bad day? buy cards! need a break? go talk about godzilla!

wow. this afternoon kinda' sucked.

then i had to do CAR pd...which went fine-we were able to get some questions answered that teachers had, which was good. then on the way home, i decided to make a stop at kroger for some cider. well...i stopped by the card and halloween section. you already know i am a sucker for cards, and spent way more than i'd planned on stuff for CAR teachers and cards (they had some AWESOME cards!). that was my therapy-i felt better because i knew that in my bag i had the underpinnings that would eventually create bright spots in other peoples' days. all good-i felt much better!

these cards are not just 'any' cards...i'm usually very particular about the cards i purchase, because as i read them, i usually analyze them and make sure they just right for the certain people i plan to send them to. so yeah...i got cute cards! and fortunately when i got home, there was a check in the mail from the healthy wage challenge for meeting my goal!! woohoo!!! totally worth it! and if you are a disd employee and considering the benefits of doing the cafe wellness program, i highly recommend it-the check in july is TOTALLY worth it!!

happiness=the perfect card that specific person!

the moment you get your entry fee back! snaps for perseverance and commitment! #teameffort

there were good things that happened today:

• CAR PD went well, and my group was able to get things done
• we got through most of our planning sessions, and they went well
• i got to take the dogs for a walk
• i got to wear my new pair of halloween socks that jeri got me 'just because'...she is so thoughtful!
• i am making meatloaf
• and my check from healthy wage came in the mail today!! 

candy corn socks from jeri-they match my earrings!

***tuesday turned into wednesday...they week rolled on and before i knew it, i'd not finished my original post, so now i will bring it to completion****
thursday i was out for a morning for training, and it was okay, but i didn't leave with an overwhelming feeling of "i'm so happy i came." i don't mind going to training, but i have high expectations of trainings. the bright moment was deciding to take the stairs down rather than wait for everyone in the building who was leaving for lunch. so there's that.

when i got back, i had to get the copies ready for our common assessments for next week-our copier is on the fritz...it's one of those maintenance job-security machines. our maintenance guy will always have a job... but it really makes life difficult for the TAs.

we had our school quality review for personalized learning-which is basically just an all-day walk-through in which our central-staff pl folk were out scripting, observing and noticing what was going on, and then matching that up to the objectives and goals that we had set as a school. they were a wealth of information, and it's so necessary to have these types of visits-not so much to show off what we're doing, but to get an accurate portrayal and feedback of what is going well, and what are the opportunities for next steps moving forward.

what i really walked away with, is that we really have a lot to celebrate. with all of the perceived 'problematic-issues,' there are MANY great things happening at cabell! much of it is residual from last year, as we were able to get some things started to move staff (as a whole) in the right direction! thank you, joanne and sean! and of course much of it is due to the resilience and perseverance of the teachers who are carrying on the vision of what they want to see happen in their classrooms...and i would be remiss to not include our new teachers-we have some rock stars, and we're so fortunate that they chose to join our team at cabell, as they are certainly a valuable asset, and bring a wealth of knowledge to the table. do we have room for improvement? ABSOLUTELY!! but that's the most exciting part! i never want to reach the point where we have nothing more to work on, because that would breed stagnancy. and that would suck.

alrighty then, school stuff aside, oh...wait, not yet. last weekend-killed me! i was working on curriculum map-stuff all day saturday (until i realized it was 12:55 am, and i was getting tired)...so i finished on sunday around 8 pm. i did not sign up for this. but it's done, nonetheless.

so for real now, no more shop! (although that's really all i know these days)...yesterday i got home a little late because i went out after school with some friends and it was so refreshing to just talk about silly things with friends-to laugh about godzilla, the black stallion, aliens and trolls...and the cabbage patch hospital...i mean...those are the conversations that make life a little more interesting! i love finding commonalities and celebrating differences. there is nothing more rewarding than building relationships-i believe that is what God created us for.

i arrived home to jumping puppies. bruno was like, "where have you been?!? it's dark out again! i'm hungry, and i just want you to pet me twice and then feed me. that's all."  and of course chaco, "not me!! i just want to bark at you a couple times..wait, where's my toy? here it is! throw it until your arm falls off, please...or i'll keep barking! that'll teach you to not come back right after school, yeah." so, yeah, i felt guilty for about a minute, then once they were fed, they just found their respective places to lay down and sleep, and we were back to normal. my boys!

i should've gone to bed, but for whatever reason, i was thinking about an event from a few years back, and so i began looking through pictures. whenever i do that, my heart just seems to grow and i get that nostalgic feeling because memories of good times are so strong, and it just strengthens the bonds that i have with my friends...i'll be writing more letters this weekend-that's what it does to me. it makes me want to not lose that connection. i feel very fortunate to have so many amazing memories with such a variety of amazing people!

also in the not-extremely exciting category, i renewed my apt. contract-you'd think they'd want to start paying me for being the least annoying client...but no.

 at least rent didn't go up this time. 

and then there's this: i don't get my own stationery back very often, but i got a letter from one of my former kamper/ princess/ ropes course friends! it's always a day-brightener to hear from friends! and a treat to see stationery make it's way back around!! thank you erin!!! -your fairy god-mother

and i think today i'm going to watch gotham (since hocus pocus seems to be unavailable on netflix..), and perhaps late, i will watch fellowship of the ring. these came up in conversation, and i've not watched fellowship in awhile, so it's about time to experience that eucatastrophe once again- gotta keep fantasy alive! i really need to go back and read some of the tolkien letters, and g.k. chesterton books that are sitting on my shelf!

it's almost time to go to orlando for inacol, so i am prepping the boys-hopefully they will be complete gentlemen with joanne...maybe bruno will warm up a little more this time (not holding my breath, because he's usually a one-pat dog, then he likes to find his own little piece of the floor to rest). i am looking forward to the conference-so many great sessions! i wish they were recorded! whenever you travel with people, you learn so much about them. i've found that being with colleagues away from the workplace is certainly healthy and quite enjoyable.

i love that it's halloween and it's still a bit drizzly out! time to make another coffee, sit back, relax and write some letters!
 Chaco: Why don’t ghosts like rain on Halloween?
 Bruno: It dampens their spirits!
Have a great weekend!!
julie

sassy socks say a lot about you as an individual

it's that time of the year again! i get to wear my sassy socks(basically any holiday, or otherwise conspicuous design) and this year, i invested in some halloween earrings-good call! they are a hit (at least with me! every morning i look at myself in the mirror and smile at the little candy corn earrings and say, "hey! cute earrings!!"). i would like to attribute my fondness for sassy socks to cindy, my comair manager. she would wear decorative socks and that stuck with me, and i began looking for them whenever i thought about it. you don't have to be a teacher to wear fun socks, but it certainly doesn't hurt!

bruno joined in and brought his halloween toy..but he didn't really want to play-i think he does that just to get chaco up and jealous, because he won't play with me, and as soon as chaco comes running with his own toy, bruno proceeds to jump up into his spot to lay down. well-played, bruno. clever you!

this past weekend i decided that it was time to go ahead and switch over to my fall wardrobe. i chose black pants/blue shirt. this "allowed" me to go shopping. so i went to ross (a first go to for the basics) and found only 3 pair of black pants that i liked, that fit, so then i decided to check in at target-not much there...so finally i decided to make my way out to the outlets in allen. unfortunately with all of the construction, i got distracted and missed the exit, so i had to take the next one which wound around in a strange fashion near a cemetery, and just took the service road to the back entrance of the outlets, which actually put me right at the store i wanted to be at! found my last pair of pants and some blue shirts! spent more than i planned, but that's alright, as i will not need to do any clothes shopping until perhaps spring. yay!

i also had to get black shoes...as brown shoes with black pants is frowned upon...

unfortunately it's taking a bit longer to break in the shoes. i may or may not have used duct tape to hold cotton ball cushions in place today so that i wasn't limping around with blister heels! it's okay, though, don't worry, you need not be embarrassed for me: I HAD ON MY SASSY SOCKS!!

at least it was purple duct tape..doesn't that get some sort of fashion-points?

tuesday we were finally able to have our playground dedication! it was long overdue, but it was very nice. jeri did an excellent job jumping on it and getting everything ready-decorations, invitations, emails...the perfect people were present to make the moment special for mrs. connelly. we are beyond fortunate to have been the beneficiaries of her generosity! our students love their playgrounds!

dr. hughes was there, as she was actually one of the key factors in helping make the connection. and of course, she asked if i was going to the catch up and read event, at northpark mall- eisman jewelry. then i also received the email from catherine saying she hoped that i would attend. you've seen it here. i've written about it. i do NOT love events. i do NOT love small talk. i can do it- i'd rather not. that said, i went tonight to the event; it's probably best to go to these things so that people can speak with real teachers and disd personnel so that they understand the importance of the cause. reading is important.

the catering was lovely-they were little bite-sized teases, so really, it was almost like i didn't actually eat anything! me to girl: what's this? girl: it's a thinly sliced french baguette with gruyere cheese and a smoked ham. lady next to me after girl leaves: so...grilled cheese and ham.

upon leaving (i stayed super long..for me), i was presented at the door with a sweet gesture-a gift bag with beautiful jewelry sold at the store, and a container of jewelry cleaner with a cloth. which is super coincidental. just this morning, i was looking at a necklace charm and my ring that are looking dull, thinking, gosh, if only i still worked at montgomery wards in the jewelry dept....where that woman threw the purse at me...

love the cleaning cloth-it's magical!

earlier today-this morning i had to go to another training for teacher excellence initiative. and on the way back, i was able to meet with a friend for lunch at fuzzy's to try their fish tacos. to be 100% honest, i was extremely underwhelmed. especially after the sand dollar! dude..even MINE are better! but the weren't bad, and it was really more about seeing carla than being a restaurant critic! i absolutely covet friend time, and although we live in the same area, we don't see nearly enough of each other! so we basically only got to share briefly, the saying "in a nutshell" well... we're talking about a hazelnut. (smallest nut in the mixed nut section-umm...don't look that up in images, just trust me).

stella dot. i've mentioned my friend brandy before-she is a breast cancer survivor- one of brandy's friends did an event in her honor and donated proceeds toward research for breast cancer, and so, while i am not a super-trendy jewelry person, i did find a little plaque-charm that was customizably (yep, made that word up) engraved, so i decided it would be appropriate to engrave NMBG, and for those who receive letters from me, that is how i close out my letters. i LOVE it-perfect size! and i had the perfect necklace to couple it with my kanakuk cross. perfect and for a worthy cause!

cutest little packaging!

nothing matters but God!

the cross has tennis shoes hanging on it, as kanakuk is a Christian sports camp. 'kamp' 

i'm sure everyone is wondering what has been happening in the cabell garden. well...let me tell you! the only thing going on right now is pumpkins in one bed, and peppers, mint, lemon-oregano, russian kale and lavender in another. we had a group of high school volunteers from shelton come to help us get the garden in shape for students and teachers to begin using again as an outdoor classroom. several have, but now it's really ready and we can get classes involved in the planting and maintenance! 

green baby pumpkins!! how cute are they?! 

also in the garden, we have been having electrical problems, which means that in essence, the pump has not been working to filter the pond. i have made requests and sent emails regarding this, and i am afraid to go out there, for fear that i will see a bunch of floaters. the gold fish are fairly hardy, but breathing is essential...so, i will try one more time-if it does not get resolved this week, i am considering ridding the pond of fish and having a give-away in plastic bags. i am not fond of fishing them out with the net and disposing of them. and i really don't think teachers will use it as an opportunity to discuss the cycle of life. yuck. 

and i'm pretty sure this is the culprit. the breaker won't flip all the way, but then...the district electricians know this because they came out to look at it. i don't know why it wasn't fixed...band-aids. boo. but when i looked in there, i got a kick out of the 'secerity' label! please watch this video to see why it tickled me so much! (pay close attention at 1:30!)

and to top it off, this week i received some very fun mail from two very dear friends, and for that i am grateful! 

such a fun 'dia de los muertos' card! thanks b!

laura sent me some fun mail as well, and the book about miss rumphius was perfect! what a special thought! i SO want to live in my house by the sea (ocean), and make the world more beautiful! thanks, laura!!

 yesterday afternoon when i got home, i took the boys for a walk because it was barely beginning to sprinkle, and they were dying for a short walk, so i grabbed the umbrella and we set out around the pond. chaco was a sissy. he kept stopping and looking up and finally he said, "hey, if you want to get around this pond, you might want to pick me up right now. i can't see. the rain is getting in my eyes." so whiny. anyhoo, i picked his little damp, muddy self up and tucked him in like a football. bruno on the other hand was leading forward and actually enjoying the rain. bruno would be comparable to a mountain man, chaco would be the gq metrosexual. when we got back to the house they ran around to every cloth covered surface to dry off. and later that evening chaco found this spot on the couch (which is not typical for him; he usually curls up beside me under a blanket), but the look on his face as he put his nose down between his paws was just too much. #theyownme

i love him. 

 time to rest up for another busy week!
julie

btown, bmayes, b with friends, b safe!

it's ou/tx weekend!! that's why i left! um..ok, not the real reason. actually, a few weeks ago, my friend bmayes shot me a text suggesting a visit to branson. a friend of ours would be getting married, and what better time to visit the ozarks than fall, with the changing of the leaves. so we made plans, but the details were not quite hammered out. it was perfect because it was that weekend that dallas elementary schools have fair day on friday!

unfortunately, as you saw in a previous post, my radar detector went out a couple of weeks ago, and had me feeling naked in my car...like something was missing! so i knew that going on a trip would probably require the comfort and security of a radar detector, but the alarm store where i'd made the original purchase was closed down and no longer there, so i had to look it up on my phone and was pleased to see that best buy sold them. so i stopped in and purchased the new guy.

bff

last week, i got the text that said the wedding was actually to take place at 4 pm on sunday. hmm...that was not good news for me because if you add in the reception, that would put me home WAY late. so, unfortunately as i sit here, i am thinking that i will miss the wedding-because i really want to get home safely. so we decided to drive in separate cars so that b can stay for the wedding.

as i was driving through oklahoma, almost at the halfway point, i knew that i should stop to get windshield wipers, because the ones i had were getting flappy (you know, when the rubber starts to come off and just starts flapping around). um. so when i saw the dark nimbus clouds in the rearview, i decided it was time to stop at walmart in mcalester. and guess what. when i walked out of the store, it was raining. great. so i put my hood up and proceeded to replace my wipers in the rain. i was having a little difficulty, and a young man came over and offered to help. he showed me exactly what i needed to do, so the second one was a cinch! i've been daydreaming about getting new wipers, because i remember getting the new ones for the g-6 and being overwhelmed by the efficiency and the amazing work these things do!

be still my beating heart!

because we drove separately, i was able to leave early and get up to see mom and dad's new place! i had the address, but there was no reception, so when i got to the general area, i turned off to the right on old hwy 5, not realizing that every turn off on hwy 5 is old hwy 5! so when i turned off and drove up a way to see the number on the mailbox, it was too high...i knew i had to go back, but what i didn't know was turn to the right or left. so i started driving and went with my gut and turned on the other side of the highway, and drove up a bit-fortunately i have a good gut-my intuition was right! (it was GOD) i saw mom's car, and when i pulled in, i saw her wind chimes and i knew i was in the right place! i got the nickel tour, and they have quite the property- so i got to spend a little time with them before back-tracking to come back down to toward branson west, where we met up for dinner at dana's bar-b-que! love me some bbq nachos! (if you ever visit b-town, i would highly recommend dana's).

once our appetites were taken care of, we took off to find the air bnb the bmayes had booked. i was following, and we got a little turned around because the directions said to turn in at a time-share complex, and it was a bit confusing...so we came back and took the directions, which led us down to a little road that wound around the complex and into a little mobile home park nestled in a little treed area near table rock lake. the light was on, some music playing and a pumpkin signaling that fall was in the air-so inviting! cozy little place!

by the time we got there, it was probably around 9pm, and i was exhausted from a long day of driving. for some reason, as soon as i got into mo, people seemed to be just driving stupid...passing at their cruising speed, which took them forever to get around semis..this drove me crazy!! driving etiquette folks, if someone is coming up behind you, accelerate, get around the slow car and move yourself on over. it drove me NUTS. i will refrain from revealing my speed, as it was a bit ridiculous. but i digress, bmayes was in the main area room, and i set up camp in the additional add-on space. i figured, since i brought one of my memory foam mattresses (remember how i travel with it whenever i can?), i would take the futon. well, it so happens that the futon was a bit smaller in dimension than mine. this basically meant that the mattress lay sloping on both sides, i tried it-nope. moved it, there was still quite an incline, and i thought it might work, so i tried it.

well, i woke up several times, thinking i should take the mattress and just lie on the floor...i didn't, and i didn't until finally, i couldn't handle it anymore. it was about 6am, so i pulled the mattress to the floor, trying not to wake bmayes in the other room. the best two and a half hours of sleep that night! morning! when i woke up, i was already thinking about breakfast! so i got on yelp and found billy gail's cafe. it sits near a campground, just up the way from silver dollar city. i had seen it several times before, but never stopped. they had great reviews, and when bmayes was awake, she said she'd seen the same thing! so it was a deal!

we drove up to the joint, and as promised by yelp reviews, it was busy-hoppin'! b dropped me off to find a parking spot, and i put our name in-45 minute wait. yes please. i knew i needed a cup o' joe, and then we stood outside with a bunch of other patrons and waited patiently; good chance for conversation! when we finally got sat, we ordered the pecan cakes and biscuits and gravy with a side of eggs to split. wow. it was delicious! good biscuits and gravy make me happy! when we were finished, we were graced with a visit from gail herself! quite the firecracker, this old gal! she and bmayes had a bonding moment, as her granddaughter is named brittany as well.

then we got back to the pad and watched the ou/tx game. sorry tx fans, i cheer for ou, because so many of my closest are from there! unfortunately tx had a lucky day.

after the game, we took off to springfield to get donuts! hurts-thank you! we decided we should take them with us to trish's, as she had offered to make taco soup for dinner that night! yum! so we were able to get the best donuts and back to trish's by 5:30. time with these two is so much fun! we just sat and talked for a couple of hours; i can be very blunt with them, and i know they don't judge me. i am not p.c. around my closest friends. i don't have to be. to be fair i am really not fond of being politically correct anyway. i'm not a politician, so i have no reason to be a hypocrite. if it's going to offend someone, i'd rather just not talk about it at all instead of trying to wear kid-gloves (my hands are much to big and my opinions can come off a little harsh). so i cherish my time with these two, which is why it was a fun surprise when trish invited us back for breakfast hashbrowns the next morning!

we wanted to get some coffee from this cute little joint in hollister, but unfortunately it was closed on sundays. so we went ahead and grabbed our coffee at casey's and made our way to trish's again. we let ourselves in, because it really is home-away-from-home...and grabbed our plates and just kinda' made ourselves at home, because that's how we roll. no one in sight, so we just figured they were getting ready for something or...something. shay came up and was like, "hey! what's going on?! does my mom know you're here?" probably not. so she went and got trish, who just laughed when she saw we'd gone ahead and helped ourselves. like i said: home-away-from-home!

we were going to go geo-caching, but we ended up going to look for shoes instead, and it took awhile, but we finally found something that was going to work well for the dress bmayes had. alas, by the time we left kohl's, it was already almost 1! WHAT?! that basically meant that when we returned, i packed up and took off. the drive home was uneventful, although when i stopped at the rest area, there weren't many family cars, or others around, but there was a man walking around with his cell phone..so i made certain to grab my knife for security purposes-better safe than sorry? i mean...doesn't everybody carry knives with them? or something to protect self?  #ilikebeingalive

never a 'dull' moment!

i picked up the boys the next day, and they seemed to have had a wonderful time with joanne! chaco talkin' all about the backyard, and begging me for one..so i told him when we went to visit mom and dad's new place, he could enjoy theirs.

i can't believe it was just a week and a half ago! which means that a lot has happened since then, and i should be writing up another post in the next few days!

julie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

came home to find the older sibling of my baby nutribullet

i was at school the other day and caught some dude working on the elevator. it wouldn't have been all that interesting, had i not watched LEVERAGE on netflix recently. so i got close enough to kinda' look at what was going on, and get an idea of what it might be like to ride on top of the elevator to pull off a huge heist. which of course wouldn't occur here at our school...unless you were trying to heist construction paper, kleenex or crayons.

slightly blurry because i didn't want elevator dude to think i was spying on him.

 and we were so excited to have jeri back! she took a long vacation across the ocean, and it was so fun to partake in the morsel that she brought back! yum!

thank you, Spain, with a hint of anise! wish i'd had some coffee to go with that, but i was much too impatient!

 so...things have been a little crazy around campus-as expected. so i have decided to join the crazy and maybe for halloween do a little kitty art...tbd

i have indeed been trying to eat paleo again, and loving it! found a great site that offered some paleo brownies! they were not bad!

http://paleogrubs.com/best-paleo-brownie-recipe

and back to green shakes for breakfast on weekdays-it's quicker and easy cleanup! which means i've been giving my nutribullet a workout, so once again...when i turned on the t.v. saturday morning, i was riveted to another paid infomercial! STOP! it was the big brother of my handy-dandy little guy...i had to have it. it's the RX...and it makes hot soups too! YES!

so it's been a busy week- i was off campus on monday and tuesday locked away in a prison off campus at one of our middle schools, working on some curriculum guides. it was a good exercise, in that it gave us an opportunity to dive deeper into the standards. then today i passed on going to a 'changing the odds' conference because i'd gone last spring to a mini-conference and wanted someone else to have an opportunity..and so in staying on campus, i was able to see how the 'skype-for-business'  could work on campus. it has potential. then, after school today, there was a homecoming parade.

when i arrived at the high school, there were about 3 students there with their parents. so i kept looking for more peeps from our school, and they began trickling in-it was almost nerve wracking waiting and looking for the 'float' and everyone who was supposed to be present! but as the time drew closer, everyone was assembling, and the float made it! so we lined up and prepared ourselves for the march! it was fun to see the kids excited-the cheerleaders in their outfits and they knew their cheers! so proud of them! they kept the noise up pretty much the entire parade! great job cabell!! AAAANNNNNDDDD...i got a free jeans day pass out of it-totally worth it.

proud of our PTA moms that went to work last-minute to get a float put together! bigger and better next year!

when i got home from the parade, i was not expecting it, but there was the package at my door! my nutribullet rx! i can't wait to make a soup and some other fun blends!

so...i may have already gone in and tabbed about a zillion gazillion pages already that i want to try!

and the most exciting little part was the alfalfa brush! look at that single little bristle! i guess that's in case you want to paint? and the single bristle is for the micro tiny line.

i mean...please look at this beast. can't wait-meals for a week! seriously though, the other great thing about it is that at the push of the button on this one, it will do its business and stop when it's good and ready. and as i mentioned before, it makes HOT soup! it's the smart machine. i have to watch the baby...

i may have gone into walmart the other day with intentions of only getting a couple of food necessities, but then i meandered over into a section i never should have gone to..and i had no choice. i had to purchase the cute stationery and pens...

i've been using both types, and i am preferential to the pastel set-finer point gels. and as for the stationery, i've already sent out a few good letters on it! in fact, i am once again out of stamps...down to one batman (refer to previous post).

in other news, i should know better. bruno was out of sight for a bit, and then not too long afterward, out of my peripheral vision, i saw bruno trounce up his ramp toward the couch and a little something rolled down the ramp; he turned around as if he had dropped something and was going back to get it, so out of pure intuition, i said in a harsh tone, "bruno! no!" then i looked up and my gut was right.

it was a little poopie. jerk. why does he insist on this???

the boys do seem pretty excited now that the weather has cooled enough to actually go on walks! i've been doing my best to get up early and go for a walk around the pond in the mornings before school. in fact, they've gotten to the point that as soon as i put my shoes on, they are jumping up on the couch and running around in hopes that i'll grab their leash off the hook by the door, and if i don't take them, they pout.
but last saturday, we took not one, not two, but THREE walks! we drove over to vitruvian park for our long walk, and as difficult as it was, chaco didn't bark at anyone!

this happens a lot when i try to get a good pic of them...they stand looking in opposite directions..is this an 'i don't like you' stance, or a guard-post stance? not entirely sure.

mid-pant, bruno looks like he could almost be pretending to be a vicious piranha. 

alright, so that's really all i got-i shouldn't wait so long next time because details seem to get lost.

labor day, fish tacos and trail tots (nothing like tater tots)

first countdown: labor day-check! now, only 80 days to the next big one-thanksgiving! (that's 11 weekends!) and only 104 days until Christmas (15 weekends! not that i'm counting...) we've made it to labor day with no major glitches. although, i did receive a message that i need to do my tei calibration test again-in basics, it's just a test to ensure that we (coaches and administrators) are on the same page and really using the rubric to evaluate during distinguished teacher reviews. which means another half day off campus. boo.

on thursday i almost forgot to go to the chiropractor-mostly because i simply forgot it was thursday, and i was super excited because we were able to get a larger pool than i anticipated to participate in CATCH UP & READ (CAR),which is the program we began working with last year. in fact, i'd only had one person answer the call and step up to the plate, so i was afraid we'd not be able to have the program. so i sent out one last ditch effort email and gave a brief 5 minute spiel at our pd session, and after some begging and cajoling, we were able to get enough teachers to match it up in such a way that some will work the program every other week, and some will work it one day every week instead of two, to cut down on the over-commitment. hopefully it will go well, and be beneficial to everyone involved! i am going to do everything possible to make it fun and really show appreciation to the teachers, TAs and students involved!

as i began to say, i was so excited about the turn-out, that i almost forgot about my chiropractor appointment! i'm so glad that i didn't because had i missed it, i would've missed this gem! i was driving, minding my own business, when out of the peripheral, i noticed an suv to my left passing by. only without actually looking at it, it seemed oddly shaped. then i noticed that was because it wasn't an suv! it was a ridiculously tall car. dear sir, over-sized wheels do not make you a monster truck. sorry. i'll bet it makes it easier to tip the car over.

he has no idea how ridiculous he looks.

 and i also found out that the chiropractor is closed on monday for labor day! so i would've missed a whole week of adjustment and probably wasted a trip on monday, not knowing it was closed. 

i made no big plans for labor day, which is allowing me to save money-which is part of the plan! as part of the 'no plans weekend,' this morning the dogs were ecstatic about going out for a walk that was longer than just going around the pond! we did the back trail, and as we were walking, i had to keep them away from the 'nature-y' part of the trail, because there is still a bunch of poison ivy over yonder. then i saw some fruit on the ground, some of which had been bitten into and pulled apart. so i picked one up, as they looked to be some sort of nut, and i wanted to take it home to identify it.

i googled the images of the fruit, and found it to be exactly what i had suspected-PECAN! that was exciting! i decided to peel it and see the nut inside. and just like the walnuts used to do, it stained my fingers-darn it! why is it that the good things in life can be so messy?!? anyhoo, i will be watching that tree closely as we move to late september and into october! i hate paying so much for pecans at the store-robbery!

it looks like i was fingerprinted with pecan fruit

and last night as i was contemplating cleaning out my closet, i got sidetracked when i found my trail tot book...AND the vest! yes. i was in trail tots when we lived in raytown, mo back in the day! that was in the kinder year. 6 yrs old. and i rocked trail tots at our church! the lady in charge was mrs. aubry, the mother of curtis, one of my brother's friends. (may have had a crush on him). and the aubreys were good friends with my parents. as for trail tots itself, we did crafts, learned verses, played games...one of the things i remember doing while we were at the church was finding an animal print out in the yard and making a plaster cast of it (not sure what that has to do with Jesus, but it was pretty darn cool)...and finding a crab apple tree- i don't think our leader encouraged or even knew that we had picked apples from the tree, but i learned very quickly that they were not delicious.

this piece of vintage pleather still fits. yes, i did try it on, and i almost threw my shoulder sockets out trying to get it off! 

using the write from the beginning rubric, i believe the picture should receive a rather high score.

perhaps this was part of the development of my love for letter-writing!

DRAW SOMETHING THAT GOD MADE: please note snow-capped mountains, the tree with leaves, and the dead tree with no leaves and a hollow...the birds at different distances...AND the helicopter! God didn't make that, but what a lovely addition!

as i think about the things we did, look at the question at the bottom of the page, what we were doing at church was in essence engaging us in our interests and preparing us for school- verbal interaction, memorization skills, community and civics...i really wish more of our students were involved in something like this outside of school or before they came to our campus, because it really is beneficial!

i am doing my best to stay away from brats (the hot dog-kind) this weekend, even though it is truly the food for labor day, because i cannot buy just one, i have to purchase an entire package, and then i have to eat them within a certain time-frame before they go bad, and it really isn't on my list of good meats. so instead, i purchased fresh fish at the store yesterday and today i ventured to make blackened fish tacos at home. they were actually quite good! and i still have 1 1/2 fillets left, so i'll be eating fish tacos this weekend-and i'm not even a tiny bit sad about that!

alright, for all of you that work (for those of you that do not work-and are capable, i don't think you should take part in this holiday, as you are riding on the backs of those who do), remember that this day: honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country. God Bless America!

alrighty then, have a fabulous long weekend!!
julie

postal workers, new stamps and letter-eating-dogs (fortunately this time it wasn't mine!)

it never fails. yesterday afternoon, when i got out of our meeting, i remembered that i had to turn in that debit card! i left school, thinking the bank closed at 5 pm. i raced out of there and realized at the major intersection that i didn't remember where the nearest wells fargo was...so i turned south on marsh, remembering that there were 2 banks up on forest and marsh. when i got to the corner, i saw a chase sign, so i thought, 'well, perhaps it's the one right around the corner..' when i turned the corner, it was another chase. weird. i guess they just wanted to make it easier for people to access from either side of marsh. time was winding down...it was 4:52...8 minutes; so rushed up forest and turned on midway thinking there was one by the interstate-i was right! did i mention i was in a hurry and because of this, i was a mean driver? well, it's true. it's a little shameful-i was so glad i had no passengers #nowitnesses so i parked and seeing the hours were open until 8 (strange), i burst through the door and i'm fairly certain i had a rather confused look on my face as i stopped mid-step, because the guy looked at me and said, "the bank? it's around back." i'd walked into the phone store without even looking at the sign and realizing it wasn't wells fargo! apparently it happens often. so off around the corner to the bank-duty done!

 i hope the lady didn't close out the card and have to get a new one! but even if so, hopefully she'll be relieved that she won't have to go through all of the paperwork of someone stealing it and running it up!

i have four letters in my bag to send off...but i've been out of stamps for about 5 days-it's been rough! i hate sitting on letters and having to wait to send them, so today i made the dreaded stop at the post office. as i pulled in, i was very thankful to see that the parking lot wasn't full! short line! the lady next to me asked if the nearest clerk was wearing rubber bands around her head. i felt like turning to look at her to say, "WOMAN! what is WRONG with you?!? postal workers, hello? edmond, ok...'86???" instead, i just informed her that it looked to be gold chains fashioned into a headband. and of course, that had to be the next available clerk, and i was up. i asked for a roll of stamps and she informed me that they were out, so i overly dramatically sighed and did the whole body sag, as she asked if i'd like 5 sheets...um. no. it's really difficult to roll sheets up in a small space, sorry. i may have made kind of a big deal about it as i explained to her the huge inconvenience of not having a roll-but i did it nicely...if not humorously. i've had this clerk before, and i think she appreciated a little personality, because when i finally said, "(sigh) fine. i'll take one sheet of the batman and one of the regulars. and this card," (which i'd seen on the card rack), she used a discount coupon, so i got the card for half price, and she put another coupon in the bag for next time. it won't take long to go through two sheets. in fact, once i put the stamps on the letters in my bag, i was already feeling the OH-NO-I'M-LOW-ON-STAMPS feeling. does anyone else go through that anxiety, or do most people just run out of stamps and think. oh well, i'm out of stamps...maybe i can peel one off an old letter and get away with it...

holy toledo, batman!!

i've already got my eyes set on a card i saw today! 

and now i have another one to rewrite. i sent a letter to one of my cousins up in iowa, and i just got a message from her this after noon on facebook. i'll let you read it for yourselves:

it made me smile

i was not shocked, as this sounds like something that bruno and chaco would do! how many times have i caught bruno trying to explain why it was so important for him to shred my documents! so teachers, take note, sometimes the dog does eat the homework-don't penalize the student for the dog's behavior!

the rest of the week is pretty crazy at school. i have some things i really would like to get done tomorrow, as i will be off campus part of the day thursday for PL and all day friday for a mandatory teacher excellence initiative training.

i am excited to report that i finally filled out a report on the online apt site. it has been really exciting that they finally got it set up to pay online! so while i paid my last bill, i made a request for them to change out the lightbulbs in the breezeway, as 2 of the three have been out since before summer...i cannot believe that none of my neighbors reported it! boo. it was so dark out there, it was a little creepy-if only i could've held out until halloween! i was surprised when i arrived today and saw the maintenance man at the golf cart with a bunch of bulbs. he asked me if i knew which lights were out, so i informed him, and he turned the lights on (they are normally on a timer), and he began getting to work. apparently the third floor was not the only floor in need of bulbs. well, i just opened the door to look, and i see that the lights are all in working order-no more shady business around here!

oh, and here is the teacher poster that each staff member made to put in front of their door. it took awhile for them to put mine up- i made sure to add a little flair-i should've put something kanakuk on the poster, because it has been such a huge part of my life, but i wasn't sure what all they were wanting on the poster. sad face. hindsight.

so..i wasn't sure if they would appreciate the humor with the baby pic...

and yesterday, i was told that i had a package in the office that said: julie macgeyver robinson. i laughed, because i immediately knew who it was from. HA! so, i did not self-nickname, that was done when wendy miller was our prized fellow! and it stuck.

coke points. (coca cola, thank you very much)

and today on the way home i decided it would be wise to go ahead and get those stamps. so i stopped by the post office

so, i'm just sitting here staring at my new enlarged beach picture on the wall, and imagining the coconut bread...it's like a window to the beach! it was so worth it! peaceful and relaxing.

julie