A good day off...

...is one where I get my fingernails dirty in potting soil. I fixed the window box that was sagging from the guest house window and then planted some jasmine in it for the winter. I need a manicure now, but it was worth the fun!

Joy in a jar

It seems forever ago, but back when Alan lived in Ft. Worth, I would drive or fly down to see him every once in a while. I developed a routine of going by Albertson's before leaving town and scooping out a little bag of either buttered popcorn or caramel apple jelly bellies. That's the only time I would buy them. So the other day when shopping at the now monstrosity that is HEB, I came across their brand new display of jelly bellies. So shiny and new and inviting....I couldn't resist. So I got both flavors.

Around the corner

Regardless of the year it's been, I think I'm looking forward to the holidays. And it's not even Halloween yet. Something about getting the holiday decorations and lights and candles out later next month is already getting me antsy. Maybe I want the appearance of coziness and comfort to make life seem a little more peaceful. The brain can be fooled, you know.

A short break

I'm a pretty normal person with a pretty normal temperament. Stupid people annoy me, inconveniences irritate me, and patience is not one of my virtues, but for the most part I keep it all hidden to strangers. And then I join other parents in the stands at a volleyball game and become a bit more verbose. And loud. It's amazing the license you think you're given at a sporting event to hurl insults at the refs and line judges, and to do so quite loudly. Those poor refs that we all yell at and accuse of being dumber that dirt are human after all. And those of us in the stands? We are perfect judges of depth and distance and have peripheral vision that cannot be rivaled.

So volleyball is over until club ball starts up in January. We got home from Abilene around midnight last night, but it was worth the drive and time. Time for Bailey to rest and heal up and for us to take a break from concession stand nachos, frito pie, and giant pickles. For a while anyway.

All kinds of classy

That's what we are around here. So when the winds blow as they tend to do in West Texas, what's a person to do when their cottage door won't stay closed? That's right - rig it with a bungee cord.

Rust

Looks like tonight we're expecting true Fall temps to blow in. Maybe my mums will appreciate the cooler weather. These were a birthday gift from Alan. Or was it for our anniversary? I never really asked to make sure, since both occasions fall within a day of each other. Either way, I couldn't have chosen a prettier color myself.

A.K.A.

Names I've been called this week:

Mrs. Schaeffer
Mrs. Schaeffers
Mrs. Skaffer
Mrs. Shaver
Mrs. Shay
Mrs. S.
Mrs. Chambers
Mizz
Teacher
Mrs. Dolan (a teacher I sub for)
Mrs. Chalambaga ( " )
Mrs. Chalambonga

The kids don't know it, but inside I'm smiling. Especially at the little ones. They're looking at my name on the board and trying so hard to make sense of all those weird letters that shouldn't be put together like that.

And I'm no idiot. I'm sure there were some names not meant for my ears to hear, although I did find out (because kids love to tattle) that a little bratty third grade girl made up a derogatory cheer about me on the playground. Love it!

Once upon a time...

...there lived an ottoman that grew a leg.



I suppose if I cared anything about this furniture I would not be happy that our abnormally large cat has found a way to climb up inside the lining and make it his hammock. Thankfully, I don't care.

Today

Kindergarten. Tired. Grouchy. Tired of my own voice. Sandblasted from the 30-40 mph winds at recess and after school. Glad I'm not working tomorrow.

de ja vu

Ever post something and then reread it and think, wait a minute...did I already post something just like this? So I checked and yep, I've already mentioned the Sunday night thing. I hate when that happens.

The swing of things

Here it is Sunday night, which once upon a time meant I suffered from the Sunday night blues, i.e. the end of the weekend blues. When I worked for the Almighty Chevron, I so dreaded work Monday morning. And then some time later, Sunday night meant that Alan was heading back to Levelland for the week. But tonight I'm not experiencing those bluesy feelings. Part of it, I think, is that I'm starting to get used to being in a new class and setting every other day. (Remind me of this when I someday blog about a horrible class and vow to never take anything but requests again.) But perhaps the biggest reason I'm not dreading tomorrow is that I get to be at a school around people I actually know, actually like, and consider to be really good friends. That's rare when you're subbing. There's something to be said for the comfort of familiarity and routine.

Even the Cowboys' loss can't get me down, but it sure would have been sweet if they won.

Turn away now if you're bored with books...

So I go to Barnes & Noble today to spend the gift card DeeBee got me for my birthday, and while I'm at the register the clerk tells me that her mother who has taught kindergarten for years had NEVER HEARD of Frog and Toad until just the other day. Woman. You teach elementary school and have never heard of Frog and Toad? You need to march your legs down the hall to your school's library, check out a copy provided to you free of charge, and go read it to your students pronto! I can't wait to read it to mine, no matter their age.

And then I've had my eye on this illustrated book of Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on Snowy Evening" for months, and so today with gift card in hand, I couldn't resist. (Bailey just so happens to be doing a project on Frost, so it's good timing.) I have to say though that during my last semester at UTPB, our instructor played an audio recording of Frost himself reading this poem, and whoa. That's how he heard his poetry? It was horrible!

So anyway, I'll be adding these books to my closet of teaching stuff. It's sort of sad looking right now...shelves of this and that just waiting to be moved to its new home in some campus classroom. It's exciting to think about though.

Dig it

I wish everyone could experience a varsity girls volleyball game like the ones around here, just once. I think you'd be a volleyball fan after the experience. The crowd is wild, the noise is deafening beyond belief, and the action non-stop. There's also a huge following of teenagers that show up, some complete with painted bodies and costumes, and they keep things going as well. But the real entertainment is how amazing these girls play. If you live in West Texas, you're crazy if you don't attend at least one Tuesday night game.

Between the excitement of the Cowboys game Monday night and the volleyball game last night, I'm not even missing the Braves right now.

If you hate the Cowboys

Sucks to be you. ha!

Fall blooming

When Alan is suffering from allergies, you'll know it from the explosive sneezes that can vibrate a room. I, on the other hand, have more subtle symptoms. I have this itchy nose and this nagging sore throat that doesn't really feel like a normal sore throat, but more like I swallowed a piece of glass that scraped just one little spot on the right as it went down. So I know it won't really solve anything, but I felt better today after attacking as much dust around the house as I had the energy to attack. Really amazing to me where all cat hair can sneak to and gather in thin strands and balls. And the white, feathery, cottony stuff from the pampas grass in the corner of the backyard? I swept it up from our garage and vacuumed it from our hallway inside the house. Weird.

But I'm not just cleaning for health reasons. My mother-in-law is coming for the weekend. She doesn't know I know, but I know! It's supposed to be a surprise for my birthday, but Alan's not that good at keeping secrets and I'm hard to keep secrets from. Anyway, she's coming for the weekend and I'm excited to see her.

Seventeen Years

Favorite Memories: Meeting you for the first time, our nightly singing in my bed, "Tell me about your day," always being a dog, using big words, playing store, playing with Reba, how sweet and funny you were in the hospital when Bailey was born, helping me decorate the Christmas tree, the emergency room when you cut your chin, "The Ballin," "Did I eat it?" (the balloon), all the stories you wrote, "Why is that man BLUE?", baking pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving, every recital, every band performance, watching you march in the parade, tubing the "scary" rapids in New Braunfels, watching you experience your first time seeing the ocean, making homecoming mums together, getting your braces off, your 16th birthday, and watching you drive by yourself for the first time.

Some I remember so vividly, others have faded with time. But I'm looking forward to many more wonderful memories in the future. Happy 17th Birthday, Addison!

Love you always, Mom