field day is overrated

field day is over. God is good because it was overcast and slightly breezy much of the time. no one got hurt and no one got their feelings hurt (i don't think my kids really cared one way or the other). in fact, most of the kids just wanted to chase each other around and go over to buy snacks...so i propose that next year instead of field day we just have snack day with freeze tag.

i told the boys that today was field day at school. when i explained what it was, bruno wanted to play tug-o-war.

chaco, on the other hand, was going around the room with a sharpie asking everyone to sign his shirt. and when i say everyone, i mean me. "chaco, you don't even have a shirt on." "so, you're not going to sign? mama! at least pretend to sign so that if the neighbors are looking from across the way they'll think i'm cool." "little love, they are never going to think you're cool...just cute. put the marker away."

yes, sometimes chaco's name is little love and bruno's (immediately following so he doesn't get jealous) is big love-
...well, i just realized when i said it the other day that it makes bruno sound like he's married to many women and has fathered many children...and leads a cult. none of which is true. perhaps i'll have to change that. (the nickname, not the cult part)

so glad today is over-i do not find field day fun. not in the slightest.
julie

tiger vampires aren't the only ones who drink tigers blood

happy memorial day! we are blessed to have men and women who fight and often lose their lives to ensure our freedoms. may we never trivialize their sacrifice!

today we got to hang out and i drew up a new idea for a greeting card, but i don't know how well it will go over with normal people...so if you like it, you may be slightly abnormal.

bruno kinda raised his eyebrow, chaco rolled on the floor laughing...who's who?

so we did a little bit of that this morning, and another project, and the maintenance guy came this morning before i had my bra on, so quick as lightning i grabbed a fleece to throw on (mind you it was about 89` outside) i'm sure he was probably wondering what my problem was.  so he came in and looked at it and showed me what the problem was..apparently the electric wire used in the drain cycle was sev/ered. so i think he just spliced the wire and made sure it was tucked away to the side.

he left and i did a load and it made funny sounds, but it went through the complete cycle. so i threw in another load. and again it was making loud, whiny noises and so i went in to check on it and it was smelling like burnt rubber, so i shut it off again and let them know in the office and shannon said they just need to get a new washer up there...duh.

so we took off to the dog park, but not our apt dog park. we went to the real dog park.

chaco's new seat in the back..now i need a baby mirror.

bruno is so happy.

 the pups did well-there were lots of dogs there..some mixed breeds, poodles, schnauzer, chihuahua, king charles, french bull terrier, etc.
bruno sniffed around and checked things out and chaco was acting like he was afraid of the bigger pups so that girls would pick him up. little flirt..thank goodness he wasn't too snippy with the other dogs.

once we got back into the car, chaco asked what kind of animals those were. when i told him they were dogs, he was shocked and insisted that there was no way; they didn't look like dogs. i explained that there were many different types of dogs. "how can this be?" he asked (rather stupidly). bruno looked bored and he said, "can we move on?"

so our next stop on the way home was the shaved ice hut for TIGER BLOOD WITH CREAM! i am not a tiger vampire...what is that anyway? it doesn't even make any sense! but i do love my shaved ice!

when we finally got home, i had a voice-mail from the vet. they broke the vial that had bruno's blood in it on the way to the testing facility. rookies. so i now have to take him back in to get another draw. he's going to be so mad when i tell him.

and tomorrow is field day at school- woohoo! translated: tomorrow is field day at school- nothing is about it is going to be woo or hoo...i'll just plan for chaos right now. and i'm pretty sure it will be a sunburn day. (no matter how much lotion i use)

alright, abnormal is the new normal!
julie

"princess-kinda-tenderfoot" doesn't wear pendants

today i decided to make good on the letter writing, and i got a few written. and so i had to make envelopes as well (i just took an envelope apart and traced it on the design i wanted as my beautiful envelope) a special thanks to mom for always sending such amazing calendars every Christmas...please do not stop!

someone's getting a letter at kamp!

it's so nice to receive letters, but even nicer if the letter comes in an appealing package! (kinda like food. it's great when food tastes good, but even greater when it looks good too!)

last night i took the boys for a walk and there was a beautiful breeze. i decided to go barefoot for no particular reason. and i noticed that our sidewalks are made of a very grainy concrete. i got my mail and we went around one of the ponds and when we got back to the street/parking areas, i tried to walk on the painted lines for a little relief-if i were native american, my name would be something like princess-kinda-tenderfoot (i added the princess part for kicks).

we got home and i opened my mail. apparently there are certain perks that come with having a yorkie and registering them with AKC.

yes, i can get an exclusive yorkie pendant with genuine crystals and a velvet carrying pouch and deluxe gift box...hard to pass up.

 oh, i forgot to mention bruno weighed in at 6.5 lbs and chaco was 3.9.

so, remember how i said bruno was getting pretty good at ringing the bell? i think he just likes the sound of it and seeing me get up to open the door, because i'd go over to open the door and he wouldn't go out. so now, i've been making him go out every time he rings it so he doesn't just ring it for grins. brat.

be safe if you're on a lake or traveling tomorrow!
julie

just because it's in the pantry doesn't mean it's cheese whiz

today i had to get up early to give bruno a bath before i took him to the vet (courtesy gesture for the vet). so i got both of the boys ready and we made our way to petsmart/banfield. we got there early to drop bruno off, but the store wasn't actually open yet, so i just kinda' meandered around the store because i didn't want to go and have to come back. so i bought a new car seat for chaco. he's getting too big to sit under bruno's seat. last time we drove somewhere, he was muttering something about feeling like a stepchild locked up under the castle. really? bruno's car seat a castle? (drama king)

we also got a new kind of treat. i wasn't sure if they'd like it, but i knew i would love it because it's in an aerosol-type cheese whiz can! yes!! i love that weird little nozzle to squirt it out!

new improved, easy on the tummy!

it really smells like bacon and cheese, but this is one treat that i decided not to try for myself...maybe if shea comes to town soon we can make a bet for who tries it

chaco went to work with me for a little bit while we waited for bruno. while i was sorting through papers, chaco was playing with his squeaky toy. well, he was making me throw it to him between sorting. not too long into it, i got the call that bruno was ready, but that they were a little concerned because when they drew blood, it took longer than normal for his blood to clot, and could they send the bloodwork out? so of course i wanted to make sure it's no big deal, so i said yes. hopefully it's nothing because i would hate for the other dogs to start taunting him with the hemophiliac jokes...(na-na-na-na NA na..you can't coagulate..etc)

when i got home to hang out with the dogs, i had to cut off the hamster's feet. chaco was on his way to making them nubs, and i figured i'd be the humanitarian and cut them off in 'one fell swoop' (or 4 fell swoops...4 feet), rather than allow them to be gnawed off (not that it will matter either way to an inanimate object, but it will probably be much better on chaco's digestive system!).

and he's not getting prosthetic replacements either. nubby. oh, and they already chewed off the string that pulls to make him shake and shimmy, so he's not as enticing to them anymore.

i wanted to take them for a walk earlier, but it was about 97 degrees out. the good news is that it's 8:50 and the temp's gone down-94...so we can go for a night walk when i finish this post! other good news: bruno has been getting better at using the bell to let me know he wants to go outside.

if you look closely you can see that it is a neiman marcus bell. one of my bible study gals got that for me a couple of years ago.

yes, i have this little guy hanging by the door. if i'm going to be here for awhile, i might have to think about getting one of those extensions for the sliding door with a doggy door in it. that way the boys could go in and out as they please...which i'm sure won't be often, but hopefully we can get them into the bathroom habit.

 i was about to go take the trash downstairs, but creepy neighbor is super nice and took it down already (unless the raccoons took it)...i'm banking on neighbor...and it's not even tuesday or thursday! happy memorial day weekend to me!

julie

oh sweet hamster toy. meet your demise. you didn't really want to go to a loving family, did you?

i mentioned that i'm taking a bunch of the stuffed animals given by students over the years for my mom to package up and send out to disaster victims, so one of my co-teachers (gigi) gave me hers as well, so now i have a big load to take with me. as i was transferring them to one bag, i saw a hamster with the pull string that makes the little guy shake-bruno played with the one we got for Christmas until the string wouldn't pull anymore. he LOVED it! so i pulled this one out and he was so happy!

it's pretty much nonstop pull and shake right now, although, he did let chaco have it for a few minutes and laid down beside me. while he was laying here, i told him it was really sweet of him to let chaco play. he just kinda smiled and then i saw the note: if you don't let me play with that mouse for awhile, i will tell mama about the jack you're hiding. i started looking around to see if perhaps he really had been hiding something. well, the search produced nothing (and i've had to do some intense searches before), so i just reached over to pet bruno and his tail was really warm..in fact there seemed to be a warm air pocket near his backside. my first thought 'his rear is feverish' my second and more realistic thought was 'oh, he's just sitting too close to the laptop.good.' 
well, then i asked chaco what he meant in the note, and he told me there weren't really any jacks, not to worry. "what?" "you know, onesies...that game with the ball and the stars."  oooooOOOooohhh.good.

then i look down and chaco is not pulling the string and waiting for it to shake. nope. he's chewing off the hamster's eyes. i should've known because he did it to the last one too. one more and it'll be three blind mice.

i somehow switched the channel to dual survival discovery channel about these guys who are survivalists of the extremes. so at one point they caught vermin (mice) in the montana winter, and roasted them over the open fire and the guy said the fire will burn its tail off then burn the legs down to nubs and it looks like a turd, that's when you eat it. gross. note to self: never get lost in winter in montana without clif bars...lots of them. (maybe that's why the boys eat their poop sometimes...they think it looks like a mouse kabob...)shea, i'm learning all sorts of tricks to keep us alive on our next adventure..ok maybe not tricks like pull a steak out of my boot, but tips like making rope out of vines and stuff like that.

it's been a yucky ending of a school year with all of the packing up and crazy schedules and stuff, but today i was thrilled to get a text saying that bmayes and reagan might be coming to hang out with the boys and me for a bit! that will be marvelous if she can swing it-the boys love company...they even promised to clean up their area.
 so tomorrow morning i'll get up a little early and drop bruno off at the doc for his 6 month comprehensive and heartworm shot, then i'll go back up to school to finish up some packing before i have to pick him up again. i'm just going to go ahead and guess that he's about 6 pounds. i'll let you know tomorrow nite!

don't play with your food...don't waste your food and don't eat food that looks like waste..that's what the boys do.
julie

'teachers get good things to eat'

today i asked one of my students what she wanted to be when she grows up. at first she was not sure, but after a minute, she said maybe a teacher. i asked her if she just said that because i'm a teacher. she said no, she wanted to be a teacher because "teachers get good things to eat." (she was referring to the time our principal got us sonic drinks for appreciation day or something like that). hmm...i probably ought to explain to her that usually one does not make a career choice by following their stomach. restaurant-fine...job-not fine.

some people know that when it comes to chinese food, i have to have a craving (unless it was in dsm, we used to always crave shrimp fried rice!) but sushi on the other hand i could eat any time...i could probably even eat it for breakfast (i haven't, but perhaps i could). well, guess what was on my door knob when i came home today.

interesting...

not one, not two, but THREE fliers! chinese and japanese! so today, i was in the mood for shrimp fried rice and sushi, and i figured it was a good idea because i would have leftover for lunch tomorrow. sigh of contentment because i don't have to wake up early to make lunch! so tonight as i savored my dinner, i remembered good times with cindy and shannon after a long day at the airport.

oh, i forgot to mention that when i took bruno and chaco walking yesterday, there was a girl who came out to the little dog park here with her maltese and sat down on the bench where i was. her dog pooped and she stood up to go get it (ok, not really to go get it, but more to throw it in the trash)and said, "i think one of your dogs might have peed on my shoe" well, i wanted to say, "first of all, that's not a shoe, it's a flip...or a flop... secondly, i could only wish for so much,  because i'm trying to get them to go potty outside, but i'm pretty sure it wasn't them because they pee like girls-they don't hike their leg...you would've known if they were peeing on you." but i just said, "i don't think so-they usually don't pee outside." it was her dog, dolce. really? dolce? but then, i did name chaco after a shoe...but one of the most amazing shoes EVER!

when we were leaving bruno looked at chaco and asked, "did you hear that girl ask if you were a tea cup yorkie?" of course chaco who has little-man syndrome just glared at him and muttered, "i'm not a tea cup...i'm a mug."

oops..just opened my fortune cookie!

oh bland fortune cookie...how could you?

you know that this means i'll be busy writing letters over the next few days..weeks...trying to make sure that the one person who needs it most gets their letter!

don't trust the fortune cookie...i thought fortune meant great riches...
julie

spinning out of control-but colorful-ly

how did it get so late so early?! time just slipped away from me this afternoon! i stayed at school to pack for a few minutes...i should've known, because the same thing happened yesterday. i didn't leave until 5:30. boo. and not only that, but the more i pack, the messier my classroom looks.

chaco agreed to help me pick kids to get reading awards tonight because gigi suggested it, so i let him look over the names and he kinda sniffed around and first he stopped at jesus and said, "i love Jesus!" when i explained that it wasn't our Jesus, he didn't quite get it. so he kept looking and he stopped again at orlando and said, "this one mama! i want to go to orlando to see harry potter's house!" (i think he meant the hogwartz at universal studios).

our students are so restless as we get closer to our last days..but i guess if the boys making spinners and playing with them is the extent of it, we're in pretty good shape. i confiscated about 30 spinners yesterday-the kid just kept pulling them out from every pocket on his outfit (cargo shorts...) the worst part is that the culprit fueling the fire is our custodian! i have to smile because he's a really good guy. today i took away two of their spinners and they were really pretty apparently the custodian made them for the boys.

yes, i will give them back to the boys eventually-aren't they beautiful?

and of course, it got hot again today and i realized when i got into the car and home, that it is a bad idea to leave cans in the car when it is forecast to get hot. i barely bumped one of the cans as i was getting ready to pull them out of the box when-BOOM!

i got all over my arm and some on the windshield, but i didn't realize that the bulk of the drink remained at the bottom of the box until i started walking up the stairs to the apt.and it was dripping. it was one of those things where you hope no one walks out and starts talking to you and notices the box is dripping. when i finally got up to my door, i dumped it out and of course it puddled up...surely the raccoon will come lick it up.

when i got in, i got the dogs harnessed up and we took off on our walk. on the way down the opposite stairs, i noticed a stick. i remember watching a show one time and the man had a stick that was forked like this one, and he walked out into the field and the stick helped him find the place to dig for water. it's called water witching our dousing...um..pretty sure it's not legit and needs a little 'myth busters.'

divining stick? or merely a branch that wandered off on a family outing and got lost?

i will say this, if my neighbors are looking for a body of water, it's at the foot of the stairs, but i don't think there's a way to really siphon it up to the apt. i just think it would be a little obvious.

may your world spin madly on!
jules

dorothy got nothin on us!

remember the time i dressed up like dorothy for a reading program? i do. (and then remember when gigi and i hid in my classroom and then the music on the intercom was so unbearable that i took my speaker off the wall and turned it around? i don't remember that quite as well...)

 ok, i realize that i look nothing like dorothy from the wizard of oz...i mean you do what you can with what ya got..i was NOT going out and paying for a costume, and so gigi helped me 'sew' this sheet into a makeshift dress (sewing with staples). and the red basket is one we use to collect library books in our class..the wig..well, cheapie from walmart. i had some red shoes from a thrift shop which i glued glitter to and voila--scary. of courst it was lost on our kiddos because out hispanic kiddos aren't real familiar with the wizard of oz...had i been a tall skinny man on a horse chasing windmills...in fact, they probably thought i was a scary witch about to eat a dog...or la llorona..who knows.

i just wanted to post up the dorothy pic because of the tornado warnings in effect. praying that the storms are not affecting loved ones! 

sweet! (totally typed that meaning to text a friend back! oops..leaving it there, though because it just kinda fits).

well, today was another one of those days when i woke up early so i could stop by walmart...and i got my diet coke and then i also saw something else that caught my eye...i love soft t-shirts. i hate thick t-shirts because they just sop up sweat and feel heavy. so i got these super flowyish lightweight t's.

7 dolla!

 aw hail...tornadoes...how dare you. we were trying to watch the biggest loser finale.when the warnings went off, i was trying to figure out exactly what to do with the dogs..would they be safer in the kennel or in the bathtub with me? i found my bicycle helmet(i know, sounds cra-cray) one of the ladies at work was saying that she was watching the news and the family had everything in the bathroom ready to go. well..i'm pretty sure it made bruno nervous. chaco just sat in the tub licking the side, trying to chew the wall of the tub. i don't usually get nervous about tornadoes, but now that i have these two, i do...and i just watched the news of a tornado earlier this afternoon that traveled 50 miles on the ground in oklahoma! what in the world...and that which just happened in joplin. it's the year of the tornadoes. and it is also quite possible that i had the emergency flashlight inside my shorts.(no pockets, so i figured: if we were buried under rubble, i'd be able to signal with the flashlight, so i'd better put it somewhere where it won't get away... )

that's bruno, and we do have a cushion on top of us...

well, we've been sitting in the living room watching the map and i still have my helmet on-what gives? it is not that comfortable...discomfort just won out over laziness.did i feel at all secure on the 3rd floor with a couch cushion over me? no. no, i did not. i would've much rather been in oklahoma with bmayes and fam in the shelter with some kahlua...hmm. i probably ought to check if we have a tornado safe place at this complex. noted. 

don't be blown away-
julie 

rhyming doesn't necessarily mean poetry

this morning, i got up and made breakfast and when i looked over, bruno had gotten into the pantry and gotten out the treats with the yorkie on the front. he's the smart dog.

and then he just looked up at me as if i had asked him to please get his treats out of the pantry, which by the way, i did not.

it figures that my washer is down again. i will be calling in tomorrow for a replacement. no more band-aid fixes..this time even climbing on top of it didn't help..i probably should've called the office sooner when it started shimmying and shaking after they 'fixed' it last time. i heard some rattling, and two of the little metal clasps..brackets (?) were at the bottom of the tub. i thought-fluke..the next time i washed, two more came off...questionable.

today at school we did some poetry and the boys are very confused by it. "i'm happy today because i hate my maid." i had to explain that a.) it didn't rhyme, and b.) it didn't make sense. they were having a rough time. tomorrow we'll read more shel silverstein and hopefully it'll help us create some poets. (some of the humor is wasted on them).

and our poor little old school is getting a make-over, and this means asbestos-type stuff removal...hmm. so some of us (ME) are required to pack e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g up into boxes. they brought by 9 medium size boxes. i laughed. i'm sure they must have had a camera around somewhere to capture our responses! i don't think it's going to happen...but i could be wrong (unless they allow me to use my own storage containers as well). i will say this: most of the stuff i am packing is books, and books are heavy. the movers will earn their wages!

tomorrow's tuesday!! neighbor-takes-trash day! woo hoo! have i got some trash!!

ok, getting frustrated with the twitter ap on my phone-it won't accept my password...boo. does it not interface with the twitter acct on my computer? what's up with that? stupid phone. unless bruno changed my password again...

tried to make envelopes using the mylar balloons i got back on my birthday because they are so pretty, but i just learned that mylar does not glue down to card stock. it peels right off-a there. they were looking so good too!
so now it's on to the maps and calendars. i like making cool envelopes because it makes me feel like i really should send a letter and not let the cool envelope go to waste. (picture coming when i actually make 'em).

good night,
julie

wasp you doing in my living room?

 Today i got a lot of grading done! finally i got their books graded! all 49 of them! i was also able to work on some artwork...using the term loosely. i saw something on another blog awhile back, and i thought it was a fun idea, so i am doing the 'remedial artwork' b/c i didn't feel like buying plywood nor did i feel like measuring anything. i don't like math. so this is how it went down.

 1. i got 3 pieces of foam board, then i spray painted them leather brown.

 2.then i took my selections of colors and cut them all up-they are all samples from various stores and paint companies, so they are random sizes. and i used the spray adhesive to coat the board before bringing it in and starting to piece them on the board.

3. then i went ahead and mod podged them.

4. and once that dried, i went ahead and sprayed a sealant on them. and the finished product is:

 one board down, two to go. i think they will be my new headboard.

also in my little world news, i think a cave is starting in my laundry room...i saw a stalactite forming.

so..apparently sometimes the cheap brand leaks. you heard it hear first.

and i had opened the balcony door for the boys to go out and do business; well, i knew something was up because i saw chaco's ears went up and he stood up. when i looked up, i saw the wasp. so i put the boys in the room so they wouldn't get stung. they were complaining the whole time, but it was bigger than them, so i really didn't want to leave them out-besides, i think the neighbor children have been teaching them the song about the baby bumblebee. and that could get ugly.

so i tried to decide what to do because i haven't gotten this year's fly swatter. so i grabbed a magazine (which felt very flimsy for a wasp on steroids)...and i thought he was in the breakfast nook area by the window, but no...he followed me into the living area. then he came toward me, so i swatted and hit him and kinda hid (because i've had a couple of bad run-ins with wasps). then he went back into the breakfast nook area and settled on the blinds for a couple of minutes.

i found a styrofoam bowl i use for painting and decided it would work to trap him. but i still had the flimsy magazine. well, i trapped him and then put the flimsy magazine under the bowl to get him out.once we were outside i let him free. (now, if you have kids watching, tell them to go play). i did NOT LET HIM FREE!!! he tried to sneak out so i definitely let my full weight fall on him, and actually turned the magazine over so i could ensure 100% smushedness(not a real word). then i let the boys out and they saw me let him fly away over the balcony like a brick.

moral of this story: don't fly into peoples' homes just because the screen door is open.

good night,
julie

life smells good today!

went to deposit my check for my training this summer and it's such a tease to see the extra 650 on the receipt.
the boys were with me, so we went for a walk at the park (the one with the pond).

lots of ducks out today-the mallards have such beautiful green heads.

bruno and chaco were so good about just walking by them and leaving them alone. could be because most of the ducks are bigger than them, but chaco was saying something about no orange sauce or peppercorns, so it wasn't worth it..(too much food network challenge?) and as we passed the couple from india, they asked what variety my dogs were.

we got to the opposite side of the park and i saw a barbie having a very rough day.

called svu

as we were walking back to the car, i was enjoying the slight breeze and the smells. i am so glad God created us with the sense of smell! the evergreen tree smelled marvelous-even in late spring! such powerful memories! one smell that catches my attention is pipe smoke and corncob pipes. ok, that's 2, but they're similar...but they remind me of different things. (mind you, this was where my thoughts were wandering as we walked) the pipe smell reminds me of tom sawyer area at disney world (when i was little, they had a pipe shop and i remember that smell as we went by). the corncob pipe smell reminds me of a turkey farm/ restaurant in michigan that my grandparents took us all to. they had a souvenir shop and i wanted one but my parents wouldn't let me have one. (i think because dad was a preacher, and probably because it wasn't very lady-like).

well, that restaurant experience made me think of an ice cream parlor they took us to (when i say us, it usually involves my brother and my cousins and sometimes parents and aunt). it was a high wheeler old-fashioned type place. it was really cool. then i thought of the first time i went to ruby tuesday's (i had NO CLUE what it was) it was when i first came back to the u.s from honduras with a bunch of missionary kids in miami. it was pretty random, but ever since i've been bewitched by their soft rye croutons! (and just typing the word miami makes me wish i were closer and could go visit a couple of my friends there)

ok, i'm getting the little red x in the shield at the bottom of my page, so i may or may not be able to post this-i might have to go through the virus removal again. (at least i'm getting pretty good at it). ok, i scanned in time, so i'm safe again. boo on technology.

there was one last thought i had. as i was driving home, i noticed a restaurant named the scarlet ibis. and it reminded me of my sweet friend amy, in iowa. when we were in high school (my freshman year) there was a church competition thing and she performed a monologue using the scarlet ibis story. she did such a superb job that it stuck with me. any time i see anything having to do with a scarlet ibis, i think of doodle and amy's performance! kudos! it's a sad story, so i cannot read it to the boys-they might cry..or i might, and then there's a need for kleenex, and they boys would just eat the kleenex, so it's a no-win situation!

alright, smell ya later!
jules

what smells bring back unforgettable memories for you?

the tour guide probably made it all up

when i woke up this morning, i knew it was an abnormal day because we had a field trip, so i started out abnormally as well. i saw this little sample packet from my last visit to sephora. so i decided that since nothing else would be normal, i might as well try this out. it was pretty potent and for about an hour or two i felt like i had a vogue magazine stuck up my nose.you know how when you open the samples and all of those smells start mixing together?  and even now that i got home and tossed the packet, it got on my hands and i'm getting a headache again.

yes, today we had a field trip to the dma (dallas museum of arts). i love going to the museum-on  my own time...not as much with a class of students i have to keep track of.

this was a wonderful welcome...

..but i found this one more welcoming!

it was good times, and our volunteer tour guide let me know that we were late and that our tour would be short because she had to get home for a plumber appointment. cool. but she was fairly knowledgeable; i think. she could've just been a very good maker-upper. i mean, i know some people who are great liars and do very well at balderdash...and we never would've known.

the kids were impressed...the boys were immature of course when we walked through the african exhibit-because the carvings were naked and well endowed-and they have just recently begun a health class. they giggled.the girls just said ew. after our tour guide went to meet her plumber, i had to get a tag to wear around to continue touring.

i will say this: there are a lot of rude people working at the museum. they do not know how to talk to children. and we may or may not have gotten a little lost making circles around the samurai exhibit. which was perfect, because it gave us just enough time to eat and relax and not long enough to get bored and cause trouble.

so, this weekend i am going to try to finish a couple of projects, get some papers graded and into gradespeed, and start a new art project. the new project has to do with these:

and i'll tell you about the other ingredients after i finish if it works out. i'm pretty excited about it!

so i got a lamp. cheap lamp. but a lamp. since i've been in the apt, i haven't had one. so i got lightbulbs. well, i got quite a few 100 w and 60 w. then i got home and realized it was a 40 w lamp. grr. so i'll go get a bunch of those tomorrow. i am going to go ahead and stock up on a ton of lightbulbs, because according to energy star a bill was passed in 2007 to 'up standards for bulbs," which in essence means phasing out the cheapest lightbulbs. hmm..this seems like a recipe to a monopoly on led and cfl bulbs---price increase? just thinkin'...perhaps beck has something...stocking up b/c either way i'll be able to use them. they don't spoil and i don't even have to store them in a vaccuum seal bag!

shine brightly!
jules

p.s. if you know anyone who is graduating and want to do a fun little something for them, hollie put up a really cute post today!

aw..shoot. sixLETS...not a six-SHOOTER

the other day i was going through some old books and papers, and i found this card that my friend mary drew and sent to me...you may or may not appreciate it...i know at least jean will, (jean, pretty sure you're the only person from council bluffs who reads this blog and knows mary, so this one's for you!)

yes, that is santa with a gun.

 public high school...i was only at tj high for my freshman year. i was not excited that i had to leave-it was difficult, but i got to go back to eis (please say it as an acronym because otherwise it sounds like i went back to a body part) in san pedro sula, honduras-at first, i had mixed emotions because i sooooo wanted to stay with the friends i had made, but going back was one of the best things that could have happened to me and i am better for it and proud to call HONDURAS home! tj had its moments though, and i really loved the friends i made there!

today was a late day-another meeting and then i had to stop by the store to get some stuff. anyone else out there grow up liking sixlets?

why were they so much better when i was in 6th grade? i mean, they're still ok, but not nearly what i remember! i believe the first time i had them was when i lived in tegucigalpa, and it was an indulgence to purchase them when i was downtown with my family doing some shopping..i just wanted something american, and this was what i found! and i don't understand why they're called sixlets..there are more than six of them in each packet. ok, i'm a loser, i had to look up the answer (i hate not knowing things when i have a question!) apparently they were originally shipped six in a pack (not per tube, per pack). dumb reason. so uncreative.

i always get suckered into buying something i probably really don't need. i needed the sixlets, ok? but the boys probably didn't need the new toy.

chaco had it.

bruno took it and chaco was not very happy about it

if you look in the background of the 2nd picture, you can see a target i made. i got a bb gun. i may or may not have made a target that i can set up inside to practice my aim...my dad took us to practice with my brother's bb gun a long time ago out by the river in brodhead-if i remember correctly, one of us accidentally hit a rabbit (we were not aiming for it-pretty sure we were aiming for something else, and as i recall, my dad may have killed it to put it out of its misery)...i also got to learn how to use a bow and arrows-in fact, i remember when i was in 3rd or 4th grade and i woke up one Christmas around 3am to go to the bathroom and i noticed the stockings were already stuffed and they had ARROWS in them!!!! i was so excited! (although, Christmas...snowsuit...mittens...bow & arrow?) had to wait until spring to use it in wisconsin.

ok, so i also got some materials to lay out in hopes that i will be able to keep chaco from messing with the carpet. i don't know if it'll work or not, but i'll be sure to let everyone know!

keep your eyes on the target, otherwise you might get holes in the wall...oh, that's me.
julie

what do cei's and the gingerbread man have in common?

ok, i know what you're thinking..just kidding, no i don't! i'm not a mind reader! but you're about to know what i'm thinking!
but what do they have in common? well...they both make sense only in some kind of fairytale land.

yesterday while i was administering the math TAKS test, i kept hearing a little squeaky sound and thought i saw something out of the corner of my eye. when i looked, i didn't see anything. except for one time. i sneaked a peak and saw the gingerbread warrior flailing his arms, then he froze as soon as he noticed me watching him.

and today, while they were taking their reading test, i was admiring the carpet/rug. it was very colorful and had designs and random letters and numbers everywhere. so, you know how i am about random letters, i started making words, because that's what i do! and then the designs started playing games- for example:

is it 4 flowers, or is it 2 circles beside each other with a diamond in the middle..or two circles on top of each other with diamonds in the middle...or is it just 4 diamonds..or is it on big diamond with a flower in the middle? hmm..and on and on...

but yes, i was actively monitoring the students.

and as i was monitoring, i was reminded that i had agreed to go to a focus group meeting this evening from 5 to 7. downtown.ugh. why do i agree to these things? i got there with no problem. the worse part was once we got inside (a little late), i had no idea what they were talking about besides pay-performance. hmm..well i didn't have much to say until we got to the end and they were talking about the ever elusive CEI (classroom effectiveness indexes-which no one can explain); i did have something to add after that because i don't always have a high CEI, but i know that i am an effective teacher, so i told them that: i sign up every year just for kicks because i know that i should get the performance pay because i perform my job well, but then at the end of the year even though there has been growth, i feel like they've put me in a dark gym and spun me around and said, "you get one shot to make the free throw, but we're not going to point you toward the basket..good luck!"

ok, enough of that, i would like you to know that today i did see something that made me smile. it was probably while the kids were having snack...

i mean, c'mon, tell me that doesn't make you smile!

it reminded me of when i lived in HONDURAS and there was this cage-like not really a zoo, but they had monkeys in a cage. i think it was in tela...anyhoo, we went and a girl got a little too close to the cage (maybe for a picture or something, or maybe to feed them?) but the monkey grabbed her hair and wouldn't let go. somewhat funny, somewhat frightening.

it also took me back to costa rica when we visited a family who lived in the mountains by a river. they had 3 monkeys. the baby was sweet and loved to climb up and be held, but when you tried to out him down and walk away, he would go ape (hehehe)...it was also the first time i saw a Jesus lizard running across the river. they also taught me about cashews. in case you were unaware, cashews have a toxin called urushiol, so they must be roasted (but that has to be done outdoors because they give off a toxic gas). all that from a stuffed animal.

 then one of the boys said he was going to get shoes like mine-the 5 finger vibrams i had on today. well, that got me looking around at their shoes. i was wondering where all their shoes had walked. and then i looked at mine and decided mine have not traveled nearly as much as i was hoping they would. i originally got them to go out and enjoy the wild-which as of yet they have not, so i am looking forward to getting them initiated.

do not let anyone measure your effectiveness by some black hole of malarkey, instead measure effectiveness by how much of a difference you make in the lives of others!
jules

say cheese..only don't leave it in your pocket

ok, so...FYI: if you are using cheese to train your dog/s be sure not to leave it in your shorts pocket. especially if it's swiss cheese.

good thing it wasn't bleu cheese! ew.

we just started using the clicker on our walks again more for chaco than bruno. bruno is pretty good, and when we're out, he won't really eat treats. chaco, on the other hand is not shy nor distracted when it comes to cheese. he is focused with a capital f even though i didn't put one. (what does that even  mean anyway). i tried using the clicker with chaco much earlier, but it scared him because it was so loud, so we put it off for awhile. but today we pulled it out again, and his ears perked up and now he knows what the click means!

we may not be perfect, but we're getting better.

of course they waited til we got home to go to the bathroom again, but at least i got bruno out on the balcony first.

chaco offered to grade the books my kids wrote about their animals, and so i decided it might be good help. i was worried that he would be a softy, but he actually grades much tougher than i do. umm.. pretty much everyone got a big fat "f" because none of them were about dogs. oh, wait, he gave the wolf book a "c" because they said something about being in the dog family.

what-d'ya mean i can't give them all f's

when i delicately explained that they were about wild animals, not domestic animals, he threw the pen and yelled, "no! how could you do this?! fine then! you grade them yourself!" and found a spot to curl up and sleep. good thing he never holds a grudge!

and tomorrow will be my last administration of the TAKS this year! thank goodness. dying do learn the fourth graders scores! i may not be saying that when they actually come, but the not knowing is worse than knowing.

ok, had to share this because he's not curled up anymore. he's been sleeping on his back, and he's had his hands in the air for the last 3 minutes. (my friend says dogs have arms and legs, so surely they have hands as well).

his hands aren't moving. he's been laying in this position. such opposite personalities!

got a little cheese in my pocket goin stink-a-ling-a-ling...(to the tune of keep your hands to yourself).. ok, obviously i'm not the comedian in the family. nite!
julie