move over, andy warhol...i got this stamping thing down!

it's first friday! (we have tomorrow off) i am excited to watch the fireworks tonight! i was seriously considering going down to kaboom...? but i hate to be uncomfortable-and it's still pretty hot out, so i think i will be watching it from my apt tonight with the lights out and we'll pretend we're there. smile.

it was a great day at school today because our art person showed us a great trick with foam rubber and i was able to make a really cool thing that i can throw in with a letter for a friend of mine who is far too far away! hopefully being in florida and having fun, she won't have time to read the blog, because it would be more fun to just get it in the mail...ou colors...not so much the black, but i needed the black to show the white...besides the black is pirate-ou colors...

i am the next andy warhol...only not for real and only for friends!

very inexpensive-i could certainly do something like this in my class for my students during the year! so much better than trash sculptures that i am expected to paint.

i'm excited for the fireworks, and i'm trying to decide exactly what tomorrow might entail. i think i may just opt for a relaxing day of revolutionary documentaries about independence day. that's probably the most relaxing thing i could do...i might have to get netflix.

last night i had woken up, but i was still half asleep, and trying to go back to sleep. i reached out and there was bruno, so i pet him for awhile, which was strange, because usually he gets up and moves if i pet him for too long. i realized that he wasn't moving at all....

i was petting my pillow. good thing IT didn't get up and move.

opted against sparklers for the boys...but i might pull out the pop-confetti...
julie

the fourth is coming! the fourth is coming!

well, today was a filming and observation day. it went by fairly quickly and as one of my coworkers said, it's like a thursday since we have the 4th off. smile.

i took extra lunch today so that my friend could try something new-the chili is a little spicy...i mean it clears out the sinuses. and don't tell kay, but i didn't even put all of the chilies in that the recipe called for-i substituted in bell peppers for the canned diced jalapenos that were supposed to be in there...then i made her try a fig,date,cherry,pecan,almond bar. once again, there was a hesitation because of the consistency, but once she got around that, she finished it off. (it has a great taste!) all sorts of firsts this summer.

i left her with the chili, and when i came back, it was completely gone. she said she enjoyed it so much she actually drank the rest of the soup from the bottom of the dish...(kay, if you dumped it down the sink because it was too much, my feelings wouldn't be hurt, so be honest!) actually, i believe her because she had just cleared out her sinuses right before i walked in. tomorrow we try something new.

on the way home today, the person in front of me was using hand signals, so i thought maybe their signal lights were bad. but the brake lights were working...then after a few more turns, he starts to use the blinker. boy was he lucky i had learned my hand signals early as a childhood biker! i think it was back in brodhead, and as i recall we had bike issues. sometimes they'd get stolen. we always registered them down in the basement of the police station with officer tulia (i think that was her name-i vaguely recall, but she used to come to our school and do safety stuff, and when we moved to costa rica, we gave her our cat because she lived on a farm and said they would take her).

and remember how i was talking about the bird i thought might be a mocking bird yesterday? there were also a couple of other birds watching him be a jerk (i hope they find the water, although if they don't, i was walking down the stairs this morning hearing the fountain in the pond out back thinking i could put up a bird sign pointing them around to the back of the building...oh, the competition.) not that i would know, but i think the other two birds might have been turtle doves (there were two of them, just like the song says) i mean, i did get a bird-watcher patch in brownies for going on a bird-watching trip...and i had this cool little green book with pictures of all sorts of birds- i loved the oriole for the brilliant color!

when i got home, i let the boys out and then ran to the store and when i got home, they were waiting for me...

are they pathetic or what?!

 so i told them to go get ready for their 4th of july pic, because i found props!

they do so well when there are treats involved...they've got the sit and stay! so photogenic!

bruno said, "i'm thomas jefferson!" and chaco laughed and said, "fine, i'll be john adams...where's the wig and fake teeth?" they love watching the documentaries with me, i'm so proud that they pay attention!

my boys are patriots,
julie

beautiful day, water bowl out...hopefully they can read!

what a beautiful day today was! went for another early walk and it was a cool 82'! beautiful and slightly overcast!

there was even a slight breeze

see that little bird on the rooftop there? pretty sure it was a mocking bird. he was dive bombing and following us across the parking lot! jerk-he is not allowed at my watering bowl.

i saw a post on a friend's fb wall about leaving out a water bowl for animals in need-ie birds. well, being on the 3rd floor, i rigged up a little bowl for birds:

we'll see if they find it or not...i may have to change it often because i'm not sure how fond birds are of simmering water...

actually due to the weather being so beautiful, i decided to fire up the mini grill and grill up some steak, portabella mushrooms and asparagus. yum-o.

thanks to gigi, i had these wonderful tongs to use-Christmas gift!

oops!

the mushrooms and the asparagus were phenomenal, but i think the steak was in the refrigerator a little too long...so i didn't eat eat-no time for food poisoning!

it was really good. bruno lay by the door and watched the entire thing.

then i got the boys thinking toys together with some of their dog food and some treats inside. bruno was great with his and eating both the food and the treats. but chaco, on the other hand...

sniffed every piece and left all of the kibble, going only for the treats...

leaving a trail behind

so, when bruno was finished with his toy, he came over and cleaned up after chacs.

then just a bit ago, i had to go to the office to send off a fax. stupid benefits office sent a certified letter stating ONCE AGAIN that they had not received the doctor information and were not going to process my fmla. well....i sent a nasty little message in the comments about how this was the 3rd time i was sending out this fax and that i even called them one time after the dr office faxed it and they said it was too soon to know if they had received it. what?? why couldn't someone get up of their bum and check the fax machine?? so i asked them to email or call me as soon as they received this fax, because i did not want to have to hand deliver it. what do you think they would do if i re-faxed it about 10 more times from different places just as a precaution...

i am also receiving the books i ordered off amazon...i know...kids books, but i was up until midnight reading book 5 of 39 clues, and it was the first thing i picked up this morning when i woke up...i am waiting for the others now. well written series!

full of adventure, geography and history!

oh, and chaco asked me to give him a haircut today, so we did a machete trim...he looks great with his short chop! his coat was starting to get long and it was bouncy when we'd go for walks and i told him it was making him look fat. he didn't think that was funny-that was when he asked for a trim.

julie

green secrets and harness amplification

last night when i went to bed, i found one of the hidden rawhide chews..under my cover...oh, silly chaco.

they woke me up early today, so we went for a walk because it was like 80' out. we walked by the dog park because big dog was in there, and when we got up toward the playground, we saw children running over toward the sidewalk, where there was another walker with a boxer. bruno looked up and said, "can we please cut across the lawn?" so we did to avoid the children. and we went through a breezeway toward the ponds and around the office, and by the time we got up toward the office, the boxer and his lady was already up there. the boxer was showing interest in the boys and so she had him sit, then as we walked by, he couldn't control himself and he lunged forward to play, but of course it scared the boys because they didn't know big, scary, so we kept going and the boxer was dragging his lady-she had very little control-he was obviously stronger than she was. so  we walked as fast as we could until we were out of reach.

one of my friend wasn't sure what kale was, so i thought i would take a pic because it's so good for you and i hear it's fairly easy to grow your own...hearty kale!

looks like many other greens-

let me quickly outline the benefits of kale for those who are not familiar:high concentrations of antioxidants-cartenoids and flavanoids-proven to aid in prevention of bladder, breas, colon, ovary and prostate cancers...also contains a wide variety of vitamins and minerals that boost cardiovascular health and detoxify the system. the longer it sits, the more bitter it becomes..smaller leaves will be milder and more tender.

swiss chard-(for visual, click here) significant amount of fiber and protein-helps regulate blood sugar levels after consumption. excellent source of vitamins c, e and k, beta-carotene, and manganese. offers a load of antioxidants.

flax seeds-nutty, crunchy, king of Omega-3 fatty acid, offer healthy dose of fiber and contain organic compounds that help lower cholesterol and strengthen bones.

chia seeds- mayan strength seed contains protein, carbs, fat and fiber, making it an ideal energy booster! high in omega3 and omega6 fatty acids, helping the body stabilize blood sugar and slow carb digestion. also a good source of iron, calcium and zinc.

sesame seeds-packed with nutrients. helps lower cholesterol, prevent high blood pressure, protects body against liver damage. great source of calcium(bone development, reduce risk of colon cancer), anti-inflamatory, arthritis fighting  copper!

the above information is from the nutriblast pocket nutritionist- i got it special with my magic bullet and i love it because it has a lot more information about fruits, other greens and other boost seeds and nuts.

 

today was relatively lazy..we may yet make a trip to petsmart to see about collars. we got a few things done. i was able to make some more green chicken chili (a recipe which i have shared with several-love it), i poached some chicken for later use in the week, and froze 2 breasts (chicken breasts of course)...

i also looked up those cabins i was thinking about staying in , when we go to our family reunion (the ones i mentioned yesterday...well, they would have been great-$35/night, up to 6 people, right there at the park! already reserved. boo. so i looked up some hotels and their ratings and found one that i think will serve our purposes...now to see if mom and dad can get a discount through their membership! i wish we didn't have a stupid training thing at the beginning of august, right in the middle of my plans. that sucks.

so we didn't find any collars that fit at petsmart, so we made our way back to pet plus, and found the matching collar! and the gal who helped us, when she saw what i was doing said, "that's brilliant!" well, i am an elementary school teacher for dallas isd, you learn how to get creative!

you can see where the collar and the harness are connected.

bruno is a little stubborn about getting in the car, then when he realized where we were going he was at ease

but sadly neither store had patriotic collars...what is wrong with this picture? i guess we will just have to find our collars online.

green dreams....

julie

fun friday and plans that are making me reminisce! lisa lisa and the cult jam...where did all the good music go?

oh fun friday! it was fun for me all day long knowing that classes were smaller and that the kids were going to be playing games in the afternoon- which they enjoyed...then their afternoon arts person came in and they have changed from drama to visual arts. they are a little bummed because they were playing and being crazies and now they have to sit and use their brains...

at lunch, i sat with my friend and worked on some quick healthy eating ideas. she kinda' wrinkled her nose when i mentioned avocado. that made me laugh because i used to feel the same way growing up (when we had the huge productive avocado tree and we gave away paper bagfuls of great, ripe avocados every year)... today for lunch i had made a quick guacamole dip with my homemade salsa, so i took it down for her to try and i could tell she really did not want to, but she was a sport and she knew i wouldn't do her wrong...she said, "ok, that is the first time i have tried guacamole, and it wasn't bad!" and she even took a second bite...ummm, i told her to imagine this on chicken breast...maybe she'll buy into it and give it a chance. smile.

today was a sticker day. i offered stickers to finish the assignment and it worked! that was easy...

tonight is another lord of the rings night. i just feel it. i learned that one of my coworker friends has the same taste in t.v. shows-very unique flavor...heroes, the cape, lost, once upon a time, grimm....crazy!

visiting bilbo baggins!

there are 3 rawhide chews out right now, but my youngest has gone and hidden 2 of them so that he can monopolize on the one that is visible. who IS he?

and i read something in the dallas board highlights about:• Accepted a donation from IBM valued at up to $36,399.86 to support the Kidsmart Program at William L. Cabell Elementary School.
wow! dr. hughes has been very instrumental in making friends with the right people at the right time! she has said that she is a really good beggar. i don't know exactly what the kidsmart program is, but i am really excited if it helps make our kids smart...hopefully it's kid smart and not kid's mart...know what i mean? ok, just kidding. because i was curious, i looked it up; go back and click on that link and you can find out more about it...lucky preK..get excited angela!

i started getting excited about next wednesday as i was driving home today!

thanks to the church on the corner for being patriotic!!

i must go to the pet store and see if there is any patriotic collars or not...that may be a custom order. i also need to get a collar that matches up with the harness that i just got because it is just a little too small for chaco, so i realized that all is not lost if i can find a matching collar it will hook in and be just the right size!

clearly, he loves it! it's the whole fire...i'm tough look.

i love it when the 15th falls on a sunday and we get paid on friday! i have a wedding to go to on the 14th! then i'll come back to dallas to finish physical therapy; i was planning on going up to see mom and dad that week, but i will have to wait. we will get to go up to iowa for a family reunion that i wasn't thinking i would be able to go to, but now i am very excited about seeing everyone! i am going to check on renting cabins at the state park- that way the boys could stay there in the air conditioning or come down and meet everyone for a bit. smile. we'll see...i will try to call tomorrow to see about reservations and such. mom has a big family-she is one of 10...so there are lots of cousins and babies i do not know any more...

when we were in 9th grade and my family was in iowa (on furlough), i was visiting and went to babysit with my cousin stacey..while we were in the front yard, people would drive by and one car the guys were staring and she yelled, "SHAKE YOUR HEAD, YOUR EYEBALLS ARE STUCK!"  and i thought that was pretty clever, so i held on to it and filed it away for later use. that was the year that lisa lisa and the cult jam was big and lost in emotion was a big hit! (so i may or may not have just played it and am still listening to it right now...great memories!)

alright, it is time to say goodnight and prepare for a simplistic weekend!
julie

magic leaves, magic bullet...stickers that are not FOXY

this morning i got up early to take the boys out for a walk and they loved it. we came across a floating leaf and i told them it was magic. "oh, like the magic bullet?" asked chaco. "no, the magic bullet wasn't very magical...we'll have to see about its replacement when it gets here." they were very impressed with the leaf, though.

and for the next couple of minutes chaco was singing from the police: every little thing she does is magic, magic, magic....

 as we were walking, we met a lady walking her terrier mix and we stopped for a moment to talk-teacher from houston, looking for another dog, possibly yorkie...and the boys were cool for a minute, then i don't know what happened but chaco put on his snarl face and got snippy. grr..so we moved on. and when we got back home, i had to turn around and get over to my doctor appt.

when i arrived, i was told i had an outstanding balance..great more $...then i was shuffled into a room i hadn't been in yet. and i waited while i listened to the conversations out in the main room. lots of people talking and planning..i'm glad my walls at my apt are thicker and more insulated than this! anyhoo...i think the doctor might've been running a little late because i sat in there for about 15 minutes waiting...

so, while i waited, i observed scalped glass man.

 and then we agreed that i would get new medication, try aleve or ibuprophen (figure out which one works better for me), and get started with some physical therapy. woo!

so i bought both because i don't really know which one will work better.

 before i stopped at cvs, i stopped by lakeshore to spend some of that gift card from brooke (again, best gift ever!) they were super slow, so every worker must've stopped by and asked me if they could help me. nope. i knew exactly where to look for what i needed. got some great stickers (my summer school kids are suckers for stickers!) but then, i used to be too...my anne frank collection was the world to me...i got a sticker when we went to costa rica that was glimmery and said: FOXY, with a fox tail coming out of the O i think...i didn't realize that it was for a truck bumper and was more of a sex symbol...i thought it was just referring to the furry animal in the woods...back to lakeshore...i also found a great little science kit for about $24-very cool and lots of the stuff we will be going over next year!

the boys are intrigued by science and very excited that i will be teaching it next year! look closely and you will see that this is a card showing how the brain is related to the spine...

 then i went on to cvs and put in my prescription and walked around ...by the time i was called back, i had a handful of stuff that would help me with recovery...chocolate...

and this is the nerve medicine...i forget exactly how it works.

when i got home, i had to call a physical therapist to set something up with them...the part of the script that i loved:

heat massage!!!

and then i came home and took the meds and about a 2 hour nap. i didn't mean for that to happen, but it sure was nice!

when i woke up, i decided i should try to go find some cheap games for fun fridays...so i went to the dolla store and got some connect 4, old maid, go fish, checkers, and mind teaser puzzles...

as i pulled out onto forest, i noticed ms. weekley's car and decided it would be rude not to stop in and see her at pets plus! so i stopped in and chit-cahtted for a minute and looked around the store (because i had never stopped in before), and grabbed a couple of things for the boys-i am excited to try out chaco's new harness! renee was gracious to help me get the best discount possible. thanks renee! the boys said thanks as they were entertained with their new thinking toy!

i stopped by the office on the way home and picked up my package-the magic bullet base has arrived! now i will be able to have a wonderful smooth smoothie tomorrow!! woohoo!

worth it to get a powerful base!

and bruno was fighting with the bubble wrap as i popped them with my feet....chaco went and hid.

it has been a productive day-back to the classroom tomorrow!
julie

a ten-year century and nose holes that don't work...

today i was exceptional. i know. who says that. well, when you're switching it up with some fun reading practices learned at a marzano training, you really cannot go wrong! the kids loved it, i was being observed, and they really understand women's suffrage and alice what's-her-name...

it didn't start out that way...when i got to school, i had to get some butcher paper from the roll, and as i tore off the first paper and walked over to put it on top of the copier, i banged my toe into the copier. ouch. you'd think once was enough and that i would be more careful and aware the next time. i was, but i still proceeded to do this TWO more times! what in the world? and the 3rd time, i knew from the feel and the sound that i had broken my nail and made a mess of things. i was excited to get back tot he classroom to clip it with my nail clippers in my purse. when i went digging for it, it wasn't there. i had taken it out again. so i ended up using scissors...figuring it would do until i got home (i mean, i had gotten it bad-there was a big chip out of it and i ddin't want to cut any children accidentally).

music was interesting today...some of our students thought mississippi is in dallas, others said africa, and several said south america. and apparently several believe that brazil is a continent..oh geography, what has happened?

in one of my afternoon classes, one of the girls said, "my nose holes aren't working." i thought i misunderstood her, so i asked her to repeat that, and she said the exact same thing. hmm..i asked what she meant, and that's exactly what she meant. i told her the better way to say it: stuffy nose.

yesterday we had visual arts with mr martinez, and we did faces-he was teaching them symmetrical and asymmetrical (only he spelled it wrong...he also managed to tell them that a century was 10 years...we have some un-learning to do)...

tomorrow i have my doctor-follow-up appointment. i am praying that there is something that i am not doing that i can do to feel better, or that they have a magic cure. i just want to get back to doing the things i love to do! (like sleeping through the night...) pretty sure i'm excited about 'sleeping in' a little. and i am also thinking that i got out of spray painting those trash things. whew! dodged a bullet...don't worry, carol, i'm pretty sure she wouldn't be tacky enough to ask a sub to do it (and if she does, just say no and thank you)      

day off tomorrow! yea!
julie