My first award!!!!

Thanks to MaryKathryn over at Just Going with the Flow... for the nomination!!! I am sooo excited!!

See Kevin - I'm not a geek for blogging ~ I'm a rockin' girl blogger!! Take that! LOL!

Ok...I am supposed to nominate 5 of my favorite blogs for this award. I think some of you may have already received the award...if so, it just means you double-rock! :-)

In no certain order:

Lindsey at So Much to Do... She is awesome! I just know that if we lived closer, we would be best buds. She is a teacher too and has great teacher stories!

Flip Flop Mamma ~ She just inspires me b/c she is true to herself and shares her thoughts and stays true to her faith. And she has a precious family ~ if you haven't seen theBeast, go check her out! What a hoot!

DraMa over at The Emancipation of the Drama Queen ~ simply because she is freakin' hilarious!! And, well, look at her blog title - don't want to risk the drama of her NOT being nominated! ha!

Tasha at A Day in the Life of... She welcomed us into her day by day count down of the wedding and is now living as a newlywed with two adorable little girls.

And last but not least - Lindsay at My Splatter Painted Life My blog would look boring without her!! She is AWESOME!!! A genuinely nice, giving person with a positive attitude!

Now...ladies - go out and nominate some other Rockin' Bloggers! :-)

Things that make you go hmmmm....

"What tomato? I don't see a tomato..."
"Ok Mom...It was me stealing the tomatoes. Sorry!"

Yep ~ that's right folks ~ no raccoon. It was the DOG!!! I caught him red-handed or I wouldn't believe it myself!! Who would've thought the dog would eat tomatoes!
Scrappin' night with my girlfriends is tomorrow night....think anyone wants a hot dog or hamburger? LOL! This is what my freezer looks like with the left-overs from last weekend's catering job!!!! AND, there are MORE hot dogs in the refrigerator!! yikes!
Have a good weekend! I should have some horse show pictures next week to share. My Mom and my niece are riding in a horse show this weekend!

Snapshots

My first cherry tomatoes from the garden!! I picked 'em yesterday BEFORE the raccoon that has been stealing my tomatoes got them! (insert evil laugh here!)
My sweet Jax looking for squirrels, opossums, and now raccoons along the back fence line! I admit that I got a little teary eyed when I took this picture b/c he is getting so grey! Makes me sad!
I had to share this day lilly picture ~ this is one of the ones I call big bird. The color is so vivid and look how many gorgeous blooms it has ~ it's been this way all week!!
You can see how tall it is by comparing it to the birdbath that it dwarfs!
And last, but not least...Simba - the boss around here. (I actually caught him mid-yawn) But...it looks like he's saying "who is gonna make me wipe my paws?"

Finish the sentence survey MeMe

Maybe I should……start working out...but I don't want to! ha!

I love……life, my family, Kevin, my critters, all my friends (I am blessed - I have a lot to love in my life!)

People would say that... I’m compassionate (I learned this from an email quiz where people had to send back one word to describe you and almost everyone sent back compassionate! Thanks!)

I don’t understand…people who abuse or neglect children!

When I wake up in the morning…I hit the snooze!

I lost…the ability to pay attention during long time spans ~ I swear I have adult ADD!!!

Life is full of…adventures!!

My past is… something I have no regrets about because I can say I lived!.

I get annoyed when…people are rude.

Parties are…not the same for me now as when I was younger ~ha!

I wish…that one day I will hear the word Mom directed at me...

Dogs …are the best companions!!

Cats…do what they want, when they want!

Tomorrow…is another chance/opportunity.

I have a low tolerance…for idiots! (those people in meetings who ask dumb questions and have no idea what is going on AND then you might have to take orders from them....but hopefully that is all about to change with the job change - LOL!)

If I had a million dollars…I would travel, donate to animal rescues, and share with my peeps!

Monday Blah's

Today was just a Monday ~ why is it so much harder to get up on a Monday?? The snooze button works overtime for me every Monday morning! :-)

School was a little blah ~ I got a new student today and still only had 4 total today!! Good thing I am team teaching. Between the two of us, we had 12 kids. I didn't love the lesson today though...you know when you don't LOVE the lesson, it's hard to get the kids to love the lesson. I am one of those teachers that when I am excited about something, it shows through and the kids are instantly on board b/c they wanna know what all the excitement is about ~ not today! ha! BUT, tomorrow's lesson I am pumped about so tomorrow is a new day!! We are half way through summer school as of today ~ time flies!! Only 9 days to go and next week is a 2 day week b/c of the 4th!!

Oh...in GOOD news, I got word from my NEW principal today that all the paperwork needed for my transfer has been signed off on and approved!! So...I am officially changing schools next year ~ a new adventure awaits! yay!

I just thought I was exhausted yesterday!

It really hit this morning ~ every muscle in my body ached!! I took a lesson from my cat Nala's book today and laid around all day and napped off and on! :-)

The catering job is done and was a success! Not only that, Kevin has me roped in as his number one fan (not that it was that hard!). I just really didn't know what to expect, and I loved it! The people were great, and it was fun! I mean, there was constantly something to organize, and I am an organizing fool!! LOL! Friday was good, but Saturday was GREAT! By Saturday we all knew what to expect and had a system. I worked one table, Tanner worked the other, Kevin and his Mom worked one grill with the burgers, and his dad worked another grill with the hot dogs and beans. We ROCKED!!

It was a pretty big youth event ~ the state tournament for skeet shooting. So...there was gunfire in the background all day! ha! Kevin cooked 700 burgers on Friday and 1,000 on Saturday!!! And the line moved fast and steady, and the compliments were plentiful. I am so proud of Kevin!! He even was filmed for a show on AETN/PBS called either Cooking Arkansas or a segment on Arkansas Outside! (15 minutes of fame are up!)

Here's a slide of our weekend ~

Exhausted!!

Well...day 1 of the catering job is done! Whew! Tomorrow is expected to be even more busy! I can't imagine!!! But it went great! We were slammed at 11 o'clock when we started serving, but the lines moved fast (probably faster than the cooks at the HOT grill wanted them too sometimes!). It fizzled out about 12:30, and we were cleaned up and heading home by 1:45 pm - which was fine b/c we got up at 4:45 am!!! THAT is waaaay too early for me!! Here's what I learned - Kevin sings and whistles at 4:45 in the morning!!??!! I am NOT a morning person...as a matter of fact, I would prefer not to talk until I've been up for about an hour, and he's just singing and whistling AND talking!! I tried to be a good sport today though - hee-hee!

Kevin has his Dad working hard! The grill area was HOT!!

I have to take a minute to brag on Tanner ~ he was a HUGE help!! He never stopped. He kept those tables stocked and was so polite to everyone. I am just filled with pride that my cousin is growing up to be such a hardworking gentleman. Thanks Tanner!!

Wish us luck tomorrow ~ I have a feeling after tomorrow, I will crash AND not eat a hot dog or hamburger for awhile! ha!

An ordinary day...

Nothing major happened today ~ the kiddo's were cranky at school ~ must be the rainy weather! I hope the mood is better tomorrow!!! :-)

I am heading to the movies in a bit to see Spiderman 3 with my buddy, Gene. Has anyone seen it yet? I know I am behind on my movie watchin'. I stay that way! Gene didn't have a great day today either so we are hoping a movie will rejuvenate our spirits!!!

In bigger happenings, later this week, on Friday and Saturday, Kevin has a MAJOR catering gig. All good thoughts sent our way are more than welcome!!! It will be HOT - forecast is for 94 degrees both days, and we are outside!! He is catering burgers and hot dogs for 2,000 folks!!! yikes! He's done this before and knows what he's doing ~ I, on the other hand, have NO idea what I've gotten myself into!! LOL! Hope my blonde moments are kept to a minimum! hee-hee!

He is trying to start up a catering business and usually caters bbq. Although for this job, he converted his smoker into a smoker/grill, so now he set up to do just about anything. So...all you local folks, if you need a caterer, give us a call! :-)

**Update: Just got home from the movie, and it was AWESOME!! Go see it!!!

Weekend Ramblings...

Jax and I were so lazy this weekend, we didn't even want to get up to eat! ha! (Really he is so rotten that he wouldn't stay in the kitchen to eat by himself - he kept coming back to the computer room to make sure I was ok. So, of course, since I am the reason he is so rotten, I brought his bowl back for him!! ha! It relaxed him so much to know I was in eyesight that he laid down to finish eating!! If only I could find a man who loved me half as much as my dog! LOL!)

It was nice to finally spend a weekend around the house - I basically piddled around the house for 3 days. Friday, I worked in the backyard (pictures are below on Friday's post). Saturday, I ran a few errands, pampered myself with a haircut and more highlights (I went lighter for summer!! I was told that would happen once I was brave and got highlights!), I shopped for my step-dad for Dad's day, and met Peggy and Kristen for lunch at the best burger place around!! YUM! Sunday morning, it was storming so I slept in (with rotten dog in the bed b/c he is afraid of thunder storms since we moved - don't know what that is about!). I admit to skipping morning church b/c I just didn't have the heart to hear a Father's day message, but I went Sunday night to hear my cousin sing in the choir for his Pure Energy homecoming performance. It was really, really good!!! Then we headed off to a family dinner and before you know it, It's Monday again!! :-(

I only had 5 kiddo's today...they came around asking for teachers who wanted to volunteer to leave...we had two but they were hoping for at least four. It could get ugly!!!

**thanks to everyone who sent a private e-mail or a comment regarding my Father's day post. I promise that I don't dwell on that part of my life anymore - just that video and song brought it all back. Certain things or events will do that from time to time.

Father's Day...

I am going to broach a subject that I very seldom talk about...my dad. I really don't think of him as a dad, so I guess I should say my biological father? What do you call a man that you haven't spoken one word to in 15 years? That the last time you saw him was at your Grandfather's funeral, and he acted as if you didn't exist? What do you call a man who kicks his daughter out of the house with no where to go? (I made the HUGE mistake of moving in with him when I went to college...HUGE!!! I ended up sleeping on the floor of an acquaintances dorm room for a week until I found a place to live. But that is a whole other story.)
I heard a song today that reminded me of him. It is the new Kellie Pickler song I wonder. If you haven't heard it, I attached it for you at the bottom of this post...take the time ~ it is a beautiful song ... and it is so true. I can't help but wonder sometimes if he thinks of me. Tomorrow is Father's day ~ will he remember me? Will I cross his mind once? Why do I even care after all this time? Most of the time, I admit, that I don't think of him anymore. I have had to move away from it all and try to find peace. I have forgiven alot in my lifetime, but for whatever reason, I cannot find forgiveness in my heart for him. I have prayed about it, but 15 years later, I still haven't found that forgiveness.
I will never forget the last interaction with my father for as long as I live...the pure hatred in his eyes is something I hope never to experience again. I often wonder what his version of events for that is? He surely doesn't tell the story or tell it correctly, so I do often wonder how he explains the fact he has a daughter that he hasn't spoken to in so long...how does he spin his abuse to show himself in a better light? My biggest regret in life is that my Grandpa died within months of our big fallout. I didn't get to tell him what really happened...I often wonder what my father told him...whatever it was, I know it wasn't the truth. How do you explain throwing your daughter across the room and your wife having to pull you off of her before your fist hit her in the face? You know he didn't tell that...my only peace with that is that I know my Pa is in heaven, and he now knows the truth. I hope he is the first person I see when I get there, and he wraps me in his arms with a long-awaited hug. He is the one postive male influence I had in my life, and I wish I could have one more conversation with him.
I guess I should take comfort in the fact that I have risen above it all and tried to become a much better, more giving person than my father ever was. That saying actions speaks louder than words is the best way to explain my parental relationships...my father always said everything you wanted to hear, he would tell me he loved me everytime he saw me, but yet he was never there. My Mom, on the otherhand, was ALWAYS there. (granted I may not have shown my appreciation as a teenager, but I do appreciate it now!) A prime example is when I was on the drill team, my Mom was at every game to watch me perform - even in the rain. At the time, my father only lived about 30 min. away, but somehow, didn't make it. Why is it that the parent that fails you the most is the one you constantly look for? I have looked for him my whole life...but it was Mom who was there...so forgive me this Father's Day, while I celebrate another Mother's Day because my Mom had to work double-duty and be my Mom and my Dad....and I love her dearly for it!

To watch I wonder video click here

I love the backyard!!

I have worked on the garden, yard, and flowerbeds in the backyard most of today & wanted to share! I just love my flowerbeds!!!

Summer School

Well...my first week of summer school is over! Time flies! Only 14 days of summer school left (we have Friday's off). As of the end of today, I had 7 kids on my roll. I had 4 the first day, 5 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then 6 today. Let's just say those AREN'T the numbers they were looking for ~ about 1/2 the kids that were supposed to actually come showed up. We are supposed to have 15 per room. There is talk of letting some teachers go. Who knows - I'm not going to worry about it. I think those of us that taught last year will have seniority and shouldn't have to worry.

I have team taught all week with the teacher across the hall (he has 8 kids). He (don't worry - he's married - ha!) is a middle school teacher and with me being elementary, it is neat the different things you pick up on. I think it's been great b/c it puts a little pressure on you to step things up a bit when someone is watching you teach...and the kids benefit from that!! So...it's been a great week, but I am ready to sleep in tomorrow!! yay!

I will leave you with a picture of my summer school class yesterday with Miss Arkansas. She took a picture with each class. She started out answering questions in each class, but soon stopped that and just went to just pictures. One of the questions asked was "Will you give me a kiss?" So... you can understand why the question/answer sessions ended! LOL!

Tagged ... It's all about meme (what the heck is meme by the way?)

INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:

An Island Life
Whee! All The Way Home
Melanie in Orygun
Queen of Drama
These Are the Days...



Next, select five people to tag:
Tasha
Trina
Lindsey
Stef
FlipFlop

(enjoy ladies ~ hee-hee!!)

What were you doing 10 years ago? 10 years ago, I was a nanny (which is why I don't have children! It was an eye opener!) I was married, had just bought a house, and was looking for a teaching job.

What were you doing 1 year ago? I was finally embracing the single life...enjoying my summer - teaching summer school, making new friends and just taking it easy - ahhh...last summer ROCKED!!!

Five Snacks You Enjoy
poptarts
frito's and bean dip
chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven
peanut M&M's
oreo's

Five Songs That You Know All The Lyrics To
I like to think I know the words to all the songs I sing to on the way to work, but I probably make up some words along the way! ha!
Tim McGraw - Red Rag Top
Sheryl Crow/Kid Rock - Picture
Shania Twain - Any Man of Mine
Dixie Chicks - Earl had to die
Sugarland - Something More

Five Things You Would Do If You Were a Millionaire
Donate to local animal rescue groups
Help family
Buy a house on land so I can have all the critters I want (and a bonus scrapbook room!)
Take all my peeps who helped me through my divorce on a big trip to the beach (1st class!)
Adopt a child of my own

Five Bad Habits
I haven't smoked in 6 months! (yay!) but I still want one in times of stress!!!
Potty mouth (but it's gettin' WAY better!)
Not returning phone calls
Putting too much pressure on myself
Worrying

Five Things You Like To Do
Scrapbook!!!
Work in the flowerbeds
Chill out on the couch and watch tv with my dog, Jax
Sleep in on the weekends
Camp

Five Things You Would Never Wear Again
leg warmers
layered shirts with the collar turned up
daisy dukes (no one wants to see that!)
a bikini (those days are LONG gone!)
spandex

Five Favorite Toys
laptop
camera
cellphone
camper
tivo

now it's your turn!!!

Autumn's Camping To-Do List

Be sure to feed the geese (they just kept coming ~ I think we counted 23!)
Give up, throw all your bread at once, and RUN from the hissing geese!
Challenge Aunt Lori to a game of Go Fish and beat her!
Drive the boat and do donuts to try to make Grandma and Aunt Lori sick!
Find fishing poles, trick Aunt Lori into buying crickets, THEN tell her you won't bait them yourself!!, and finally....fish off the back of the boat!

Camping Trip

My first campsite with the camper!! yay!! My niece helped me set up and was actually helpful! ha! She helped me make the beds, hang the lights, put the tablecloth on, and get the trash bag set up "just like grandma does" ~ she made me stop and watch so I'd know how to do it!!! She is about to be in 3rd grade and is like a mini-grown-up! LOL!
The first night was nice with a good breeze and I didn't even have to use the air conditioner!! But without the AC running, the next morning, I heard EVERYTHING going on like being in a tent! ha! I ran it the next night and slept in a little!! It sure beat sleeping in a tent!! And, the best part is that all my stuff is stored in the camper now and all I have to do is go to the grocery store and I'm ready to roll!

Kevin and I were chillin' reading and having coffee (him) and a morning Dr. Pepper (me). How can you start the day without a DP? :-) If you see the look on my face, my Mom shocked me with a comment right before snapping the picture! She can be a little spunky when she wants to be and you never know when it's coming! I said something about Kevin reading the paper and I was reading about sex in Cosmo. She comes back with "sex is a sport". Hence, the look on my face - I know she didn't!

Time to load the boat (my parents) and go home! :-( I'll try to post more pics tomorrow and stories tomorrow!! It was a good trip, but too quick!

I got back last night and started summer school today ~ I only had 4 kids!!! Who knows what tomorrow will bring?!?

I am drowning in laundry so I gotta go! I will catch up on everyone's blog this week ~ promise!! :-)

GOOD NEWS!!!

I GOT THE JOB!!!! :-) YAY!!!!!

I got the call tonight & am SO excited!!!! So, I will still be teaching 3rd grade, but at a MUCH better school with other people who also enjoy teaching ~ teachers know what I'm talking about ~ some of our colleagues need to pack it up and retire! Anyway...I am thrilled for the new challenges coming up!!



In funny (I must be blonde ~ no offense to Mom and all the other blondes of course! ha!) news today...I borrowed a truck to move all my personal furniture and shelves from the classroom home. Check it out! I had that truck loaded down!! Anyway... I had exactly an hour to run home, unload it in the garage and get to a workshop for summer school by 4 o'clock. I was running right on schedule too...pulled into my driveway...and yep - no garage door opener AND I don't have a key to the glass/screen front door! LOCKED OUT! ha! That is one way to force yourself to take a break! The good news is my ex-hubs has a garage clicker (this isn't the first time I've made this dumb move!!) and he came to the rescue and even helped me unload the truck! There is a reason for everything! LOL!

*Sidenote: I took this picture with my camera phone (because I was bored for 30 minutes locked out and sitting in the front yard! ha!) BUT, I am proud of me b/c I figured out how to email it to myself and upload to my blog! LOOK OUT!

Interview

The big job interview was today, and I really think it went well!! They have two more people to interview, so I will know something by the middle of next week! It is a really nice school ~ so clean and in such a good area! It was nice to just drive to the school and not be nervous b/c the parking lot was almost empty ~ no riffraff wondering down the street with guns or bottles of liquor in brown paper sacks...oh the things I WOULDN'T miss!!!

If this doesn't work out, I have another school I am going to approach ~ all my classroom stuff is in my garage so why not move schools in the fall!?!? ha! Anyway...I am too busy trying to close my room, move/pack all my stuff, AND set up a summer school room to even think about it!! So...I'll think about it next week!

Tomorrow is the officially the last day with the kiddo's! I would say they are really behaving for the it to be the last week of school, but I don't want to jinx anything! :-)

Today I am grateful for...

My first load of school stuff unloaded and stacked in the garage! (and for the 3 boys at school who carried it all to the car for me!!! If only they could've unloaded it too! ha!)
My sweet puppy dog, Jax, who thinks I hung the moon! He only looks pitiful here b/c I made him sit still for a picture! The nerve! :-)
My daylillies are blooming! yay! It brings a smile to my face every year as I wait to see all the beautiful colors come to life. The peach ones above are so delicate looking...
... And the deep red with the orange center are my favorites.
And last, but certainly not least, I am grateful for reliable teenage boys (Tanner, one of the coolest, neatest kids...I mean...teenagers EVER!). Thanks for mowing my devil of a backyard! Love you!

We clean up real nice!

I went up to see Kevin this weekend, and we went to his cousin's wedding on Saturday ~ hence the "cleaned up nice" photo! We look so sweet, and yet in the background I am pinching him to get him to STOP pulling on my shirt trying to get my boobs to look bigger! Men! Why can't they just take a simple picture for the scrapbook without a fuss? LOL!

I am about to embark on a stressful week, and I dread it already! I am already worn out from last week and this weekend. It is only 7:30 pm, and I can barely keep my eyes open. I am hitting the sack early tonight and attacking the week head-on in the morning!! Thank goodness my cleaning lady is coming tomorrow (LOVE HER!!), so that is one less thing to worry about this week!! Now...if I could get a reliable teen-age boy to mow my yard, I could focus on closing out the school-year and moving all my classroom stuff home for summer. I have a job interview Tuesday afternoon for a job teaching 3rd grade at another school. WISH ME LUCK! To say that this is a better school is a HUGE understatement!

I am keeping my eye on the prize this week - Friday I will roll out of my driveway with my new pop-up and head to the lake for my first camping trip with the camper!!!! :-)