Wednesday

I'm so tired.

Last night I stayed up getting my application filled out for the local ISD. I applied for a Teacher's Assistant job, since right now, that's all I qualify for. After I get my online certification schooling application and then an acceptance into the program, then I'll go back and apply again for a classroom teacher job, which I'll need to be in as soon as I finish up the coursework. I feel like I have a good shot of making it all work out.

The application process had me answer all the usual stuff on their website, but also I took a questionnaire through the Gallup organization. It was interesting. I guess they are trying to figure out with these questions if you're really cut out to be a teacher---or in the right level of teaching. Some of the questions were about my feelings about how teaching compares to other professions. Another group were about how I view kids---hopelessly lazy or unreachable, versus being a friend to every student. Do I think humor is a good thing in the classroom? (It is one of my many teaching strategies.) How would I approach a problem? How do I measure success? How important is recognition to me? Do I think all the kids in the class will like me? (no) Very thought provoking.

Looks like I will get to see my sister and family the weekend I go camping with the Girl Scouts. Yea!

Our tax refund is here! yea! But Lar's truck needed $400 of work on his brakes at the mechanic (with another $350 to go really soon). We both need new tires. Whoop! There goes the tax refund---every penny. God did provide, but kinda disappointing to see it go out of the bank so quickly. But The economic stimulus package---it's coming soon as well. I want to make a post about "What I Did With My Money the Government Gave Me Back" pretty soon!

Gotta get to bed!

Stuff Happens

Have you ever heard of Shignella? A highly contagious bacteria? The one that causes stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea? Oh yeah, that one! I was just reading about it on the CDC website since one of B's classmates was just in the hospital this week with it. She had gotten dehydrated and lost weight, so she was in for a night or two. I think we're in the clear, but if B gets any sign of diarrhea or fever or stomach cramps in the next week, we'll be off to the doctor. Her last exposure to this fellow student was Tuesday.

I finished The Good Earth this morning. I enjoyed it, but I was really hoping he wouldn't have so many wives. I guess it was just the norm for the people in that area at that time in history. The way he thought of his land---that he'd never be really poor if he could just hold onto his land---I guess we ought to think of our home---the only part of the land I really own, and not own just yet as we have a mortgage! I think another lesson was that the main character never really did have peace in his house, even when his finances were better. And having money didn't make his sons better people. He was a good person who worked hard. I guess when I think about how a little more money would make thngs easier, I ought to remember him. The only one in hte book without troubles was the "little fool" as he called his daughter who never spoke and was content to just sit and finger a bit of cloth. Interesting to ponder!

So what's up this week?

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt, April 26th

This one Funny Sign is funny on both sides.
Side One:

Side Two:

This isn't my church, but I passed this sign this week and thought it would fit the theme of Funny/Weird Signs. I had to go out and take the photos this morning, which led to the donut shop ($4 of deliciousness for me and the kids) and to the library. I got to talk a long while in the library to J's and B's Kinder teacher---a conversation about job getting at her school and in the district in general. Nice to run into her---and I feel encouraged to move on with my job search/schooling/etc.

If you want to see some more, check out TNChick. I am looking forward to the visiting today!

Next week's theme is Time.

Friday's Feast, April 25th---or 26th?

Just another angle in Sbisa! It is an all-you-can-eat feast in there! The girls ate breakfast foods and lunch foods---all on one plate. Aggie class of 2021! WHOOP!

Appetizer
Name something you would categorize as weird.

My first thought was anything involving cross-dressing.

Soup
What color was the last piece of food you ate?

It was a light tan color---some Chex Mix last night. Not got the breakfast going yet this morning!

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone?

Hmmm . . . occasional days alone----10. Living alone----3. Right now, I think that as I get into my elderly years, I want to NOT be alone. I see it as kind of dangerous to be all alone. But Since I'm a Mom, I get re-charged from being alone and being myself and not catering to others.

Main Course
Fill in the blank: I will _________ vote for ___________ in _______.

I will probably vote for John McCain in November.

I will definitely vote for the bond in our city's election on May 10th. It has to do with funding schools---and my kids will directly benefit form the money if it goes through! J's school needs a new air conditoning system that pulls in fresh air. Please vote for it!

Dessert
Describe your sleeping habits.

I like to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night---and I usually do. I am a morning person, so I am falling asleep after 10 anyway. (I can't do anything intellectual after 9pm!) I get up just before 6.

Transcripts

I got my transcripts in the mail! yea! Now I have some work to do---just in time for my day off. I can start to apply for some jobs online.

Okay, I guess my memory is failing me, but I do not remember getting so many Cs at A&M. But I guess I did rememebr my GPA leaving there, and it seems right. So I must have gotten some Cs! But did I really gets Cs in Anthropology classes? I really liked those! My UNT grades were so much better---no Cs at all.

And as I look over the classes I took---especially the ones at UNT---I really remember them fondly. I took some great classes: Horseback Riding and Tennis for P.E.; Drawing; Creative writing; Linguistics (I'm weird, I really liked it); Texas History; East Asian Philosophy (but it was hard); Physical Anthropology (with the weird professor who analyzed found bones for Dallas County and kept a human head in his trunk for a long while); History of the English Language, even. Those were good times!

I like going to school. :-)

Scouting Out A&M

Statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross---president of Texas A&M and governor of Texas----B's namesake----she would have been Lawrence Sullivan (insert our last name here) if she'd been a boy! Our almost Sully A.!

Today I took B and her fellow scout friend MG to A&M for a badgefest put on by Aggie Girl Scouts. They got to earn two badges. Here they are making a bracelet.

Here are the girls in Sbisa, the dining hall I ate in when I was a student.
The front of Sbisa. The girls are over on the left.
By the Chemistry building fountain
MG and B with the yell leaders---the juniors for next fall. They said they hadn't been thrown in the Fish Pond but were looking forward to it. (The Aggies have to win a home football game for the freshmen to get a chance to catch the yell leaders and carry them to the Fish Pond, so it's really a good thing.)
Here's a large picture of the Yell Leaders taking questions form the scouts. You can see B--over on the right! (Look hard!)
The Yell leaders signed the back of the girls' name tags.
B is posing in the foreground, but the Century tree is in the background. I got engaged under that tree.
The Academic building is my favorite on campus. The guide was telling the girls about the tradition of leaving pennies at Sul Ross's feet for good luck in exams (he tutored students for tips when he was alive).
The tour took us to the end of Kyle Field, where they bury the school mascots. This is where all the Reveille's are buried, with a scoreboard over here so they can keep up with the games.
This is a statue of the original 12th man, E. King Gill. He was at the ready in a tough game with a lot of injuries. We stand during games "at the ready" to go down and play if we are needed. That's B in the foreground.
We had fun at Scouting Out A&M!

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt, April 19th

Today's post is brought to you by the number . . .
Yes, the theme this week is thirteen. I had several ideas, so I am bringing them all to you. A photo essay on the number 13.

First, me at age 13. (1984)

Now me, thirteen years ago---J in utero. (1995)

Next, J when he was 13 months old. I love this picture!! (1996)

And B when she was 13 months old. (1999) It was for J's birthday party, right around Halloween.

I took the number 13 at the top of the post from this photo I took today. (Off B's vest) These guys are the newly elected Fightin' Texas Aggie Junior Yell Leaders---WHOOP!

It was Scouting Out A&M Day at A&M, so I took two of our scouts to earn two badges and get a tour of A&M. We even ate in Sbisa! That was a highlight of my day---to eat in the dining hall I ate in as a student.

And the Yell leaders---that was fun, too. I'll have to post some more Aggie photos later!

If you want some more photos of thirteen, go on over to TNChick's site! Next week's theme is "unique/funny signs" and I'm going to have to work on that one!

Want to win somehting nice?

Dawn over at Dawn's Daily Life is having a giveaway. All you have to do is leave her a comment and you can win an Indian Paintbrush candle from Bridgewater. This is her Something I Love Giveaway, and it ends May 2nd. Check her out! I enjoyed her other blog posts. ;-)

Friday's Feast, April 18th

Yummy dinner on Monday night---from a recipe on the bottle of General Tsao's Sauce.

Appetizer
Name a color you find soothing.

light blue

Soup
Using 20 or less words, describe your first driving experience.

I learned to drive on a standard transmission, so it was herky jerky!

(13 words)

Salad
What material is your favorite item of clothing made out of?

denim

Main Course
Who is a great singer or musician who, if they were to come to your town for a concert, you would spend the night outside waiting for tickets to see?

Really, I don't know if there is anyone who I'd do that for!

Dessert
What is the most frequent letter of the alphabet in your whole name (first, middle, maiden, last, etc.)?

Using my first, middle, maiden and current last name, letter E is my most frequent.

Home Today

I think I made the right choice about staying home from work today.

I'm medicated, but I have a sinus headache and all the gunk that goes with that. But it was right before lunch that confirmed my decision: I had a BIG sneeze, and I got chill bumps all up and down my arms. It made me think I might have a fever. I took the temperature, and it was a tiny bit over 98.6. Just a bit.

So I'm resting up. Doing Laundry, paying bills online, but resting.

My birthday yesterday:
It was a really nice one! I had some birthday song sung to me about 6 times. I got some greetings from friends I didn't even know knew my birthday! I got some presents from my students, and I got to eat out at the Olive Garden with my family. J just embarassed me once, at church by yelling, "It's my Mom's birthday!" in my classroom after class. My sister sent a gift and it got here on my birthday, so that's cool. And a phone call from her, from so far north of me.
So today I have eaten my leftovers from O.G. for lunch (ravioli and shrimp, it's been on TV), and finished my book, Jewel. I really liked it. It made me think a lot, to ponder, to consider. The characters are southern, and part of the book is in the South. But I felt like this was a real lady---loving and self-sacrificing at one moment, but revengeful or judgemental in another. Real. It was interesting how she made a big change for her family, for herself.

Have I said before, I love books about the South? This is an Oprah book, so I was looking around at her other selections from years past. I am going to check out these titles from the library, eventually (maybe):

The Pillars of the Earth
Ken Follett
about cathedral building in the 12th century

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
McCullers
about the South, depression era

Anna Karenina
Tolstoy
hard to read, maybe, but classic from the 1800s

The Good Earth
Pearl S. Buck
about China, written in the 30s

East of Eden
J. Steinbeck
about California, written for his boys before they were adults

Those notes are some of ther reasons I picked those books. If you have read these, please comment!

Did you know I share a birthday with the current pope? The one who's in America? The Catholic girls who were at Girl Scouts yesterday thought that was special. B said, "And if my Mom was Catholic, it would be even more special." Tactful, that one. It's also Kareem Abdul-Jabar's birthday, Charlie Chaplin, and Wilbur Wright. And two people from my past---Karen Williamson and Amy Ivie.

Also, one of the couples at church got two new great-grand-twins yesterday, on my birthday. :-)

Going to lay down now, even though there are wet clothes in the washer . . .

Happy Birthday to Me!

This is me in 1974!

This is my birthday Eve. I always feel guilty for mentioning it, but my birthday is a fun day for me---hopefully! ;-) I guess I want you to celebrate along with me.


Taxes are done---last night, it's all my fault!----so the hope of the return is out there in front of me. And with the economic stimulus package "rebate" or whatever it is---it'll be a good May, I think. Maybe enough to start in on the air conditioner.

This is me in 1976. And this is my traditional rabbit cake. And the haircut I didn't like.

I'm registering B for Girl Scout day camp, mailing off another prescription, paperwork for transcripts from UNT and Texas A&M---lots of paperwork this week.

The transcripts, you ask? What's up with that? I may be making a big move for myself soon. I'm afraid to step out, but I think it's time. Past time, prehaps. I just need someone to say---DO THIS. IT'LL WORK OUT BEST. But no one can know exactly the best option. I'm praying for the right doors to open.

J's Cake I made----2002.

So Happy Birthday to me! I'm turning an age that's a prime number---in my opinion, a bad thing. But Let's make it a better year than the last!

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt, April 12th

Today's theme is Twisted. I think Twister is twisted! ;-) I know it's not the greatest picture, but it has our cute B in it, so it's a keeper.
I had another thought about the theme----Here are some twisted pipes that make beautiful music. J and his French Horn. :-)

Next week's theme is 13. Thirteen? I will have to think about that one!

Check out more Photo Hunters at TNChick's blog. Wonder what other twisted ideas people had?

Friday's Feast, April 11th

Appetizer
What is your favorite vacation spot in the United States?
I've been looking up camping websites this morning! ;-)
I will go back to Niagara Falls, my honeymon spot. (Although I was in Canada.) It's a very cool place.
This also tells you how long it's been since we had a really great vacation!

Soup
If someone else (friend, co-worker, family) brings up a religious or political topic, how likely are you to join the conversation, on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = not likely, 10=very likely).
I work in a religious place, and I've been there quite a while, so I think I'd be a 10 on joining in. I'm pretty comfortable about where I stand and what I believe, and most people I know, know me well enough to not be surprised by anything I would say.

Salad
What song do you listen to when you feel very sad?
Well, do I want to stay sad, or do I want to get out of my Funk?
I will often go back to my comfort music, and this might be on no one else's list, but I reach for my The Very Best of Crowded House CD. You might know "Don't Dream it's Over" or "Something So Strong" from the radio. But every one of the songs on there I know by heart, listening to those for more than 20 years now! It's a comfortable place to be.
And it's in the CD player right now, from when I was playing it this past week!



This next one is the first one on the CD, so with these very opening notes, I think my body goes into a more relaxed state---blood pressure lowered, pulse lowered. And i get the longing to scrapbook, because I love to scrapbook with Crowded House. :-)



I think these songs start out as comforting and sympathizing with my sad spirit, but get me out of the funk as I listen longer. That's what good friends ought to do.

(Rachel---do you concur?)

Main Course
Someone you really admire is coming over for a home-cooked dinner. What do you serve him/her?
Well, probably I'd agonize over it for sometime, and try to guess what they'd like best. Or about dietary needs! ;-) In the end it might be a delicious lasagne recipe I have, or maybe the tried and true unique Sausage Casserole that I have blogged about before!

Dessert
If the only form of transportation left in the world is by animal (horse, mule, camel, etc), where would you live?
I could still live in my town. If they now would allow animals in my neighborhood!

Maybe I'd talk my hubby into moving closer to my parents or my sister. But to go from here to Utah would be too much on a mule, I guess.

This morning I got my questions from The Sun Always Shines on TV and Maui . Our regular host is taking a break! Join in! Enjoy another feast.

Hello!

I just uploaded pictures onto my other blog! Yea!! I was lost without my camera, and I missed posting a photo a day.

Must put my girl child to bed now . . .

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt, April 5th

This week's theme is glass. I took pictures of many stained-glass church windows in Houston in February.

I enjoy stained glass and consider it an art! The churches I grew up in and attend now don't really use stained glass.

I hope you'll come back and see next week's theme: twisted. Sounds interesting!

Check out more photo hunters at TNChick.

Friday's Feast, April 4th

This is a snack we had at school on April Fool's Day this week. Hamburger? or Cookie?

Appetizer
Invent a new flower; give it a name and describe it.

I just can't make up another flower!

Soup
Name someone whom you think has a wonderful voice.

I always like James Earl Jones, but occasionally I hear Tom Selleck's voice on a commercial, and I like that, too.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how clean do you keep your car?

Oh, brother, it's a 3. Not a priority with me! I love it to be clean, though.

Main Course
How do you feel about poetry?

I like the idea of poetry, but it really is still a mystery to me. I have never felt comfortable writing it, but maybe things are changing. I coached B through a poetry assignment the other night, and it turned out pretty good.

Dessert
What was the last person/place/thing you took a picture of?

The last one on my personal camera was of the Girl Scouts walking back to the school building after we had picked up litter in the park.

And here it is. ;-)

Yes, Jamie was there for the first time all school year, and we had one more brother tagging along that day.