy's egg.

not my most photogenic pic, but the point is, jimmy's has their own syrup labels...i wonder if they just buy someone else's syrup and keep refilling the bottle with cheap syrup.

when we walked in, i looked around and commented that it kinda' resembled a denny's...bmayes told me later that it actually was a denny's that no one really frequented, but it had been changed into jimmy's egg. the waitress was great and she looked down and asked bmayes if those were chacos she had on and of course we were both wearing ours; she said her daughter was a counselor at a camp and had gotten some chacos and vibrams, blah, blah, blah-she has good taste. i made sure to leave her a good tip (a. because it was breakfast, and i think breakfast servers deserve bigger tips because they are busier and the prices are usually lower than other meals, so % isn't fair...and b. because if she's having to help pay for her daughter's shoes, she's gonna need it!) 


brittany had tweeted that we were there, and a friend of hers suggested two different plates after we'd finished eating, and lo and behold each of us had ordered one of them! great palates have great taste...?

then we came home, and i am so glad that i have a radar detector because there were quite a few popo out there! (i had a hard time writing that, and i'm even having a more difficult time leaving it there! not the part about driving quickly, the part about writing 'popo') anyhoo, when we slowed down and pulled into the apt complex, the boys were ready to be home. i know they had fun, but they knew where they were!

we're home! we're home!

what a weekend!
julie