Coming Soon

With temps at 90 degrees the past couple of days, it didn't seem right to have a wintry photo scene on the banner. This was the beginning of spring looking out my kitchen window last year. Can't wait for my favorite season!

Pivotal Week

There are many things I love about teaching, but preparing students for a state standardized test is not one of them. This week is crunch time, and therefore I'm working late, not sleeping well, and crashing when I come home. I can't wait until it's over, and we can get back to having more fun with our lessons. When I was in third grade, I never dreaded going to school. Elementary school was fun! Now it's high-pressure and way too stressful for a 9-year old...and the teacher. Wish us luck!

As Seen on TV

We own this one piece of furniture that causes much concern (if not fear!) and cursing each time we have to move it. It's an armoire, about a hundred years old, with dangerously wobbly legs that twist and pinch any time it's moved. But this piece is our only antique and really quite pretty, and therefore worth the trouble. We've been wanting to move it into the guest bedroom for quite some time, and Alan recently had the idea of getting the Forearm Forklift. Have you seen those silly commercials where they stop people in the middle of a mall and ask them to move a refrigerator across the floor by strapping on the "Forklift?"

Well listen up my TV-watching America - that thing is awesome! We bought the forklift and as soon as we got home started moving the armoire with ease.

Little did we know that despite how easy it was, we needed additional help:

Lots of help.

And still more help.

Stealing moments to relax and read...

I bought a book on CD before starting the drive back from Dallas last Saturday. I've been listening to "The Kite Runner," which has been a best seller for quite a while I think. It's a fascinating yet difficult (as in disturbing) story to listen to. I really like listening as opposed to reading this one, because the author pronounces all the middle-eastern terms and names better than I could attempt in my head. It just seems more authentic. Anyway, I know it's not a new book, but I recommend it to anyone. Just be prepared to be affected by it, in that you'll carry the story around in your head throughout your day and think about things you've done in your own life.

I'm also reading "Elijah of Buxton," which is probably found in the young adult section. So far it's very funny and endearing, but I just know it's going to take a sad turn.

Anyone in the middle of a good book?

West Texas Sunrise

Another photo on the way to school one morning...

A humongous Valentine

Alan and I got back yesterday from a weekend away in Dallas (we stayed in Dallas but spent most of the time in Ft. Worth). Ft. Worth is the one other place where we feel at "home," so it's always fun to go back and visit our favorite places. Most of those places involve food, but we usually end up at one of the museums as well. Neither one of us had ever been to the Modern, so that was fun for a while. I'm a closet art fan, and the Modern was so cool, but even I reach my time limit in a museum.

As our weekend was coming to an end yesterday, we had lunch at one of our favorites - La Madeleine. Alan and I often make fun of pretentious people, and you'd definitely find that type of clientele at La Madeleine. So as we were pulling up to the restaurant, I pointed out that maybe this was our pretentious thing we do? And some would see going to the museums as pretentious. But we really do love that restaurant and going to museums together. Anyway, it was a fun and fitting Valentine's weekend for us...pretentious or not. :-)

But the most exciting part was bringing home the biggest Valentine I've ever received:

Ah-ha!

I'm annoyed at how grainy and blurry this video is, because my camera keeps focusing and unfocusing...is there some setting I don't know about? Anyway, I finally captured Junior playing his favorite game involving a hair-tie (or in this case a headband), in which he hides it, finds it, hides it, finds it, etc. He can go on like this forever, hiding it and then acting so surprised and proud that he was able to find it and get it back out from underneath the rug.

Homage to Hitchcock

I've seen this sight several times around town, but only in a couple of areas and only at dusk or dawn. I just think it's cool. This was on my way to school this morning.

My next baby will not be human.

Things have been so busy and stressful at school, that all I want to do is come home and veg. So my postings have been few and far between, although quite honestly I've had little going on that was blogworthy.

We did do some car shopping yesterday, which proved pretty unsuccessful. The vehicle I had my eye on has been sold, but there's another one very similar that we might negotiate on this week.

I've known I was getting a new (as in a couple of years old) SUV for almost a year now, many thanks to Alan being diligent to take a big chunk of my paycheck each month and sock it away towards the car fund. We've been saving $1500 a month since sometime last spring so that we could purchase the car outright. Let me tell you, when you first start getting a decent paycheck again, after being a college student and barely working for so long, it's hard to see that much money zapped away each month! But it's been worth it.

For many months now, I've been "looking" so to speak...checking out vehicles every time I'm driving around town, asking people about their cars, reading Consumer Reports' data, etc. I know what are my must-haves, my deal-breakers, and which bells and whistles I would like but could do without. Finding a used car that meets all your requirements is not that easy.

I started out wanting a Toyota Sequoia, but man those things are pricey. I think I've narrowed it down to a Ford Explorer with third-row seat, preferably the Eddie Bauer edition. Wish us luck, because my next post could be a picture of my new car. If I seem a little excited, consider the fact that our cars our 12 (mine) and 14 (Alan's) years old. I think we're due for an upgrade!