depeche mode coffee and wookies in the restroom?

I learned today that flies in missouri are caffeine addicts. how did i come to this epiphany, you might ask. well. i left an unfinished cup of coffee on the table and came back to it later. the one drawback of being in the country is that there are flies...it's like they all gravitated toward buffalo missouri, curious about the visitor from tx...they must've seen my car plates and registration on the way in...

so, i've been practicing my fly swatting skills-i knock 'em silly and then chaco plays with them until they stop moving. i'm pretty sure he swallowed one or two. but i digress...upon returning to my lukewarm coffee (which is still better than no coffee...), i felt a little chunk pass my lips and spit it back into the cup...it wasn't like grounds that had gotten past the filter, it had legs! so i went to the sink to dump it out, and there was another one! NASTY. it did make me think of the old depeche mode song: fly on the windscreen.

in the beginning, the flies kinda drove chaco crazy...he'd see them flying around and hear them, and get the anxious shivers as he started looking around in his all-vigilant-mode, ready to pounce. by the end, i'm pretty certain that he was actively seeking the flies out.

any time a car slowed down or pulled into the drive, they were at the window...thyey loved it.

i'm not complaining that it was raining...every day while i was in missouri, just stating the facts. yep, it was a wet one-which also made it cooler. when i left, it was 75 degreees, and by the time we'd travelled into oklahoma and just south of the clouds, it had rapidly reached 98. boo. then when we hit texas, it was triple diigits. no flies. i'm pretty sure they don't dig the heat....nor the traffic.

on the way home, i slowed down enough to get a pic of the local park restrooms.this particular one always catches my eye.

 so, here's the story. the first time i saw it i thought, 'hmm. f for female. m for male..what is the w for? wookies?' (pause) 'WAIT A MINUTE! m is for men, w is for women....f is for farmers...er...family' 

this morning i had to wake up earlier than i liked, but i did it. i had a conference for coaches. it was interesting. in the first session i went to, one of the traininers told us to turn to our neighbor and give them the finger...which if you had your back to her and weren't watching her, you might get the wrong idea. poor word choice. she was waving her pointer finger back and forth as if to say no,no,no. i wouldn't really call that giving someone the finger. (and she's not a foreigner or anything, no excuse for poor phrasing).

in another session, they laid out chart paper on our desks, and i may of may not have been doodling cartoon characters. as i was walking out, the trainer said, "i could've watched you all day!"

anyhoo, i definitely got a lot of valuable information from the conferences.

the phrase i am growing a little weary of is: let's put the right tools in our toolbox. i'm not a carpenter...not a plumber...not an electrician. i don't carry a toolbox (even though i own tools)...

so-i was up at my school preparing for the schoolyear today and this guy caught me off guard as i rounded the corner a little too quickly:

i'm guessing that marlon probably put him there as a joke...and to wax the floor.

and after about an hour and a half, i went into the bathroom, and noticed that my hair was pulling an alfalfa. (little rascals)


it's a good look. for norms from now on, instead of taming technology, more importantly will be taming hair.

all in a day.

but the best part of my day to this point has been the zucchini fries that i made! woah. side by side, i would eat these over potato chips or fries every time! and they are super easy! (shake and bake, parmesan cheese in a bag, sliced zucchini dipped in egg, 15 minutes at 450) yummers!

like i said, the best part of my day to this point...only because i did not get to come straight home for a nap! when we were in branson, bmayes suggested a foam topper from amazon for my mattress because i was telling her how uncomfortable i've been recently. so i ordered it while i was at my parents', and it came the day i got back from my vacation! all i could think of all day during my conference trainings was getting back to nap on that mattress!! i wasn't even tired, i just wanted to enjoy laying on it! i can't wait to go to sleep tonight!

on that note, i will be going to bed early tonight!
julie

summer is always too short!

well. finally a little summer vacation. it went by all too quickly!

as soon as summer science discovery camp was over, i had to stick around town for a special introductory meeting for STAND for children-educator network. we had a great turnout for summertime! as a matter of fact, i did speak, but that wasn't the most exciting part (although i felt like i nailed it) the best part-as always was the spread:

you really cannot beat brie with fruit-one of my all-time favs

 of course before the big event, i took the boys for a walk--i love it that i can get on that back trail and walk them without the leash, and that they are pretty good about staying this close.

 the next morning was an early morning because i did not have everything packed in the car as i had planned it out in my head; and we wanted to get an early start! so we were able to get out of dallas around 6:30ish, which got me up to Oklahoma around 9 something. when we got there, for a brief layover (stopped to get bmayes), the boys got out of the car and bruno thought it would be a brilliant idea to roll around in the grass-still full of dew...hmmm.  so when we got around to leave, i'm sure bmayes was relieved to be driving her own car, because as i got into mine, it was 'wet dog'--if o'reilley auto parts sells that as an air freshener, i'll pass!

we left my car and the dogs at my parents house and then went on to branson-kind of a second home!
i probably should have paid more attention to the ratings before i booked the cheap hotel off hotels.com...it was pretty shabby. kinda dark-like vampire dark movie. and the bathtub...i wanted to go to the store for some cleaning supplies. we decided we weren't going to be spending much time there anyway. and bmayes thought the hotel next to us was featured in hotel impossible. i was like..."oh, the one with howie mandell?" because all bald men are howie mandell to me. and she said, "no...i guess he kinda looks like howie...he is bald." so...it's actually anthony melchiorri. and i did look up the episode and the pics..and then i google-mapped it satellite view and as a matter of fact, it WAS one and the same!!

bmayes, we probably should have gone and bothered one of the cleaning folk to just 'get a glimpse' of the newly renovated rooms!

anyhoo...we did get krispy kreme, and were not disappointed (totally worth it to go in and get the hot fresh doughnut as well!)

don't ask, i just liked the display!

 we were under the impression that silver dollar city was closed on monday because apparently they didn't update the schedule on google from their winter schedule...we decided to stop by anyway just in case, and guess what! it was open! thankfully bmayes had worked at kamp and we were able to get in at a discounted rate!

the girl in front of us definitely tried this and looked a little silly

 best ride in the park...powder keg! we definitely went on this one twice.

 we also went on the outlaw run (once), fire in the hole (once-nostalgic-i went when i was really young, and it was definitely more exciting then [plus there weren't sarcastic, annoying teens back then]), wildfire (twice- short line) and thunderation. i was a little nervous every time i had to leave my purse and phone in a cubby...in fact more worried about that than roller coaster mishaps (even after the disaster at six flags about a week prior)

 one of the random things we got to do was just lollygag (who even came up with that word?) around at dicks 5 and dime, which is a little dime store with a little bit of EVERYTHING! i think the little train that goes around the store is somewhat endearing.

 then we made our way over to trish's to drop off a wedding gift for her son, only no one was there! so we left it on the porch. then we went out to kamp to see who was there. on the way down the main drag, we stopped and chatted with diane at the ropes course and were fortunate to be joined by dj who was driving by on some sort of mission.

then we made our way down to chat with trish and had the rare opportunity of catching her at her kamp home with no one else there but Darla muffin (her yorkie); it was so great to sit down and spend some time with her. i know she was busy and had a lot on her mind as they were preparing to go to her son's wedding! (wow, it seems like just yesterday when he was in elementary school reading the lion the witch and the wardrobe!) how time flies when you're growing up!

we then headed up to the dining hall, and didn't eat (there is a reason). we got to see shayla (trish's daughter) and i got to see a former kamper from Egypt-taline! that was a throwback!! how fun!

we went back up the hill and stopped at diane and hank's house to see the work they'd done, and diane gave us the grand tour with emmy-it is grand! i wish they had even more time that they could spend up there!! it is such a beautiful home!

there comes a moment when hunger wins out over everything else, and we had to leave to go to the blueberry farm, because let's be real...you don't stop out in this area without stopping at persimon's!

this is why we couldn't have lunch....cumulobluebus...ah.

 we also hit up mr. gilberti's-best pizza in the area! and we also made sure to get danna's barbecue- i had never had bbq beef nachos before, and i was a little skeptical, but i'm glad i had them! yummers!

bmayes had to get back to ok, so she dropped me back at mom and dad's, and i may have taken a nap. the boys were pretty excited that i was home! and i hear that they make a lot more noise when i'm around than when i'm gone. i chalk it up to the protective factor.

 

so peaceful!

 they quickly found resting spots beside me in the office.

just...wherever.

my dad decided he needed a shop to work in. when he first mentioned building a shop, i thought about the shops I've seen in dallas behind houses-more of a little storage area. so when i saw this little house, i thought, "whoa! i should have him and Rodney build me a house." i don't need anything fancy...just a house.

today he was on the roof outside working on the tyvek, and i will admit, i was a little worried that he was not on a harness or scaffolding or something.

 

 i did stop into the local pet store and make a purchase. i got clippers for the dogs. i got the expensive set. i figure if i pay a lot, i will make sure that i use it. it was a little exciting and a little scary at the same time. little dogs are harder to shave than big dogs. they have such little parts! and of course the model on the instruction manual was an ugly giant poodle. (a little easier than a 5 lb yorkie...).

mom said she saw them scratching and thought they might've gotten fleas from the cat, or the yard. well, i figured i would scare the crap out of those little buggers and they probably felt like those mice in the secret of nimh. anyhoo, today i made the homemade version of flea and tick stuff and gave them a spray and a comb...i haven't seen anything, and i don't think they've been scratching, so...knock on wood!

the lady at the shop was pretty excited about this tool, and she since there was no one else in the store, she showed me all of the tips and tricks about trimming the dogs!

 

we were doing fine until he started wiggling...he may have a little bare spot on his chest that slightly resembles a heart if you cross your eyes and squint...

i am excited about getting home on wednesday, because i should have two important things coming in the mail! woo hoo!

julie

beware bandits in bandanas...thugs with hidden mugs

when i came home the other day, there was a paper in my door (and every other door). that paper informed us that a resident was robbed at gunpoint last friday in the east phase (my phase). he wore a bandana across his face, underneath his eyes...i thought that was old western stuff. he must've just gone to see the lone ranger and decided that this was acceptable attire.

all i can say is: don't bother coming to me for money, i'm a teacher. and i don't carry cash-especially when i'm walking my dogs. that said, obviously i am paying too much to be in a gated apt complex. ask me again why i wanted to get my chl.

i cannot believe that next week is the last week of science discovery camp! it has gone by rather quickly. we shall see if they have learned anything when they take the post test...hopefully it hasn't been just fun and games-hopefully it's been learning without realizing it!

although i know it was fun because they kept coming...and the 'vice principal' asked if her middle school son could join us to help out in the class (she was tired of him lounging around and not doing anything); so i said sure he could come and help out. i don't know that he was a ton of help, but she said that he went on and on about 'ms robinson this and ms robinson that" so that's a good thing. apparently i reminded him of his teacher in middle school..she must be AWESOME.

anyhoo, that pretty much means that in about a week i'll be on vacation finally! cheap (but fun) trip to branson with bmayes to see friends and play...i know, it's not disneyworld or the beach, but when you're amongst friends, it doesn't matter where you are-you make memories! can't wait-i haven't really spent time with friends since school got out.

i have been recording murder she wrote-i just think angela lansbury is such a classy lady! anyhoo, they play these over night on the hallmark channel, so as you can imagine, the commercials they play are laughable...light up pillows for kids and the cat's meow toy. i actually kinda want to get one for my parents' cat. i think he'd get a kick out of it-and he could definitely use the exercise.

i know i'm probably killing all of my facebook friends bc i've been sharing a bunch of posts about recipes and tips recently from an awesome source so that i have them handy. yesterday i used one of the posts about carpet cleaning, and then today i made the pizza bites recipe-i will be keeping that recipe! yummers!

so easy! canned biscuits, pepperoni, cheese, eggwhites, parm, italian seasoning! boom!

then i had a crazy craving for something sweet-so i made some roasted almonds and pecans. super easy, just takes a little patience. delish!

 

 and i took the boys in for their dental cleaning the other day-they have to have anesthesia, and chaco has reactions, so they cannot do that and the vaccinations on the same day, so we'll have to go back on tuesday. and the vet said bruno had gained 3/4 lb, so we have to cut back on treats. so i changed up our treats a little, and they still love it.

celery is a pretty cheap go-to.

so, let's review. masked robber better watch out for me because i am enraged about the ludicrous amount of money i am paying to stay in an apt that has weak security. science camp has been amazing, but i cannot wait to be done. i love new recipes and tips...and the boys are fine with being on a diet.

julie

if i had binoculars, i would live in my own little diorama

cane's won again. on the way home i kept thinking i could make it all the way to my apt to make my own dinner...but i don't know what happened; must've been the rain. HAD to be the rain.

so it's been awhile. i guess i kinda imagine myself in a confessional (not that i'd know what that is like, as i am not catholic, but i've seen enough movies...) i might start out with something like, "forgive me blogger, for i have not blogged..." i don't know where it would go from there, but i don't think it would be pretty.

so. school ended. on the last day of professional development, we had the privilege of a training with real school gardens. they began with a drum routine that sounded like a sacrificial interlude from the gilligan episode with the head hunters...luis loved it.

there was a time when i really wanted to purchase a jembe drum

 but the instrument that caught my eye was the rattle...even from a distance, i recognized the beads on the outside. they were the beads that we used to pick off of weeds in costa rica to make bracelets. there was a specific little park that we would go to and then you had to pull the threads of weed out. i was so excited about it! good memories!

amazing weeds!

 we proceeded to have a great training. i think i was a little aloof because i had agreed to move to 3rd grade to teach and so i was going through the training with the 3rd grade teachers. well, that morning, i was asked if i was interested in becoming the reading coach at school. so you must understand that i had run through several emotions at that point. i wasn't as involved as i should have been, but i hadn't accepted the offer at that point, and i wasn't really sure how i felt about anything.

i called my parents and then i had a conversation with lorraine, our former reading coach (who has since accepted a vice principal position-congrats lorraine!). i then went through the arduous process of applying for the position of reading coach. i'm excited because i know it will be a growing and learning process.

the next week we began training for summer science discovery camp. the training went well. i'm going to refrain from saying to much about the actual summer school portion, as i was under the impression that i would be able to stay in my classroom...and i ended up having to move out of my room. but i didn't have anywhere to go, so i had a makeshift classroom on the stage. mood lighting. one side of the 'room' was in the depths of despair-a huge shadow of gloom and doom encompassed them. i had to rig up an easel-using a ladder and duct tape. 

 in fact, one boy's mother actually made him ask me if we were going to be in there for remainder of the summer. i told him he could let her know that we would be moving into a classroom after the first week. it was a long week and i was bitter; but i don't think it was too evident...the kids were having fun.

we have actually covered a lot of information, and i am pretty sure they got it. most of them will be in 5th grade next year, and i have been fortunate to have 5 of my former students. 

i'm pretty sure the 'mouse' in this diorama cannot hear...disclaimer: i am not responsible for teaching them to draw..only teaching them about ecosystems and food chains...and they GOT that!

other than that, we've been very low-key, playing it cool. i have been going to the shooting range-which has been fun.

today we went to the environmental center for a mini field trip. we got to pull out the binoculars and do some bird-watching. i had a blast. i had more fun just looking into the little wooded area-it felt like i was in a real live diorama with 3d trees and such. i realize that sounds silly, as in real life these things are 3d, but when you look through binoculars, everything is so much cooler!!

oh, did i forget to mention that we have trainings that we have to attend with the science camp...well, today the song that kept running through my mind was fugees killing me softly and when he suggested a warm up activity...it was more of a death-warmed-over activity. i thank him for trying, but i'm pretty good at hooking and engaging my students. and today i was counting down because i had some errands to run.

i've also gotten together with some other educators who are excited about ensuring that we have effective teachers in every classroom-and working toward a goal of ensuring that voices our voices are heard and we have a seat at the table when it comes to legislation concerning our students. we can either react to what happens to us, or we can be proactive and help guide the conversations and actions that are in the works. i choose the latter. in essence, this is an extension of what was brought to light in our ed policy program.

good day!
julie

obi wan chaco ate a bit of the super continent

well, we're finally at the end of the school year. it has been a long road getting here, but here we are.

 tonight i made salsa, and i should've taken note when i felt the skin peel off my upper lip, upon merely moving my hand 10 inches in front of my face...every fine invisible hair singed off. at that point i washed my hands (with the scrubby brush thing and soap, even). that was over an hour ago, yet when i went to itch my eyeball, i'm pretty sure my fingers were radioactive...i'll be permanently blinded.

and since i am on the topic of food, i will just say that yesterday i made pancakes...they started out a little runny, but i was able to turn that into a lesson for the boys. i explained plate tectonics and the speculation of pangaea and continental drift. they were not amused, but when i offered them a piece of pancake, they promised to hear me out.

i had a very strange dream the other night. in it i was much more assertive than i see myself. it happened twice in one dream. once i was in the middle of a group, and someone kept trying to cut me off until i finally looked at her and said, "STOP it." looong pause....and i finished what i had to say. then just a bit later, there were some kids being mean-almost to the point of bullying, and i intervened and did some serious stare downs...i'm pretty tough in my dreams.

last week was also acp week....this is how i felt.

and unfortunately the gallant warrior who was supposed to save me from this ridiculosity was...'held up' by a prepubescent giant, and therefore unable to rescue me. it's ok, i was only tied up for a couple hours every day.

in other news today, our school had an awesome career day, thanks to amazing organization by sandra, our amazing counselor, and olivia! the guests were engaging and the outdoor events were awesome!

love love love that it was air conditioned!

we were up in my room when over the intercom, i hear: MS ROBINSON, THE DART BUS IS HERE.  i looked at the students and asked what she said and they said the dart bus was here. (D.A.R.T. not to be confused with invisible aboriginal darts...although that would be an interesting and somewhat adventurous bus to ride...) i wasn't expecting the bus to arrive. in fact, we were under the impression that the bus would NOT be able to come out...so i was pleasantly surprised, and since our 2nd presenter did not arrive, we went down for the tour! as the students climbed onto the bus, several said, "i've never been on a dart bus before!"  as we were on the dart bus out front, the helicopter flew overhead, preparing to land in the soccer field behind the school.

these guys kinda stole the show

 i informed my students that they would be seeing the SWAT team and the motorcycle police unit; we didn't have time to see everything, so that was our schedule. well, when we got outside, there was an opening at the helicopter, so we got to ask several questions, then we were off to the motorcycles and we got the low down on that...i wish i were a motorcycle police or in the k9 unit! i may or may not have been eyeing someone's sidearm while he was talking (please do not be confused, i was not observing the side of his arm, i was checking out his gun) and i asked him what they customarily used. he said he still used his revolver, but he was warming up to the 9 mm.

on our way back upstairs, one of my students who had said he wanted to be a veterinarian told me that he had changed his mind. no, instead he now wants to be on the SWAT team. hmm. i mean...veterinarian, SWAT team the two are SO similar, i can understand the fickle-ness.

 another student said she wants to be a comedian...which almost made me laugh/snort...but i disguised it with a cough/sneeze. chaco's funnier than her when he starts doing his star wars impressions...even if you've never seen star wars!

obi wan chaco

may the force be with you,
julie

if it weren't for the ninja warrior, the donut would've gotten the baby

where to begin? this is what happens when i skip days.

i signed up for summer school (since i didn't get into the exclusive urban leadership program). well, this week i received an email that there was a science position available at my school, and it was a bilingual enrichment program. i immediately set about trying to apply for it b/c i really enjoyed science this year.

the problem was that once you apply, the system won't let you unapply, so it kept giving me an error. finally i was able to call the people on the tech side and they were able to switch the position around for me after an exchange of various emails. so now i am in as a science camp teacher. woo hoo! this means that i will likely receive some great resources as well.

i am a little sick to my stomach now because i just got a text yesterday from bmayes to come up and visit yellowstone for  a few days and then drive back to ok with her as she moves back from wy...the week of my training and start-up of summer school. boo. i am so disappointed that i won't be able to go. one week earlier and i wouldn't be doing summer school, i'd be enjoying nature and great company!

 i will have to take advantage of the first couple of weeks of august to get out of dallas! i need it.

then on friday i decided that i really didn't want to get up early to make breakfast....

so i went to my favorite kolache joint.

there is this great little donut place on beltline and webb chapel, and they have great fresh donuts and kolaches! inside there were some older retired folk sitting around reading newspapers, drinking coffee and just conversing back and forth, and another lady came in to join them while i was in line...that's the life!

it was really strange because as i was walking in, a man with sunglasses was walking out with a box in his hands, and he stopped and said,"hi! it's been awhile!" and i was trying to register....finally i just said, "help me out.." and he said, "AMY."  hmm..no, i am not amy, and i'm pretty sure his name was not amy....i kinda cocked my head to the side and he told me what school she was at now, and i realized he was the father of a student who used to attend our school, only she was never in my class, so i didn't really make the connection. oh...now i remember, and he said what i was thinking, that she was still a drama queen.

it wasn't too long after i got to school that the baby got into the donut, and the ninja lego warrior rescued it.

had it not been for lego ninja warrior, creepy baby might not have made it.

so anyhoo, friday was not a bad day.

the best part of friday was getting home and knowing that my friend erin was coming over to spend the night! she came up from the houston area for a photo workshop, and i was so glad that she stayed with me because we haven't had a chance to hang out since she got married!  it was so good to catch up and just chat. the best part was seeing how happy she is to be married, and how happy she is in her work!

she has a pup as well, and sage sent her love to the boys and sent them toys-which they have loved playing with!

erin shoots newborns. i mean...she doesn't shoot them, she photographs them! check out her facebook site and like it! erin is very talented, and i think what really makes her great is that she loves what she does, and she is very personable, and really gets to know the clients that she works with. she does a lot, but from our talk, i could tell that she especially enjoys newborns and doing births. also check out her website, you can see her work there! the birth book i got to see was a story of pictures-so neat!

it really made me pause for a moment. and i started thinking about what would it be that i would enjoy as much as she enjoys her job?

purposefully you cannot really tell from this picture!

after she left, i may have pulled out the scissors and cut my hair. if it looks ok, i did it, if it looks terrible, i am very upset with my stylist, and i will be firing her!

 anyhoo, not much else to tell today. i'm pretty sure tomorrow will consist of bratwurst and potato salad. summer is here, but we're still in school....i despise the people in charge of approving the calendar that we are on.

julie

urban crust has the best bathrooms in town!

i finally went and got a new chi, and straightened my hair. i miss straight hair! i love my hair straight because it's so much more manageable!

thursday came around, which meant gigi was in town, and we made plans to meet at a groovy little place in plano (one of their old favorites) URBAN CRUST. it was worth the drive! they had a wonderful rooftop area.

i had to stop in the restroom on the way up, and i was very impressed! it was beautifully decorated!!

this is inside the stall...i mean, classy.

 it was good just to be together to hang out and catch up and all while eating some amazing pizza! good times!

miss having this mug around campus!

then yesterday at school, i may have contributed to our collective for the powerball-let's go cabell! and so i went to the website to read frequently asked questions, and if you have not, you have to because it is really funny!!so of course, in my mind, i've figured out all sorts of creative ways to use the money!

after school, i went out to the garden and started to layer the 2nd compost bin, because they had thrown all of the leaves into one bin without putting any nitrogen components...so it just had the carbon. that will take forever to decompose. so i took out some of the items i had been saving up in my room (which were beginning to smell rather ripe)....and today i am feeling it in my shoulders! boo.

this morning i had to take the boys in to get their nails clipped again, and of course, it goes without saying (yet i will say it anyway)...as soon as we entered, i was already having to look for the nearest cleaning supply station. bruno. and then again...#2, while we were waiting for chaco. when chaco was done, they paged us to bring bruno back. when we reached the groomer door, there was another dog, and he was marking the door from the inside. the owner didn't see it, so i waited until she turned around to go in so that she would know it was her dog, not mine and clean it up. (my plan worked!)

the lady turned around, saw the mess and asked for paper towels, then started cleaning; she opened the door to get what had seeped under and the dog walked out into the petsmart and then she had to go running after her dog, and i slipped in and traded bruno for chaco. when we were all done, we went out and bruno decided he wasn't interested in going anywhere and just laid down.

not impressed with the heat

i took them fro a walk when we got back, and bruno said, "i'm done. it's summer, and it's too hot for walks in texas. unless you get me an airconditioned ball to walk in, i am not interested in going for too many walks this summer. i would like to just be a lap dog and lounge around on the couch." maybe we will have to settle for airconditioned car rides...

then i left and did some shopping for some small things i needed, but i couldn't find some of the things i was really looking for. i did find these things:

i LOVE little things..here's a little cup of joe.

i love sock money pin...

and when a creepy doll says make me your friend...hmm.

on the way home, i saw a little smart car, and this was so creative!

see the wind-up key on the back?!

and then i remembered i received a flier in the mail for teachers to get $1000 off on the purchase of a smart car...a play on teachers and smart, i'm sure...no way my friend. i don't think i'm looking for smart next time...i think it will be adventurous next time!

julie