Brownie Points

Being a good aunt (or uncle) sometimes requires some serious sacrifice on our parts, however, is usually worth it. A wise person once told me that children don’t remember all the events you did go to, they will only remember the ones that you missed. Therefore I dragged the boy to my niece's ballet recital this afternoon. Thirty-six dollars and more than three hours later (with a small nap in the middle for the boy) we were leaving thinking of all the other great things we could’ve done with those three hours of all the brownie points we had earned. It’s the small price we pay to be popular with the girls.

Finished

After 2 spray bottles of Kilz, lots of painting, and 5 sheets of sandpaper, I am finally finished. The picture doesn't show the antiquing very much, but in person it looks better. One summer project down, lots more to go!

The Truth

Thyroid cancer is not curable, just treatable. There is never a time where a patient is in the clear, there is always a strong possibility of it returning and it has to be constantly monitored.

God’s plans and our plans are rarely the same.

God often calls us to do things that we don’t want to do.

The people we hurt are usually the people we love the most.

My New Favorite Snack

When I went to Bunko night a few weeks ago, there was one of the most amazing snacks there and it has now become a new addiction of mine. It really needs to stop because it is only somewhat healthy. First you get out two small prep bowls, in one you put plain yogurt, and in the other bowl you put a little brown sugar. Then you take a strawberry, dip it in the yogurt and brown sugar and eat! It is amazingly good!

If Only I was Better at Doing What I am Told...

Before walking out the door for his business dinner the boy mentions that maybe I should do something fun while he is gone and go get a pedicure. So, what am I doing tonight? Not getting a pedicure, that’s for sure, however, there is quite a bit of paint on my feet. I am repainting and antiquing a piece of furniture. I look like a hobo and am probably going to find paint on me for the next week, but at least I will have a place to put my china.

Just Put On a Happy Face

At this moment, everything in my life is somewhat emotionally draining and despite the excitement of the ever closer start to summer, the circumstances around those I love has made it so that I feel as though I am the gloomiest person to be around. The boy and I are getting together with some friends tonight and I don’t know what I am going to talk about that won’t make me cry or make the room go silent. I told him that I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea, however, it’s probably better to air on the side of having a good time. I guess we’ll see!

We all Scream for Ice Cream

After almost two years of marriage the boy and I have officially used our ice cream machine for the first time today (it was a wedding present). I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, substituting 2% for whole milk and ½ and ½ for heavy whipping cream, so it’s a little soft, but delicious.

How much would that cost?

A house is never a finished product, but rather a constant work in progress. There is always a project I want to finish, and something I would like to change. However, the boy has issues with isn’t as enthusiastic about changing/adding anything to the house, unless it involves him and lots of tools. So last night we went to Lowe’s to look for hardware (for my latest project), when the boy announces that he is going to make an oak bed for the guest room, then he proceeds to walk me over to the oak wood and show me exactly what he was thinking it would look like and all the things he would need. Finally he brings me over to the electric saws and announces that in order to do this for me he would need one. Lets just say it took me a while to regain my composure and have a rational discussion about the cost of building vs. buying and I still won’t be surprised if he comes home next week with a lot of wood and a new saw. Boys will be boys!

Another One

As of this evening we are the proud owners of a new toaster oven. With our recent luck, this time we did a lot of research before purchasing a fourth one. We ended up with this Cuisinart. Hopefully it will hold up longer than the last one, which was only ten days!

D-O-N-E

Today I said "good-bye" to another group of first graders, which is always a bitter sweet experience. Despite my need for a break, I really am going to miss them...especially this group. They have my best group yet!

What am I doing?

Apparently I am trying to burn down the house! FYI- tortilla shells are flammable. From now on I am thinking about getting some yellow caution tape to put around the kitchen when I am trying a new recipe, just to give the boy some fair warning.

Is this normal?

I have always been a planner and would rather be overly prepared than under. So today, after having our first official China meeting this afternoon, I had this great desire to come home and pack for a trip that is still two months off. It sounded like so much fun! Is that weird? I was thinking about all the things that I needed to get and all the stuff that I wanted to take, what I should put in my carry on, etc. It’s so exciting that I was just about ready to pull out the suitcases and go at it for hours on end as if I was leaving tomorrow, however then the suitcases lying around my house would drive me crazy for the next two months. So I am thinking it’s not such a great idea.

How many?

As of today the boy and I have been through 3 toaster ovens in less than 2 years of marriage. Apparently we loved them and use them a little too much because none of them want to last very long (one went haywire and wouldn't stop beeping, the other two had knobs fall off). The people at Bed Bath and Beyond are probably a little tired of us right now. Any suggestions for a new toaster would be great, becasue we are definitely in the market!

Selfish?

You tell your friends and family that you would do anything to help them out, just to let you know, then it happens, they ask you to do the one thing that you don’t want to do. Everything inside you says no, anything but that, anything…cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. However, is that being a good friend? As a teacher, I spend a lot of my weekends and summer avoiding my former students (I am not apologizing for it either, we all need breaks from our jobs), I don’t go to Target near the school, stay away from the mall, etc. Now, my sister whose husband has cancer has asked me to take her place and do Bible school at her church. First of all, I am a teacher for a living; therefore, it would be like going back to work, on multiple levels. Second of all, it’s not even for any of my nieces classes; I would be with a bunch of kids I don’t even know. I am honestly having a very hard time with this and she wants an answer ASAP. Is it selfish or wrong to say “no”? I am very conflicted about this.

Great choice!

After reading this post, my friend Rachel decided that I did indeed need this dress since I will be wearing it in her wedding over Labor Day weekend. I am so excited! I bought it tonight and can't wait for it to get here.

Whoops!

With the school year coming to a close I am having a harder and harder time getting up in the morning, therefore, making my mornings a little more rushed. Today as I was going to leave the house, I quickly slipped on some shoes and walked out the door without even really thinking (I don't like to think in the mornings and prefer not to talk). An hour and a half later, I happen to look down at my feet and noticed that I had slipped my feet into the wrong shoes, some illegal flip flops! I spent the day trying to avoid the principle of the school only to run into her three times. Thankfully she didn't say anything or I would've had to plead my case to her, especially since contracts are coming out right now and some people are being laid off due to the economy. It was a little stressful for an overall, not so eventful day in first grade.

Only in First Grade...

To sum up the school year we are making a book that tells something we learned about or did each month of the school year. It is called the Very Hungry First Grader. Today one of my students wrote "In October we learned about plants." then had a picture that was black with a few circles that were each a different color. Looking at what he wrote and his picture I was a little perplexed by what he drew and proceeded to ask him how the illustration went with what he wrote, with that he immediately started crying and said he drew the planets (mistaking the word plants). I couldn't help but laugh, I know I probably shouldn't have though.

Movies

One of my sister and my favorite past times is to watch trailers to upcoming movies to see which ones we are excited about. Before you judge us, you have to know that all the girls in my family LOVE romantic comedies (I know what you are thinking, I pitty my husband too, however, he knew it when he agreed to marry me). Here were our top movies that are coming out this summer. (Click on them to watch their trailers)

The Proposal

My Sister's Keeper

Playing Hooky

In the morning I am off to Miami to take my sister (from Atlanta) to a job interview, which means I will be playing hooky tomorrow to fight some awful traffic. I am really excited about her possibly moving back here; it would be fun to have the whole family in the same place.

Tug of War

With the surgery scheduled and emotions running high, everyone has been going crazy trying to help my sister and her husband as much as possible and at times it’s hard not to be offended if they don’t take you up on your offer to help. This is very true of my brother’s wife, today at my oldest niece’s birthday celebration and Mother’s Day lunch she cornered my sister about taking care of the girls on the day of the surgery, I couldn’t believe it. It’s easy to become selfish and want what we think is best, but it isn’t about her, it’s about where my sister and her husband (who has cancer) and where they want the girls to go the day of the surgery and they shouldn’t have to explain themselves to the rest of us. It was so inappropriate. So much for a relaxing peaceful Mother’s day in my family, all out wars are practically breaking loose!

Bunko

I was all excited about attending my first ever Bunko night today. I had heard such great things about it and my sister and mom enjoy it, therefore, I thought it was going to be a fun girl’s night out. What I didn’t know is that Bunko requires no thought whatsoever, which drove me crazy most of the night. It’s sort of like Yatzee except with less strategy, you just roll dice for a specific number, and the team that ends up rolling the most win (there’s more to it, but that’s the gist). I don’t think I will be hosting a Bunko night anytime soon after my experience today, but maybe a Rook Monte Carlo tournament.

Happy Birthday

My niece turned 10 yesterday, dyed her hair red, and got her ears pierced. I am shocked! She is so excited about it all though. I can't believe how big she is getting, it seems like yesterday I was in high school and she was born. I can't help but look at her and want to be 10 again!

Lending a Helping Hand

With the most recent news that has unfolded in my family, I told my sister that I would take care of the girls one or two mornings a week this summer since I will be off. However, then I came to the realization that I would be spending a lot of time in parks, pools, and at the beach. Therefore I think I need to invest in a tankini so I won't have to worry about coverage (or lack there of) around the girls. I did a little internet shopping and so far I like these (one from Old Navy, the other from Gap).

Finally...

I have spend the weekend, Monday and Tuesday reading as much as I could. I just had to find out what happened to Callie and Tom, I even had dreams about them. After spending several hours reading and ignoring the boy doing nothing else, I have finished the Million Dollar series by Mindy Starns Clark. I love reading and wish I had more time to do it.

Five down 7 to go...

I got an A in my grad school class this semester! I think I need to do something to reward myself...

Today...

I will be getting a wonderful 90 minute massage. I got a gift card to go last year and never used it. The boy insisted that I go and made me an appointment. I can't wait!

Where is my brain?

I could've sworn that I sent home the invitations to my Mother's Day event, two weeks ago. However, after three mother's inquired about it today, I began to panic started wondering why the invitations didn't get home to so many of the moms in my class. After school I went to my classroom and found the invitations tucked safely away, still on the shelf behind my desk. Yesterday I would've put 1000 dollars on the fact that they went home. That's what I get for being too organized and copying them too early. Guess I need to rethink being so organized next time. I am just glad that I realized it before none of the moms showed up for it. I would've been so confused and the kids would've been so sad.