Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

• my stellar family and friends
• the many blessings in my life, and being able to recognize them (big and small)
• the fact that things always work out God's way, not my way...this is way good because I don't have a clue what I'm doing most of the time :)
• my health
• my job
• Auburn's very first ever BCS #1 ranking...cautiously excited (very, very, very, very excited :) )
• the beautiful, gloriously cool fall weather that arrived here today (to stay? could it be???)
• a successful first Honors Club meeting after school today
• the chance to go on a walk this afternoon
• no ill effects (so far) from my flu shot
• getting to catch up on my "Jersey Shore" this week...I should be embarrassed about how happy that show makes me (but I'm not)
• my new nail polish...never thought I'd get on board with gray nail polish, but I love it
• wrapping up my second grad school class...one more to go for this semester!
• Christmas Village plans with my Mimi next week
• the silent, dramatic interpretation of the Jamestown experience my kiddos did in Social Studies today...it was hilarious and they LOVED it
• a (hopefully!) relaxing weekend coming up, and the start of a new family tradition on Sunday
• no more dreams about Michael Myers since that awful Tuesday morning...let's hope it stays that way!
• payday tomorrow!
• "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" on TV tonight...the holidays are officially here!!!!

HAPPY WEEKEND!

I had a dream...

My alarm went off this morning at 5:30, as usual. I clearly remember turning it off, making grand plans to reset it for 5:45, and being excited to catch a few more minutes of sleep. Only by the grace of the good Lord did my eyes open at...wait for it...wait for it...6:16. Ick. I try to leave every morning by 6:30ish, so I was panic-stricken. I think I set a new land-speed record getting ready and, thankfully, made it to school right on time. With wet hair, zero jewelry, and considerably less makeup than usual, but I made it.

Oh, and what was it that woke me up from my extra long slumber? A dream I was having. A scary dream. A dream I didn't want to have. A dream about this weirdo:

That's Michael Myers in the original Halloween movie. He's just finished killing a guy, throws a sheet over himself, puts on the dead guy's glasses, and (slowly, silently...so yikes) walks up to the girlfriend. She apparently has 11 brain cells and takes a stupidly long time to figure out that this. is. NOT. her. boyfriend. It doesn't end well for her. If you've never seen this, I'm jealous of you.

I was dreaming about this. I woke up right before he grabbed me. Rise and shine, indeed!Michael Myers dream + oversleeping = the opposite of how I like to kick off my Tuesday mornings.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

• my awesome family and precious friends
• the grace of God, which gets us through the bad times
• the power of prayer
• opportunities to reflect on how blessed I truly am
• my job, and how sweet everyone has been to me this week
• the thoughtful cards my kiddos and my "math babies" made for me while I was gone...so cute, and so (unintentionally) funny
• the fact that one of my kiddos calls the Tums he has in the nurse's office "TumTums"...and has all week long...I don't have the heart to correct him because it's so stinkin' cute...so cute that sometimes I pretend like I didn't hear him the first time so he'll have to say "TumTums" again
• pretty fall weather
• my mulled cider and pumpkin spice candles (who are getting a whole lot of burn time these days)
• getting to celebrate 2 way cool friends this week...happy birthday LA and Sara K!
• TumTums
• chugging through my first semester of grad school...not tons of fun yet, but definitely manageable
• a chance to catch up a bit on sleep and life this weekend...much needed
• rediscovering this today...heard about it on Rick and Bubba this summer and it made me giggle again today
• TumTums

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Sometimes

Sometimes, something happens that takes your breath away and changes the track your "life train" was traveling on. Sometimes, you're left wondering why. Sometimes, you're reminded in a not-so-subtle way how short life is and how thankful you should be for each moment.

Uncle Mack was too young to go and we didn't expect this at all. If anyone reads this, please pray for Uncle Mack's wife Tammy and his kids Jerry, Sarah, Abby, Spencer, Leannan, and Maggie. Please pray for Mimi and Grandad. Please pray for DennyJ and Aunt Dianne. Please pray that all the rest of us know how to help in the best ways possible. I don't even know what to do or think right now. Please pray.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:

• my family and friends
• my health
• my job
• fun plans this weekend :)
• fall weather finally (finally???) here to stay
• the safe rescue of all of the miners/rescuers in Chile...I watched so much of it on TV that I'm fairly positive I could rescue any of you if you got stuck in a collapsed mine
• getting to climb Yogurt Mountain tonight with a sweet friend
• the birth of sweet baby Luke Conerly today...so excited for Suzy and Ian!
• the fact that I got to be friends with this cool kid for 14 years...
  (This was from Psychedelic '03, my very first sorority date party. I was new in Auburn, with 1.5 new friends and -4 date possibilities. I was planning to just wallow around in my dorm room instead of going by myself. Mikee very kindly offered to take me so I didn't have to skip out, and even willingly wore women's clothes from the thrift store. And yep, he even volunteered to go shopping with me. His $2 pants were too tight to button so we had to rig them up with a rubber band...after he laid down on my bed trying to suck it in. He even treated me to a fancy dinner of frozen burritos...heated up in the MICROWAVE, no less. Mikee made that such a fun night, and made me feel a whole lot less like a loser freshman. Easily one of the highlights of my college days.)

I miss him and that sweet smile and his crazy hair and his totally infectious laugh. A whole lot has changed in the 5 years since he left us, but he is still definitely loved and missed. Every day.

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Just sew sew...

I think I was getting a little bored with the "same old, same old". And honestly, maybe I was getting a little cocky. I mean, I taught my own self how to sew. I can crank out burp cloths, bibs, and headbands like a machine. So I decided to branch out. Yesterday, on my day off, after crossing off everything on my to-do list, I decided to make myself a throw pillow. I found a great tutorial, bought the world's cutest fabric, and set to it. Two hours later, I was nearly in tears, with a much-too-long, impossible-to-sew-up "throw pillow".

My task: I needed to sew 3 buttonholes. My dilemma: I don't know how to sew buttonholes. I practiced and practiced and still couldn't get it. No problem...I just sewed on the buttons by hand, not realizing that the buttonholes are IMPERATIVE to making this work.

So now she's unfinished, and will remain that way until I gather up the motivation to finish what I started. Sometimes, we all need to be humbled a bit.

Oh well, at least the fabric and buttons are cute!

Thankful Thursday

Just realized I didn't participate in Thankful Thursday last week. Woops. I'm definitely thankful, but sometimes don't feel very bloggy. Back to normal this week!

Today I am thankful for:

• my family and friends...love 'em love 'em love 'em


• my job...it wears me out daily, but I'm glad to have it


• the lessons I'm learning this year


• my health


• the beautiful fall weather we're having...still a liiiittle warm, but I'll take it


• getting to sew last weekend, and getting to mail out some little bundles of baby goodness I adore these new fabrics, particularly the dotty/swirly one. I'm thinking of making myself a hot new outfit out of it. Thoughts? Yes? No?
  {It's a little ridiculous how happy sewing makes me.}

• Kira and Princess Sugarpieangelface coming to visit this weekend...I love visitors, particularly of the former-bathroomie-and-her-precious-babe variety
• a field trip tomorrow
• making an A in my first grad school class, and maybesortakinda deciding on what I want to ultimately do with all this extra schooling I've decided to put myself through
• the new devotional book I bought this week
• t-shirt tiiiiiiime tonight! I. love. this. show.
• a day off on Monday...yes, please!

HAPPY WEEKEND!

STOP the presses!

I just read something that totally altered the course of my fall. I am elated. Beyond elated...euphoric! This article states that...ready yourself...the pumpkin shortage is over!!! No more waiting list at Publix. No more hoarding cans in my pantry. I'm gonna eat pumpkin in EVERYTHING. Pumpkin muffins. Pumpkin pancakes. Pumpkin salsa soup (so yum). Pumpkin to dip my fries in instead of ketchup. Pumpkin on a spoon, straight out of the can. Just kidding about the last two, but NOT kidding about my level of excitement. I plan to take on an orange hue by December. Bring on the pumpkin!

Here kitty kitty...

Where I live, there are a few homeless cats wandering around. I guess people just dump them outside when they move away and leave them to fend for themselves. Without climbing up on to my soapbox about such hideous thoughtlessness, the cats seem to be at least finding something to eat and have adjusted alright to their new life outdoors. All except for the new kid. I've seen him the last few days and he's pitiful, poor fella. He just sits looking around and meowing.

I was out walking this evening and every time I looked around, New Kid was behind me. Following me. Looking at me with those sad little eyes. It was more than this girl could stand. All I kept thinking was, "Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me." I even called Mom to see if she thought that verse applied to animals. If this was a test of my faith and compassion, I didn't want to blow it. (Have I ever mentioned that I'm a weirdo who overthinks nearly everything? If I haven't, now's a good time.)

I couldn't take it. I cut my walk short, fired up ol' Mitzy, bought two cans of cat food at the gas station, and proceeded to climb through the woods calling for New Kid. I was about to give up because I was running out of daylight, but I finally heard him. New Kid was answering me. I couldn't convince him to come to me, so I left his food for him. I hope he found it. I hope that $0.89 can of Tuna Delight was the best meal he's ever eaten. I hope it made New Kid feel (at least momentarily) better about his new life.

Utter trash

The only people who knew this about me before today were family members. They have no choice but to love me, no matter what weird stuff I get tied up in. After admitting this to two friends at work today, I'm ready to come totally clean. I look forward to something every week that is best described as complete and utter garbage:

Jersey Shore. It's such a pointless show, and certainly does not contribute to my "betterment" as a human being. Doesn't matter though, because not only do I not change the channel, I seek it out! Since the trainwreck airs on Thursdays, tonight (unfortunately) is not the night. I think I may sew instead to fill up my time, you know, after I complete my GTL routine. You think the guidettes from Jersey Shore have spent much time with a sewing machine? I'm gonna go with a resounding NO.

Publix's #1 fan

I set out to do a little stocking up at Publix yesterday and was most delighted with the results. This may just be my biggest haul (and biggest savings) yet...

Total before coupons/store deals: $79.68

Total after coupons/store deals: $40.70

(Total savings: $38.98)

I was the most excited about the 8 cans of soup I got for $7.16...they were Buy One, Get One Free and I had some coupons. Now, what I'm going to do with 8 cans of soup? Not sure. My grandbabies can probably help me finish them off someday. Seeing all that Progresso soup in my buggy took me back to my dorm days, when I lived off of Progresso and Lean Cuisines. At least it wasn't Ramen noodles and pizza!

I was also pretty thrilled with the 4 bags of frozen veggies I got for $3.48...also Buy One, Get One Free in addition to my coupons.

I've been stockpiling spice cake mix for my pumpkin muffins whenever it's been BOGO since this summer, and this week Craisins are BOGO. I think I'll go back and get some more this week. Then, whenever I want to make the muffins, all I'll need to buy is eggs. Just waiting for the temperature to drop below 95 so I can whip some up. Where are you, fall???

It's a good feeling to know that I managed to snag some groceries that should last more than a week for just over $40. I'll take it.

S-L-A-C-K-E-R. Thankful Thursday...on Friday

One of these days, I'm going to post Thankful Thursday on (wait for it...) Thursday. Until then, I'll settle for Thankful "Thursday" whenever I can swing it.

Today I am thankful for:

• my family and friends
• my health
• the many, many blessings in my life
• getting into more of a "groove" at school...slowly
• the people at my school and the community where I teach...when I started 4 years ago, I knew NOBODY...now I have a place, and I'm glad to be a part of it...so many great parents and students and coworkers
• getting through Parent Academy last night...14 hour days aren't my strong suit
• an "off" weekend...almost giddy thinking about it
• getting to catch up on my sleep
• being almost finished with my first grad school class...bring on the next one!
• a chance to sew this weekend...way behind on my baby presents
• the fact that this will HOPEFULLY be the last week of hot-as-blazes temperatures..Ready. For. Fall.

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Fifty and fabulous!

Yesterday, my darling daddy (aka, DennyJ) had a birthday. And it was a big one. One of those milestone kinda birthdays. We decided to do something a little out of the ordinary to celebrate his fifty years of life. Mom, Daniel, and I spread the word to some folks and had them meet us at Pepito's for supper. Only, we didn't tell DennyJ. Hehehehe. He had himself a little surprise party, and I think he was most delighted. There was a great turnout...he's a popular fella!

We had such a good time. Good food (I unknowingly ordered a burrito of Man vs. Food proportions...embarrassing), good friends, good times. I'm so glad everyone took a few hours of their night to spend with DennyJ. He got some pretty sweet presents from the fam, too. Case in point: I got him a magnet strip for kitchen knives that attaches to the wall. He said he was glad to have it because, should he ever need to engage in a knife fight, he'll have easier access to them. Goober.

I adore DennyJ. He's seriously one of the wisest, most patient, funniest people I know. I won't go on and on because I know he (sometimes...I think...) reads this and would be embarrassed to read a novel about himself. I hope he's planning to stick around for at least 50 more years (if not 100 more...get you some vitamins!). Happy happy birthday, Daddy!

Thankful Thursday(ish)

Seeing as how last week moved at warp speed, leaving me choking and writhing in its dust, Thankful Thursday is coming on Sunday. Here's hoping that I can hop on board with this week first thing tomorrow and not get left behind again!

Today I am thankful for:

• my family (especially my super cool dad, Denny J, whose birthday is tomorrow) and friends

• my health



• my job



• the baby steps I made this week towards getting "grooved" (see the last 2 Thankful Thursdays) at work...slow and steady, but it's happening



• this being my week to stay inside during recess...I'm normally recess's biggest fan, but I don't enjoy baking in the sun when it's 1,000 degrees out



• a fun-filled weekend in Auburn (and a down-to-the-wire victory)




• the $25 gift card I earned at CVS today...all this couponing has its perks!



• almost getting through my first grad school class...two more weeks and then it's on to the next one!



• these July-esque temperatures (95? Seriously??) because they'll make the arrival of fall that much more delightful



• the super good supper I made tonight...I'll post on that later this week

HAPPY WEEK!

What have YOU stepped on today?

Today was a really good day. I decided to extend the goodness of it all by taking a walk as the air cooled off a bit this evening. I was enjoying some tunes and soaking up some fresh air, when I saw a neighbor wave at me. I stopped on a little pile of leaves on the ground and talked with him for a second. Something told me to look down, and when I did, I noticed that the leaves...well, they had a face. A face that looked like this:
I'm not a fan of possums. They're gross, they have scary teeth and claws, and they look like overgrown rats. Don't much like 'em. PARTICULARLY when they're squished flat as a pancake and hiding under a pile of leaves on top of which I'm standing! I. Came. Unglued. My neighbor, once he caught his breath from laughing and wiped the tears off his face, grabbed a shovel out of his garage, scraped Pancake off the road, and threw him the woods. Too little, too late. I am changed, and not for the better.

My possum-tainted tennis shoes are now sitting outside my door; they're no longer welcome inside. Any ideas for getting possum ick off your shoes?

I hope your Monday was marvelous, and that you stepped on zero dead animals today.