Adventures in Subbing #8

Yesterday I was subbing in a my usual 2nd grade class, I'm her only substitute.

The class had been good and earned extra time at recess (I had duty) so we went out 5 minutes early, giving us time alone time on the playground. I was playing Tether ball with one boy when the ball hit him in the nose. He went playing but then began feeling his nose, I asked if needed a tissue, thinking that his nose was running. He said, "No, I think it's bleeding." it wasn't so we played on.

He kept touching his nose, and there finally was a small amount of blood. I sent him in for a tissue, but told him it was just a little bit and he'd be fine.

He came back out..... and then it gushed!

The school nurse was right inside the door, doing vision screenings so I sent him to her. Just as I opened the door for him, another student walked by and asked what had happened ~

AND THEN IT WAS SAID.....

"Mrs *, hit me in the face!"

Vote!

My ballot is cast!

Thursday and Friday

Adentures in Subbing #7

I subbed 3rd grade both days.

I'd been asked to sub on Thursday a few ago (the teacher had a training meeting)

but Friday's was a sick call at 6am!

You know once you've heard how sick the teacher was yesterday and how glad everyone is that she stayed home.... you begin to wonder just how many germs ARE on her desk, her pen, her papers, her computer........ About 10 I had 'talked' myself into not feeling well either, but then I snapped out of it by thinking of just how much I have to do this weekend and next week.... no time to be sick (no matter just how many germs were lurking around)!

Tonight when W came home, he came in with a letter from a college. The letter had been mailed to the school (like all letters of interest), The excitement began to build... someone was looking at him and was extending a letter of interest...... but then he told me it wasn't soccer it was.......

track.

TRACK?

TRACK AND FIELD?

huh? then he tells me that there were 4 students that got letters from this college. 2 of them had gone to state then 2 more (W and another girl) that hadn't gone to state but had gone to regional.

TRACK REALLY?

This made me think, I need to use this boy's assets to get the best of the college's interest... Soccer, Art, music and track.

He could be an a$$et to $everal area$ at a $mall college!

**Oh, he's drawn another political cartoon for the HS paper... I believe the title is to be

"What if Sarah Palin gets into the White house"

he certainly has her likeness down! I'll see if I can post it when it comes out!

Wednesday

ADVENTURE IN SUBBING #6
(or volunteering)
I had been extremely generous with my time when school started and filled out the volunteer sheet with "Whatever you need"........ So today I volunteered to help with vision screenings!

but I have some questions......

When you're testing the vision of a 3rd grader are you suppose to be able to see the chart at a distance? or can you cheat and sit half way to the chart, but then when you can't hear what they're saying can you ask them to yell the letters to you? disclaimer... it was in a multipurpose room so the space was big and some little girls don't talk every loud~ or I'm old!

When they're reading the near vision do you have to be able to see those teeny tiny letters or can you use a cheat sheet?

Other GREAT NEWS of the day......
G make it through the class spell off and gets to go the 3rd grade Spelling Bee! Just on the month that we didn't study!

I finished the day ~ going to a Senior Parent's meeting.... I can't wait for this boy to graduate so I stop going to Senior Meetings! Just kidding but it was cold, rainy and I'm not real sure I learned anything new!?

Tuesday

Soccer Senior's Night

Tonight is the last game of League play, and it's senior night.... long ago (a couple of months ago) I signed up to help with Senior Night. I really just wanted to handle something that had been delegated to me, you know something small, like flyers, or balloons. Well, that didn't happen, remember my #81 (on my 100 list). I was in charge. By this morning I had delegated things, gathered money and had a plan. Today was a busy day, but really just going to Costco and remembering all the small things.

Before the Senior Pizza Party there had to be a soccer game...

it was like a hurry, hurry and then wait!~

I had arranged for the Madrigal group to sing the

National Anthem (which included W and 2 other Soccer players).

They may look like a bunch of miss matched HS students

but they come together and sound amazing~

I'm astonished by their sound every time I hear them! and tonight was no exception!

Let the game begin ~

This was a team that W had not ever beaten so the stakes were high, W didn't disappoint. Sometimes I worry so much about him, people are expecting SO much from him, he is just human and CAN'T save them all.

Amazingly he lives up to those expectations 99% of the time!

Tonight he did!

He saved a PK

(Penalty Kick ~ only the 2nd on ever in his soccer career)

and posted another shut out! This makes the 6th this season!

oh, wait the game.......then the RAIN came,

and did it come! but the game just kept going with a score 0-0

right into overtime #1 and then overtime #2, but just as OT #2 was about to end our their defense made a mistake ~ a foul in the box! we got a PK on them.

THE BALL WENT IN!

and we won 0-1

This win put this team in position of the

winning-est team in the HS's soccer history!

The game was over, the rain was falling and they called the JV game due to weather......

WAIT no JV game!

this meant that I was leaving the soccer field at the same time as 80 other people headed to the Pizza dinner.... NO, I was suppose to get a 45 minute lead time on them!

Oh, well... I backed up to the school and handed something to everyone that walked by.

It all worked out.

We honored the Seniors by picture posters of their life or pictures of their soccer career, then they'd filled out questionnaires about their favorite soccer memories and we read those,

a local photographer that had been shooting the games all season presented each of them with a DVD of the season's pictures

(the really cool thing, he personalize the cases and DVD with their picture)

,then the picture slide show shown to everyone

AND of course we had pizza (30 of the them to be exact)and cake!

It was great night! and it's always better when they win!

Monday

Today was THE winterize outside day of year!

I dumped, mowed, and gathered things outside that shouldn't be left out all winter. I then stuffed it all into the little shed.

The poor deck looks ready for winter. The little kitties are walking around like they're lost in the desert!

Saturday

I received "Good Mail" from my Aunt Marie .... she was so concerned for my crusty heals (#76 on my list) that she sent me some heal scrubber off-ers... Not the technical name but what I call them.

thank you so much, I haven't had time to use them buy it's certainly will be enjoyed when I find the time.

PS I love mail and especially when it's Fun Good Mail!

A kitty of mixed messages!

Echo has always been leery of Skipper! She puffs, she watches and she hisses! All in contrast to Sophie who could care less about the dog!

Today I was holding Echo, I had her laying on her back (rubbing her belly). She was purring quite loudly, as usual ~ up runs the dog~ she's still purring ~ she tilts her head back, hisses at Skipper while never turning the pur off!

Just How Can This Be?

As you might figure, Skipper could also care less about her hissing.

Silly Cat!

Mmmmmm

This afternoon my kitchen smells like Fall!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour **see below
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground clove
¼ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup cooked canned pumpkin
½ cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup chocolate chips – mini size works great! ***see below
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350º.
Grease or line muffin tins – regular or mini size.
Combine all dry ingredients and set aside.
In large bowl, beat eggs. Stir in pumpkin and melted butter. Blend well.
Add dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Spoon into muffin cups and bake 20 – 25 minutes for regular size muffins.
Around 17 minutes for mini muffins.
Yield: At least one dozen regular size.

**I didn't have any WW flour so I just added more white flour.
**I made the mini muffins with Mini chips ~ I think it was too many chips, that is saying a lot from me! I will cut the chips down from now on! BUT they were delicious!

Housekeeping

Sign of a great housekeeper...

You haven't misplaced your house once.

100 things about me!

1. I love my boys (all of them).
2. I worry about my family.
3. I like drying off with a stiff line dried towel
4. I spend WAY too much time on electronics
5. I spend my life picking up after others
6. I wish I could be more open emotionally
7. I can say NO!
8. I love fresh cut flowers
9. I have milk issues
10. I think of what to blog in my mind all the time.
11. I like to take pictures
12. I'll never get it ALL done
13. I think the SNL of the 70's are WAY better than the ones of today.
14. Daffodils make me smile
15. I like watching the clothes whip on the clothes line.
16. Water is my favorite drink
17. I wanted to be a June Taylor Dancer when I was little
18. When I listen to oldies on the radio I go back in time.
19. I sit alone & watch the lights twinkle on the Christmas tree.
20. I would like to finish my degree
21. I tend to be a loner and I like it that way.
22. I like BBQ chips
23. I love the song Sister's in Zion".
24. I love living on the prairie
25. I believe in Personal Relvetion
26. The Green witch & the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz gave me nightmares
27. I love having 4 seasons
28. I got my ears pierced with an ice cube, a needle and a potato
29. I know I cannot change other people
30. I enjoy speaking in front of other people as long as I know what I'm going to say
31. My blog is my journal
32. I'm content at home
33. I know that only I can limit myself!
34. I texted slowly
35. I don't like contention
36. I know my pray is powerful
37. I don't like mice (I've had personal wars "me vs. the mice" I won!)
38. I hit the snooze button TOO many times
39. I've always watch the shuttle take off in person
40.I like a starry night
41. I watch 'Day's of our Lives'
42. I try but don't fully understand the atonement
43. I like to make a list and mark things off as I do them
44. I tend to focus on my negatives
45. I have very light brown eyes with a gold ring.
46. I think this list is hard to make
47. I am a stacker
48. I am amazed my techonlogy
49. I have a laundry fettish
50. I like to cry at romantic movies
51. When someones not home I leave the porch light on until they come home
52. I like to laugh
53. I love my DVR
54. I have ticklish feet
55. I could watch the movie EverAfter a 100 times or maybe I already have
56.I am honest
57. I have belly fat
58. I have cowlicks that rule my hair
59. I like sunsets
60. I wish I could sing
61. I like mail
62. I like to read blogs
63. I like the feeling after I've exercised ( I don't feel that very much)
64. I don't wear shoes at home.
65. I like books stores
66. I don't cook as much as I should
67. I love a gentle breeze
68. I roll my eyes
69. I don't budget
70. I don't read my scriptures as much as I would like
71. I could sleep with the ceiling fan on 365 days a year
72. I do TOO much for my family, I think they're spoiled
73. I love a good chinese buffet
74. I love our hardwood floors
75. I have to take my glasses off to read (at least right now)
76. I have 'crusty' heals
77. I think there should be a set rainy day every week (like rain every Thursday)
78. Getting older doesn't bother me
79. I wish my teeth were whiter
80. I HATE cleaning my son's bathroom
81. I'm not a leader but will if no one else steps up
82. I don't like fake people
83. I cry during the National Anthem (every time)
84. I love my pets
85. I enjoy ELVIS
86. I don't nag
87. I like to be lazy
88. I"m proud of my children
89. I am named after Yvonne DeCarlo
90. I like researching my family history
91. I am a sugar addict
92. I love to teach
93. I think I have cute feet
94. I twirl my hair
95. I like to doodle
96. I always try to be true to myself
97. I wish my teeth were straighter
98. I would enjoy a nap every day
99. I like to shovel snow
100. I can make a list of 100 things about me!

Have you ever made a list of a 100 things about you? Try it!

If you do, Let me know I'd like to see it!

General Conference Thoughts...

Twice a year (April and October) we get to hear some of

the wisest and most spiritual people speak to us!

It's call General Conference.

Last weekend I set the DVR and recorded every minute of it.

This morning I was able to watch, rewind, take notes, and

enjoy some of the counsel over and over again.

The most thrilling news of last weekend,

of which I watched over and over was the announcement

(and got goose bumps each time)

WE WOULD BE GETTING OUR OWN TEMPLE!

I have traveled hundreds of miles and hours,

attending temples all over the midwest on a regular basis....

Chicago, Dallas, St Louis, and Omaha

Now within a couple of years my travel time will be a mere hour!

L. Tom Perry

"Simplify your life"

He quoted Thoreau's 4 things you need to survive in life and then expanded on them

Food ~

Not just any food but counseled us to eat healthy,

and respect our bodies since they are a gift from God.
Clothing ~

Should be simple and Modest

Shelter ~

Live within our income

Stay out of Debt

Save for a rainy day

"A well Managed family doesn't pay interest, they earn it."
Fuel~

We need Spiritual fuel to endure to the end.

Earnestly Seek to simplify our lives

Shut out #3 in 3 games

**don't worry W was fine, he was just protecting the ball**

The season is about to wind down and the team is finally putting things together!

Our boy W, got his 3rd shut out in 3 games.

My Favorite things #5

This is the final entry in my Favorite things and it ends with

I love FALL!

I love the crisp evenings, I love pulling the blankets up to my chin, I love the foggy mornings, I love the changing leaves, I love pumpkins, I love low humidity, I love yellow mums, I love the first batch of soups, I love that the grass doesn't grow fast, I love sitting outside in the middle of the afternoon and not sweating! I love going to the pumpkin patch, I love apples, I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins (which I haven't made yet but have a recipe that people are raving about) ~ I just know I'm GOING to love them!

I love Fall!

I could write the same (only in reverse) about Spring. I love the freshness of a spring breeze, I love putting new little annuals in my pots, I love the first mow of the season, I love the shedding of winter clothes, I love .....

Adventures in Subbing #5

I basically sub at only 2 schools (well, with a couple of times at another one).

The first school, my favorite is newer, built within the last 10 years. It has nice wide hallways, pretty fun murals on the walls, and nice teacher's bathrooms. Yes, you read that right ~ I'm impressed with the teacher's bathroom. There is a teacher's bathroom, a big bathroom probably an 8 x 10 room (that's feet not inches)in every pod. So you're not very far from any bathroom. One of the bathrooms in the second grade pod has a picture on the wall that I believe we had on our wall while I was growing up! Another bathroom has nice lace linens and silk flowers with lotions. It is a real pleasure to use these bathrooms.

Now, the other school....... sigh......... it was build maybe in the 70's. Cinder block walls, narrow hallways, and NO teacher's bathrooms. A teacher in this building has to use the student bathrooms..... heavy sigh.......Now I'm sure you can image.... it's a stall (painted bright red, nice color I'll give them that) but it's a stall made for a 10 year girl. I think my hips touch the stall walls while I'm in there! OK... maybe not but it's tight in there. I won't go into more detail (but the ladies will understand) you either sit down or you stand there is NO in the middle or your head is resting on the door! Not a place to hang your purse, because a 10 year girl wouldn't have a purse! Oh, it's a challenge all the way around.

I try not to go the bathroom in that school! Sometimes a challenge I can remember when I was in elementary school and was shocked to see a teacher in the bathroom, actually using the bathroom (coming out of a stall). I can remember Mrs Johnson! Oh, my goodness SHE used the bathroom, how can that be. I certainly don't want to go down in some one's history as the "sub that used the bathroom"! FYI ~ I also saw Mrs Johnson smoking..... I'm safe at that one!

My favorite things #4

These are my favorite summer flip flops! I originally got them to go with my new swim suit and I paid a whopping $6 for them!

I've gotten them so dirty (in the "dust"and freshly cut grass)that I stepped right into the shower with them on and poof they are spic and span clean. I love them AND I haven't 'smelled' them all up! Usually I have to retire summer shoes because they STINK! but not these! I'll have them next year!

I just had to get more cold weather shoes and wore them the very next day to sub .... ALL DAY. They were so comfortable that I wore them the next day too. Not a rub, not a blister, nothing but comfort! I think I've found my cold weather favorites!

I tried to take a picture of them but they're black shiny mules,

they just looked like black blobs!

Say What?

Actual message on our answering machine tonight.

Hello I'm calling for G this is Baily S***.

G I can't talk to my mom about tomorrow night, she's all mad and crabby right now.

I'll talk to you tomorrow!

Good Bye this was Baily S***

UPDATE: Baily's mom called about 9:30 that evening, asking if G could play. I didn't ask how her evening had gone, but I thought about it! She sounded nice, calm and collected at 9:30pm!

My Favorite things #3

Blogs! I love to read blogs!

I found my first blog That's life enjoy it. when someone sent me there to see a tote. made out of a place mat.

I stalked this blog for several months and still do! I don't KNOW this lady, or her family but I know them through her blog. This is the scarey thing about blogs ~ hers especially ~ I KNOW her family!

Though the blog above I found Amuse Bouche and the SPT challenges. This Blog led me to a treasure chest of gem Blogs. These women are so creative with their words, pictures and talents. Let me remind you that I stalk these blogs, No I don't personally know any of these people!

Everything is Pink

Creative Musings & Such.

Chez Moi.

Lot Nineteen.

Now I do know some of the people that I blog watch...

Our Story. . This is a young man that grew up in our congreation and now is flying planes with the Marines. I enjoying reading about his life with his wife and girls.

And there is .....
OK I'm going to stop now because this REALLY could go on and on..... one day I'm going to get a minute and post the links over there ----> on the side bar.

Soccer was exciting!

Tonight they played a team that they had never beat (in the 4 years W has played)

It was tied 0 to 0 until a goal was scored in the last 4 minutes. AND it was ours! so many times we've seen it the other way around!

THEY WON!

Sorry no pictures lately ~ they've been playing in stadiums with lights. Which means a couple of things. They play later and the pictures don't turn out!

What's for supper?

This is G's favorite meal.

Cocktail Meatballs Sauce
2 cups of Ketchup
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teas liquid smoke
1/2 teas garlic powder

Mix all ingredients in sauce pan and bring to simmer,
pour over meatballs and let it finish heating with the meatballs.
I usually put them in the crock pot at this point.
They freeze well ~ hence having them on a soccer night!

I serve this on a hoagie bun (scoop out the middle of the bun so the meatballs fit it!) with cheese with Frito's and carrot sticks on the side.