The Goings On

The BFF came to visit! She drove 8 hours with 2 kids to see me! Well, and others too. But I like to think it was mostly me. We had a great time visiting...it was as if she had never left! I was very sad to see her go...but hope we can continue these cross-country visits. We managed to get one picture of us-from her phone. Must do better with pictures next time.


Vistaprint has consumed my life for the past few days. I can.not.stop.myself. I am completely making things up at this point, but I just can't NOT order when it is only costing me $1.24 for SOOOO much stuff! And having all of this stuff will require me to purchase more organizing containers to store it, furthering my obsession of all things organizing. I need help.

I refuse to count the days left of summer. Suffice it to say, June went way too fast. I literally cannot believe it is already July. And I saw school supplies out at Target. Lalalalala. Covering my ears and living in denial!

This is fair week in our county. And we are under a heat advisory with the heat index nearing 110. Oh, and it's hay baling time as well. Those things ALWAYS fall on the hottest damn week of the year. Always. The kids have been begging me to schlep them to the fair and I put it off all weekend. Little did I know those 90 degree days were going to be the coolest of the week.

I have been redoing our kitchen. Wallpaper removed. Glue scraped. New paint applied. New microwave. New dishwasher is to arrive tomorrow. Next step? Replace the countertop, new backsplash of some (cheap) kind, repaint the cabinets, new hardware, new Roman shade blinds. Then we wait for the refrigerator and stove to die. :) I'll post pictures of the before and after when I am finished!

Stay cool this week! And if anyone wants to take my kids to the fair, let me know!

Lack of Focus

I am putting my hands on the keyboard and letting my fingers do the talking. Come along for the ride, won't you?

My bathroom towels are disappearing. I do laundry all the time and yet when anyone opens the cabinet door, there are no towels. Where have all the towels gone?

We had my sister's baby shower this weekend. It turned out great. We had a cookie bar and lots of food. We decorated with polka dots, baby books, and alphabet cards. She received books instead of cards. The Little Miss managed to get in every picture of Aunt Susie opening the gifts. Mostly because the Little Miss was actually opening the gifts. My cousin made the cutest cake in the world. She is oh-so-talented.


It is hot. And humid. The heat index on Thursday was 105. That's degrees Fahrenheit. That means hot. And the humidity wreaks havoc on a hairdo. Just ask the Little Miss.


I have 2 full weeks of summer break left. And that makes me sick to my stomach. So let's quit talking about it.

I made Pastor Ryan's pasta carbonara last night. Oh. It is to die for. I am showing so much restraint by not reheating it for breakfast.

When you decide to go swimming and get the kids all slathered up in sunscreen, it might not be a bad idea to go ahead and put some on yourself. Just sayin'.


Consider this a formal complaint to Staples. Few things bring more joy to a teacher than 1 cent school supply deals. Then they went and added a $5.00 minimum purchase. Boo to them.

I baby-sat our cousins' babies last week. A 2 year old and a 5 month old. They were so good and my kids played with them so well. But 4 kids? I don't know how some of you do it. I texted my hubby a vasectomy reminder while they were here. But I have to admit, holding a sleeping baby does a body good.


I got my toes done last week. I love getting pedicures.


I have become more observant of people's feet lately. And I have to admit...I don't like what I see. Everyone is wearing sandals and flip-flops these days...even people who shouldn't be. My biggest pet peeve? Toenails that are too long. Have you seen these people? They aren't finger nails! They aren't meant to be long.

*shudder*

By the way, do not, under any circumstance, google long or ugly toenails. Trust me. Learn from my mistakes.

I usually let the kids choose something from the $1.00 section at Target on those oh-so-special trips to Target. Last week they both chose the same thing. Toys? School things? Stamps? No.
Scrub brushes to "help Mommy clean the kitchen floor." You know the floor has to be bad when your 4 and 6 year olds are willing to forgo toys for cleaning utensils.


Sunsets are one of my favorite things to photograph. The hubby spotted this beautiful sky the other night and we both ran outside in our bare feet to take pictures. Pretty, no?


If I were grading this post, I am afraid I would get a 1 in ideas and content for not having a narrow topic. There may have also been some rambling. But didn't I do a good job capitalizing the first words in my sentences?

Random It Is

I have so many thoughts going through my head but individually...they don't really make a blog post. Collectively? A big mess of random.

Like the fact that this guy is a major douchebag.


And this? Makes me very sad. Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Point Break...some of my favorite movies. And is there a 30 something woman alive that doesn't get that special tingle when Johnny throws Baby's arm up over his shoulder, caressing her all the way down...


*sigh*

And then there's school. Today my 5th/6th graders met their K buddies. Melted my heart is what it did. To see my big, tough 6th graders walking hand-in-hand with 5 year olds? So awesome. And to hear the K kids? It's so different for me now that Cole is in K. I can relate...I have a reference point. One of the K girls told her 5th grade buddy that she could count to 32 with her eyes closed! How freaking cute is that?!

2 days of "human growth" down...1 to go. Monday's session went much better. The kids got over the initial shock of the genitalia being flashed upon the big screen and were able to handle the second video with much less giggling. Most of the questions I got were appropriate...except when one boy asked if it was illegal to um, "have relations" with an animal.

Moving on.

The Little Miss turns 4 on Saturday. 4 years old. On one hand, I'm like, "Seriously? She's only 4? I could have sworn she was about 13 what with the attitude and strong opinions about pretty much everything." But on the other hand I'm all, "4? 4 years old? I could have sworn I gave birth to her last week."


That's pretty much what's up with me. Actually, I have several more random thoughts to share. But guess what? It's 9:37 p.m. And getting up at 5:00 a.m., teaching all day, being a mom, cooking supper, and getting the kids to bed is wearing.my.ass.out.

What's up with you?

What I've Been Up To

*Giving away these John Deere backpacks. Contest ends Monday.

*Mentally preparing for the fact that I start school in 6 days. Excuse me while I vomit.

*Enjoying a day at the spa. You know it's bad when they break out the goggles.

*Making this. So proud of myself for the lattice crust.

*Making the cutest kid food ever! Just look how clever. The kids loved it! I got the idea from here, who got it from here, who got it from here, who I am pretty sure got it from Kevin Bacon.

*Watching Little Miss and Jose do yoga. This is a pose Jose was born to do.

*Stressing the importance of dental hygiene. At least someone was listening.

*Enjoying the view.

What about you? Been up to anything fun?

Current Thoughts

Shopping is (finally!) finished.

The gifts are wrapped.

It is freezing raining. (Freezing rain? Raining freeze? Freeze raining?)

I bought a new coffee maker and am currently sipping chocolate truffle coffee. Yum.


One of my favorite winter drinks? A mug of hot chocolate with a splash of peppermint schnapps. Top it off with a chocolate covered peppermint stick...so delicious!

Tomorrow we will bake and decorate sugar cookies for Santa.

I bought gingerbread house kits on clearance for $3.00 at Wal-Mart. Wish me luck.

I am really hoping I will win P-Dub's camera.

My sister saw Coolio at a Barnes & Nobles in Hawaii on her honeymoon earlier this week.

You can now walk into my walk-in closet. Well, you can't. But I can. I guess you could if you wanted to. Just stay out of my underwear drawer.

January 1 is my blogiversary. Not really sure how to spell that. My IRL BFF Deb is holding a giveaway to celebrate hers around New Year's Eve. I think I will steal that idea. Stay tuned for pics of the giveaway goodies. And tell your friends.

Speaking of giveaways, if any of you see Tiffany at Alabama Redhead Adventures please tell her I haven't forgotten that she won the "What the H is it?!" contest. I promise her prize will be in the mail soon.

Little Miss is currently under the computer desk in full-on princess garb untying my shoes. Or more likely, tying them together. Now Jose has joined her. Now it's time to dust the house. Remember how I thought I was going to get the entire house cleaned today on my day off? Yeah. Didn't happen. Go figure.

Can you handle the random?

It's been a few days and I have lot to share. Ready?!

My sister stayed with us Friday night. Hubby and I went out to dinner with my cousin and her husband. Had a great meal and even better pina coladas at their house. Then the salad bar gave me major heart burn and we had to leave.

The kids marvel at Aunt Susie's long hair and love to help her brush it. Well, Claire loves to brush it. Cole said, "Susie, you need a haircut!" and then he immediately put something to her head. She freaked for a second thinking it was scissors. Luckily it was just a plastic saw. Cole liked "brushing" it with random tools. She had her second wedding shower yesterday. She got LOTS of fantastic gifts and had PLENTY of help opening them.
The kids were very well behaved and played nicely with the niece-in-law. She's a downtown Chicago city girl so she really hasn't had much experience playing with so much farm equipment. Cole and Claire were eager to teach her.


The kids brought along Mr. Potato head to play in the car. They decided to become Potato Head kids.

Jackie the Cow is evil. My Starbucks closed Friday. *moment of silence* The kids and I ran in after school to get my last drink. A BIG drink. I didn't have any on the ride home. I wanted to savor and enjoy every last drop. I was carrying stuff from the car into the house and left the car door open. When my sister pulled in, Jackie ran out of the car. The entire VENTI cup of coffee was empty. It had spilled all over my new car. The car we do not eat nor drink in. The car I obsessively keep clean. It got on the floor mat, floor board, my TENNIS SHOES, and the seat. I was SO mad. My sister cleaned it up for me and doesn't smell like pumpkin spice latte anymore. Thanks, Fart.

Jose is always cold. It's a blustery 39 degrees here today. He shivers when he isn't under a blanket. Grandma thought this poncho might make him feel better. He didn't mind wearing it at all. Might have to invest in a sweater for him. Sheesh. I NEVER thought I would own a dog that required a sweater.

The other day I was busy. Okay, I was on the computer but I am SURE it was important work. Little Miss asked me if she could have yogurt. I muttered, "Yes." Then she came out with 4 containers of yogurt, all opened, with a spoon in each one...very pleased with herself. Me? Not as pleased.

I am enjoying a lazy Sunday. We had breakfast at a new little diner this morning. I picked up a little bit, got some laundry done. We ran errands. Now I am going to make a pot of chili and soak in a bubble bath. I am sure I will have an audience.

Oh, and I changed things up around here. Whatcha think?

Must Sleep

First day is over and I am wiped out in a big, big way. The worst part? I haven't actually had students yet. Sigh. Thank heavens this is a 2 day kid week. I couldn't take much more.

Today was fairly productive. Had a great lunch with my IRL BFF Deb and crossed off all the things on my to-do list. But believe me...there will be a new list tomorrow.

Open House was 6:30-7:30 which got me home at 8:45. This is an hour and 45 minutes later than Little Miss normally goes to bed. Let's just go out on a limb here and say she will be a might cranky when I wake up her at 6:15 in the morning.

It is now 10:13. An hour past by bedtime and yet I JUST finished suppper and a big ol' glass of wine. I didn't sleep well last night but I am feeling so tired that I think I will tonight. Open House is always the biggest worry of the new school year. So glad that's over and hopefully I will be able to sleep well.

I had a bit of a hangnail on my middle finger. When I was getting pajamas on the kids tonight it got caught and ripped down to the sensitive under skin thingie. And bled. My finger bled lots and lots under my fingernail. I cried. I was tired and my finger hurt. :( So what with the wine and the bandaged fingernail, please excuse any spelling or punctuation mistakes. Thank you.

I have 2 chapters left in Twilight. I REALLY wanted to finish last night, but had to quit. I am not even going to start reading it tonight because I just need to sleep. Now.

Gracias

You guys are so awesome! Thank you so much for your help in choosing a picture for the picture contest. I have it narrowed down to pic #2 (Cole on tractor with puppies) and #10 (Cole in front of corn.) Those seemed to be the top choices from your comments and I agree that they are great summer pics. So thanks again for your help!

After a rather depressing and exhausting day trying to get the kids to behave at a funeral yesterday, we enjoyed the fantastic weather in the afternoon/evening and played outside for hours. I sat on a blanket while the kids played and tried to soak up the last days of summer vacation. Little Miss spent most of the time swinging, sliding, and trying to tickle me while Cole learned to climb trees. He was so proud of himself.

We even let Jackie share our blanket. Believe it or not, I am now glad we have Jackie. Now that Daisy is gone, I am thankful that Bear has Jackie as a playmate. They are very close now and one is never far from the other. They even cuddle up together. Speaking of cuddling, must make vet appt. for Jackie. She became a woman this week. Blech. Bear is neutered, but I am sure there are other country dogs roaming around looking for an easy woman. And she's got "easy" written all over her...

The kids wanted a candelight dinner outside. So, that's what they got. Unfortunately the table is right in the sun so they donned sunglasses throughout the meal.I now sit drinking coffee and catching up on my blogs, trying to ignore the fact that I start school tomorrow. It's 9:03 at the moment. Tomorrow at this time I will be well into a staff meeting with the reality of the new school year slapping me in the face. It's not that I don't want to start teaching again. I do. There have been many days this summer when I thought, "I need to go back to school." But now that it is actually here, I start getting second thoughts. I hate having to get the kids up so early. I hate having to get myself up so early! Not to mention the fact that I am teaching a multi-age class this year and am nervous about making it work.

I am happy in the fact that I no longer need to pack and send a diaper bag. Cole will have his bacpack three days a week. Neither kid takes naps anymore, so I don't need to send the blankies. So cups, breakfast, and maybe a change of clothes for Little Miss is all I need. That will help cut down the stress of trying to get things packed and ready the night before.

Wish me luck this first week back. Kids start Thursday. I am glad to have a short kid week. It gives me a chance to get to know them without the pressure of starting curriculum Day 1. We can have a couple of easy, get to know you days and then jump into the nitty gritty next week.

Later today I am posting a recipe for the SITS recipe contest. I would eat this every single day for the rest of my life if I could. It's that good.

Bits and Pieces

Haven't had time to blog yet this week so here is an assortment of goings-on at the casa de John Deere Mom.

Got a letter from Cole's preschool teacher. I think there must have been a mix up because I JUST brought him home from the hospital like yesterday. Surely he isn't old enough for preschool yet. Sigh. Definitely had some mixed emotions with that one. Obviously, he will be fine and is definitely ready for it. The logistics of the thing couldn't be simpler. His current daycare will walk him across the street for pre-school three mornings a week. Easy like a zucchini martini. But still...he's my baby. Hmpf.

We had craft time today. Hobby Lobby had their "foam" craft products 30% off so I bought the kids each a dorky little visor and foam stickers and told them to go to town.

Here they are before we got started.

During the sticker extravaganza. Notice my clever use of the garbage bowl for the sticker backing.

And after.

Little Miss looks so pensive in this shot....but she's actually trying to see her stickers on the underside.

Cole had his second all-time dentist appointment today. Admittedly I was a bit behind and this should have been his 3rd appointment, but time got away from me. He did amazingly well. They cleaned, polished, brushed with flouride, and flossed. Then the denist checked him and said everything looked great. We walked out with a ton of loot and hit Starbucks for a celebratory vanilla milk.

Getting his teeth polished.

Little Mess was very quiet throughout the visit, taking it all in....planning her tantrum when it's her turn in a couple months.

Here he is holding "Mr. Slurpy." I wonder if I'm the only psycho ever to have taken pictures during a dental exam.

I was giddy with all the comments in the You Say Tomato game. It was so fun to hear everyone's version of the same thing! Ya'll were definitely varied in the "soda" department. It's funny how many of you (I think in the South) call everything Coke, then specify which drink you actually want! And I LOVE how ya'll say buggy for a shopping/grocery cart. Around here, this is the only buggy you will find.

I worked in my classroom for the first time on Monday. I was a little stressed when I got there. I think I started about 20 projects at the same time. I would start one thing, walk across the room, see something else that needed done, and start on it. I did get all the desks moved, the new language arts materials unpacked and sorted (all 50 million boxes) and all the textbooks passed out. I got my desk kinda, sorta organized. Did 2 of 8 bulletin boards. Actually, one is staying the same. So 3 down....5 to go. I brought a bunch of stuff home that needs kids' names written like name tags, bulletin board things, lunch stuff, etc. but did I bring my class list home? Uh, no.

Oh well, this way I get to sit here with you nice people and drink. My current drink? Diet grape soda with a little splash of vodka. Okay, it was a big splash. More like a "CANNONBALL!" splash. But it is oh.so.good.

If you want to play a little guessing game with my sister and her out of control driving habits, click here. If not...well, I'm sorta done here. Go make yourself a grape soda vodka. You'll thank me tomorrow.