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