69 Hot Pink Holes

If you would like to know the meaning of this, this is what you need to do:

1- Go to your TV
2- Turn it on
3- If you have a guide channel, stroll through
4- When you get to the movie section, you might just see what I am talking about

When deciding what to do tonight, Matt and I though that maybe we would rent a movie. Oh yeah, this was one of the choices. So was Hot Asian MILFs. Needless to say, we ended up watching Supernanny.

Gosh darn it...I just realized I missed yesterday

So this blogging everyday thing is not going as wel as I would have liked. I have missed I think five or six days now. I missed yesterday's post because, well, I thought I had already done one. But luckily since I can count on one hand the number of people that read this blog I feel OK about it, because I know they won't hold it against me.

I was much more productive today than I have been the past couple days. Man I feel good when I get something done. Now, I just have to finish the couple things that I started and I will feel so much better. I will be able to go to my parents for Thanksgiving feeling that the house is clean and organized enough that I could have guests over. But I have been having guests over since it became disorganized so I must not feel too bad about the state that the house is in.

Can I just say that I can't believe how many things I can do with a baby in tow. I have become very good at typing with a baby laying on my shoulder. In fact right now, Izzy is laying on my chest sleeping as I type this blog. Often I have to type one handed and I am becoming faster and faster at that each time that I do it. I can fold laundry while holding the baby too. The clothes don't look as nice and I end up refolding them later. Of course making a bottle one handed is an absolute necessity. Can I just say, I love being a mom!

Yes...I will be one of those parents

When you become a parent, you have your camera ready at a moments notice to take all sorts of pictures. Sometimes you dress your child in what I am sure will be embarrassing pictures when they bring their first date home. But, I don't care, I love taking pictures of her because she is so darn cute. Here are a couple pictures that have been taken in the last week for one reason or another.(Captions courtesy of Miss Izzy)



I can now hold my own bottle











I can hold my head up. My daddy looks a little worried, but I know what I am doing.






My furry sister loves me A LOT. She always makes sure that I am doing well. I can't wait to pull her ears when I grow up.







This is my new snow suit. It is WAY too big for me now but my mommy couldn't resist but put me in it for a photo opt. Remind me to have her burn this picture when I am a teenager.

Let sleeping dogs lie...

I love watching my dog sleep. I especially love watching her sleep when she is dreaming. I wonder what she is dreaming about? Her legs move, her eyes twitch, her lips flap, and she often makes weird noises. It must be something fun or scary, I'm not sure which. Here is a demonstration(minus the weird noises since I forgot to turn the TV down). What do you think she is dreaming about?

Who can resist such a cute sleeping dog? Not me!

Edit: this may possibly be the last video I post since I have been waiting over 30 minutes for it to finish loading(and it is only a thirty second clip)...hope I don't miss my post today for NaBloPoMo

Would you believe this?

So last night I get a reminder call that I have an appointment to have my car serviced this morning. Since it was a 15,000 mile service appointment they set me up with a loaner car. I got there when they first opened since they said they would need it for a good part of the day. They told me that they were short staffed so I shouldn't expect it back till the very end of the day. I didn't really care since I had nothing else to do. Around two o'clock one of the service dudes called and said that they made a mistake and I actually did not need a 15,000 mile check but only a 7,500 one since I had just had the 15,000 one a couple months back. BONUS...they always try to up sell you and tell you that you need so much more than you do. I was like, cool, call me when it is done. So then they called at four o'clock and said my car was done but that they had actually only done an oil change since they didn't need to rotate my tires since they were in good shape. Weird, huh. I was given a loaner car for a full day to get my oil changed. But, whatever. So when I went to pick up my car, I only had to pay $39 bucks for what originally I was told was going to cost me $339. How often does that happen? When do you go in to have your car serviced and they actually do less than you thought they they were going to do? NEVER! What a bonus. I have an extra $300 that I thought I wouldn't have today. So despite the crappy weather we are having, I had a pretty darn good day.

Out of sorts

What the ^%$% I just seriously spent 20 minutes writing up a post and then hit some button and instead of having it all posted, it was deleted. How frustrating! Sometimes I love my computer and other times I don't. I would love to spend another 20 minuted re-writing the post but I have an adorable baby that needs me to stare at them. So until tomorrow, adios

6 pounds 13 ounces, 20 1/2 inches

Izzy is growing like a weed. She is gaining slightly more than an ounce a day. She has put on two pounds since birth and grown an incredible 2 and a half inches. I am so completely amazed. I knew she was getting bigger, but I am in awe at how big she is actually getting. When we brought her home, she barely fit in her preemie clothes and now she is finally into her newborn outfits. Woo hoo...it almost seems like she has a whole new wardrobe. And looking back at her old clothes, it is hard to believe that they used to be big on her. I love watching her grow and can't wait to continue to watch her get bigger and bigger. And you all will get to watch and see her grow with me.

Damn mommy brain

I thought that "pregnancy brain" was bad. Mommy brain is worse. I wake up every morning with a laundry list of things that I would like to get done. I always start one or two. Usually I don't finish them because I have been distracted and have forgotten that I started them. Like right now, I am just remembering that there is a load of laundry in the washing machine that I started this morning. I am hoping that I will remember to put that load in the dryer after I get done posting. Another thing I was supposed to remember to do today...get a note from my doctor for work(letting them know about the c-section). Did I remember? NO!!! I had a nice conversation with the doctor today. I even kept telling myself the whole way to the doctor's appointment to NOT forget to get the note. Now I have to call the office tomorrow and have them write me a note that I will have to go pick up. Oh yeah, did I remember to pull anything out to cook for dinner? Nope! Now I am starving and have nothing to eat but mixed nuts and pudding. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE being a mommy, but I didn't know it would make me lose my mind.

I am thankful for ... wait what was that I was thinking I was thankful for... I forget

Three reasons I don't want to post right now

1- 48 hours Mystery is really good

2- I am going to bed after 48 hours Mystery, well actually after I feed Izzy

3- I can't think of anything to write(new mommy brain is pretty bad)

Here are some pics though:

My two favorite girls!

Oh man...I missed a day

And I almost missed today too. This blogging thing is a lot harder than I would have ever thought. My brain is a bunch of mish mosh right now. I can't even think about what to write. I guess I can just tell a funny story from today. Since we have a new little one at home, our dog Layla has felt quite abandoned. She is not getting her daily walks and not getting as much attention as she did previously. So she has decided to take her frustrations out on our precious landscaping. First it was the pumpkins( I know, not landscaping), then it was a small holly berry bush, next she did a fine job trimming the rhododendron bush, which now looks like a palm tree. And finally today she trimmed the rose of sharon bush that was near the garage. She didn't really trim it as much as she ate it. I looked up whether or not they were poisonous to dogs and according to the internet, rose of sharon is a recommended shrub/bush for homes with dogs because of their hardy nature. Layla proved us wrong. She can even take the hardy bushes down. And you can't be mad at her when she does it because she is so darn cute and looks at you with such sad eyes when you catch her. I will try and remember to post some pictures of our non bushes and trees. I wish I had before pictures. But, then again i didn't know I would need before pictures.

Today, I am thankful that rose of sharon is not poisonous to dogs. Otherwise, I just might be up with a sick dog all night

Lame post

Having a newborn makes you pretty darn tired. It also makes you forget lots of things that previously seemed so easy to remember. But one thing that was accomplished today. Three loads of laundry(thanks Nana for doing load #3) and we found a babysitter for the little peanut. Oh yeah, I got a haircut too. I was long overdue.

I would love to write more but my eyes are playing tricks on me and as I type this the screen looks blurry and I can't make much sense of what I am writing. Maybe I should try posting in the morning from now on.

I am thankful for a nice comfy bed.

I am bound to be sick soon

The weather here in upstate NY can never decide what it wants to do. Seriously! I love fall. It is my favorite season. That is the reason I got married in the fall. My one complaint, one day it is freezing cold, like winter jacket cold, and then two days later, you could go out with a short sleeve shirt and be more than comfortable. That is a recipe for being S-I-C-K. I don't know about you but when the weather constantly goes up and down, I usually get some sort of sickness. And the fact that I have a newborn here and I am not getting my usual amount of sleep, I just have a feeling that I am bound to come down with something. But in the meantime, I am going to soak up every last minute or moment(at least the next four days) of the beautiful weather. Izzy and I will be going for lots of walks to get some fresh air before the snow hits the ground. And hopefully I won't be sick!

I am thankful for the weather being gorgeous enough for Izzy to be able to go outside without worry of getting sick.

Get out and vote

I am so happy that we get to elect a new president tomorrow. Not only because we need a change but I will just be so happy to not have to watch all those election ads. I can understand people wanting to say what they believe in and what they are going to do for us but when they get to the point that they are putting down their running mate, it becomes too much. Why can't you people just talk about yourself? Why must you talk about what your opponent is not going to do? I don't know why it bothers me so much, but it does. So I must say I am really looking forward to tomorrow, a new president and an end to all those commercials.

Don't forget to vote! I just hope America gets it right and elects a leader that knows what they are doing.

I am thankful for the fact that we have the right to vote in this country.

Missed the first day...oooppps

OK...so I missed the first day of NaBloPoMo. Sorry! I had all good intentions of posting yesterday, in fact I had intentions on posting all last week but time got away from me. Enough excuses already.

October was a whirlwind month. After being put on bedrest, we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl. Isabella may have come a couple weeks early, but we couldn't be luckier. She is a great baby and I absolutely love spending everyday with her. The thought of going back to work makes me quite sad. I am soaking up every moment I can now.

I am hoping that with being home and having a new baby, I will discover some things about myself that I may have not known. I already have discovered that I have more patience than before. I also can tell that I am even more relaxed than I was previously. I guess Izzy has a way of calming me.

So raise your glasses and toast with me...here is to hoping that I can meet some new people through blogging and discover some new things about life, myself, and others.

I am thankful for Izzy! Without her, I would not be a mother today and I absolutely love being one.

I'm a slacker...I know

OK so it has been several months since I have updated this blog. I really have no good excuse. Saying that I have been busy would be an understatement and an excuse for the pure tiredness or is it laziness that has overcome me lately. I guess I had other priorities that I felt were more important than updating a blog which I think only two people read. I am sure that if I knew more people were reading, I would be more likely to do so. So now for the updates.

1- The house is coming along very nicely. We now have a backyard, complete with a deck. We also painted. I must say I think it looks very nice. As for the older woman we bought the house from, she is not as happy as we are with the changes. I can't blame her considering she is the original owner and lived here for 42 years. What do you think?

Backyard before

Backyard after(it is actually fuller and greener but apparently I don't have a more recent pic)

And of course there is the deck

Now for the old house color and new house color

Old

New

Layla is getting much bigger and wilder

but we still love her just as much(even when she eats the sneakers I bought earlier in the week)

And baby is snuggled in and growing big(at least I think he/she is). I obviously don't have any recent pics of that. The most recent one I could post is the 20 week one so...

I guess the baby likes to do flips!

I can't really say anything else exciting is going on. I have one more week off before I have to go back into school. We have one week to get everything ready for the kiddos to come. I am hoping this is a much better school year than last. And then come late October sometime, baby C should make their arrival.

I am really going to try and be better about updating this blog. I have even gone so far as to publish the address on facebook and myspace to kind of force myself into it. I figure there may be people that will check out the site and if I keep it more current, well it would be better. So for now...let the sun shine down and don't let your dog eat your shoes

No...I did not fall of the face of the earth

I can not believe that I have not posted since my last break from school. Well over two months ago. And to think I was sooooooo going to easily do Blog365. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Life gets in the way. New things come up.

So there is a lot to update and as soon as I can I will be posting pictures to match. Where do I start. Here is a brief list of what has been going on in the Carlett household.

1- Layla got invisible fence. She hates it! We are supposed to go through these training sessions three to four times a day. She is also supposed to get one "correction" a day too so she learns what and how the fence works. We have tried everything, all the tricks they have said to use and she won't go near the flags. You would think this is a good thing. But now she mops around the yard like a prisoner. I am sure she will lighten up but it is a little depressing.

2- The yard is coming along slowly but surely. When we bough this house last October it had no and I mean no grass in the backyard. There were huge pine trees and bushes and the rest of the ground was covered in pachysandra(sp?) The trees were cut down in January. And we have spent the last three weeks ripping up the pachysandra. So now we have a huge backyard that is nothing but dirt. Not the best for a house with a curious puppy. So our house is covered in dirt also. And by the way do you know how long it takes for grass to grow in. A very long time! For most people doing patchwork it wouldn't be that bad but we have an entire backyard to do. Ahhhh, the joys of home ownership.

3- On a brighter note, a much brighter note. Matt and I are expecting a little Carlett in late October. We are super excited. We did not expect it to come this quickly, considering we were just married in November. We decided to stop preventing and not too long after...I will let you figure out the rest . And we will not be finding out if it is a boy or girl. We want a surprise, you know the old fashioned way.

We are on our way to the dog park now to let Layla have some fun before she is made a prisoner in her own house/yard. I will try to post some pictures later, of the yard and of Layla and maybe if you are lucky I can show some pictures of the wee little one floating around inside me belly.

Back to Work...yuck!!!!

So I had last week off from work. I had a lot of plans to get stuff done around the house, but that never happened. That always happens. Whenever there is a break from school, I plan on getting stuff done and then something else distracts me and I don't get anything done. Oh well! That's life.

We have a puppy that has turned into a terror. She gets into anything and everything. You can't leave her alone for two seconds. She can be such a pain in the a$$, a cute one at that.

I am at a total lose for words right now. I think my mind is dreading the fact that kids will be walking into school in about fifteen minutes and I have to teach the little boogers. I just want to be home and in bed. Maybe I will get some inspiration during the day and write another post tonight.

It's finally vacation time

I'm not sure how much I have shared about my class this year but they are a little rough. And that is putting it lightly. So since we have next week off for Febraury break, I am loving life right now. It will be nice to have a week of sanity.

On another note, Layla is doing so well. We enjoyed a wonderful morning stroll, even if it was a little cold outside. She is just so gosh darn cute. I want to share the lovely face we get to see each day with everyone. Hopefully blogger will let me attach them today.



We hope everyone has a nice day, wherever you may be.

Hugs and Kisses- Layla and Megan

Snow, snow, snow

OK people. I realize that it is snowing. Very lightly snowing. Maybe you haven't ventured outside your home in the past, oh let's say three months. But driving 10 mph is not going to make you any new friends. The last time it took me 45 minutes to get home from work, was like, oh that's right, never. And to the a$$ driving the big SUV...just because you have 4 wheel drive doesn't mean you can cut in and out of traffic making everyone around you panic and start driving like bigger idiots than they already are.

Keep me in your prayers tonight and tomorrow morning that we will be blessed with a snow day. I need it after my day and work and especially after my drive home.

And on another note...I have added some updated pictures of the little girl who is not so little anymore.







And then again, maybe not. I guess I will have to do it later since blogger is not likingme and my pics right now.

Layla's playgroup

The past two Sundays, we have taken Layla to the big dog playgroup. She loves it!!! And we love it too because when she gets home all she does is sleep. She just crumples on the floor as soon as we walk in. I would have never guessed that allowing your dog to play with other dogs for an hour would be so entertaining and so exhausting.

I am very excited for the upcoming February break. I need a break from the students this year. This class above probably any other class has been very challenging. And I ahve had them for two years. And to top off the madness we are supposed to get a new student tomorrow that left his old school for "emotional reasons." Can't I catch a break? Four months to go! Yipee!

People of power

I really do not like people who feel as though they can boss you around just because you are some young school teacher.

Today we had our big school wide meeting. I must say it is a pretty awesome thing our school does once a week. It is something I wish I could invite everyone to see. It is too hard to explain and if you experienced it, I am sure you would be amazed. Well anyways...you may have read in my last post that we have people from all over the US visiting our school this week. Our school wide meetings are Wednesday so of course the visitors got to experience the awesomeness that it is. We even had TV cameras there. I am sure this was due to the fact that we had the visitors in, because normally they are not there. Back to my point...I, along with another teacher, was given the task of setting up the library for some "debrief" sessions we would be having after school. So as we are going about our business a woman asked us, well more told us, that she would be having a meeting in the library. We explained that that would be fine but we were supposed to have a meeting with about 40 people in the room in about 20 minutes. She said that she just had to have this room and that we would need to wait for her. We asked if we could set up around her and she said that she was using the room and we would need to set up later. Come to think of it, she never told us who she was(we did figure it out shortly thereafter). So, as a host school, I did not want to piss off any visitors, so we obliged. Of course we reminded her that we would need the room for a meeting and she just snubbed us. So she set herself up and then had the camera man and audio man came in. When the woman(someone who works at my school) who was being interviewed reminded her about the room being needed she said yeah, yeah. And then went about her business. When my principal came in, she snubbed her, saying she just needed a couple minutes. I couldn't believe it. I guess that since we are not in the TV business we don't count and since she had a story or whatever to do that she could care less about what we had to do. God, I hate it when people feel as though they are owed something because of their job or position.

BTW...the meeting went fine and, at least, the people in my debrief session were totally cool with things running late.

Blog 365...

I guess I had really high hopes of being able to publish a post everyday. I mean really high hopes! I guess I never realized how much life would interfere with being able to do that. Those of you who can, god bless you. I am usually so exhausted at the end of a work day that I can bearly muster up the strength to cook dinner. So you can forget about posting a blog. I guess I could forgo eating, but I am not sure how much my husband would appreciate that.

This week, we have people from all over the country coming to visit our school. I am excited and nervous. We have been busting our butts to get the school clean and ready to have a major influx of people in it. And of course prepping the kids for people that will be wandering in and out of the rooms. Some of the students especially need lots of prep because any little disruption to the schedule throws them into a tizzy. On that note, I can't wait for Friday to come so the kids and the rest of the staff can just chill. Everyone is on pins and needles. It is not much fun with everyone on edge around here.

And as much as I would love to discuss more, I really have to get back to some work so that I can be ready for the students who will be here in about 30 minutes.

Finally time for an update

I used to get disappointed when I would visit some other bloggers sites only to find out that they haven't updates their site in a couple days. I was like "come on people, how hard can it be to write a little entertaining entry to update the rest of us on what is going on" Well now I know. It is very hard to find the time and to figure out what to write. So I apologize for all the things I may have said under my breath to the people who's blogs I regularly read.

Matt and I decided on Friday night that we would try and get some stuff done around the house this weekend and that we wouldn't leave the house, except for my dress fitting for a wedding I am in in June and to run to the store to get some food for our lockdown. Well...it didn't go to well. Sometimes when you have the mindset of not being able to do something, you try your hardest to find a way to do it. So, Matt and I made and excuse to go to Target and Home Depot even though we were supposed to be on "lockdown." And we didn't even get done what we were supposed to. I am hoping that I can be more successful tomorrow with Matt at work and me with the day off. I'll let you know how that goes later.

BTW- for all you non-upstate New Yorkers that are reading. It is freezing out. I know it may not be as cold as it is in Green Bay for the playoff games but it is cold. Even the dog knows that there is no time for play outside. It is all business once that door opens.

Time to go...the Amazing race finale is on.

I found this on best-of craigslist and thought it would be appropriate for yesterday's post

To the people of *fill-in-the-blank with your own town* post office:

1) Middle-Aged Clueless Woman of Japanese Descent: OK, the USPS website said you could ship that package to Kyushu for $6.75 and come to find out, from two clerks at the counter, that it actually costs $37. Do you really think that 10 pounds of anything will ship Priority across an ocean for $6.75? Do you?? How about this. . .use some common sense, step up and realize you read the information on the website incorrectly and trust the clerks that do this for a living. I say this with a smirk, but they are EXPERTS and I KNOW they were actually right this time! Dumb. Ass. Casting a request-for-sympathy-gaze to the rest of us in line got you nothing. In fact, I think I witnessed an 80-year-old woman mouth the words, ‘Eat Shit’. I saw you again just the other day on Capitol by the Thai restaurant. Sweet Jesus, woman, you live around here??
2) Trailer-Trash Wannabe eBay Businesswoman: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s clear you got some postal game. I mean, you had at least 10 packages prepaid, all ready to go and have obviously mastered Click-N-Ship. Your shit is tight. But ya gotta stick with what ya know, and assisting the clerks in dealing with Middle-Aged Clueless Woman of Japanese Descent is obviously NOT what you know. In fact, that effort was downright futile. You should have known this. After all, you’re here every day with your Goodwill-fodder turned eBay treasure. (although I will give you props for being certified WT and under 200 lbs). Anyway, you were really annoying in saying repeatedly, the same fucking shit the clerks were saying, but with an Estacadian’s command of the English language. C’mon! Middle-Aged Clueless Woman of Japanese Descent was getting uber-agitated and the longer she was agitated, clearly, the longer she was going to camp at the counter until attaining some degree ‘respect’ or validation. Did I mention that while you were ‘helping’ the hapless clerks, you were yourself at the counter being assisted by the ONLY other clerk not involved in the fray? Oblivious psycho. You sort of recognized me during your righteous attempt at ‘helping’, and you cast yet another request-for-sympathy-gaze. You were not indulged. I maintained the eat-shit expression recently conveyed by the wise and elderly madam behind me. You know, you were nice to me one time when you held that door open, otherwise you would have been at the top of this list.
3) The Yeller: Now I haven’t seen you before, but you were on a freakin’ MISSION. I could tell you were a jacked-up Type A in about. . .a second. It’s a good thing you weren’t here Friday, dog. I mean, some shit went down with this crazy lady that. . . Anyway, things were moving pretty good, but obviously too slowly for you. Think, man. . .if you commit to a line that has 12 people in it and two clerks at the counter, what do you expect? Obviously you expect either personal service or a hand job because waiting 5 minutes ANYWHERE is not your strong suit. I was down with the people in the line that day dog, I mean, there was some respectful and sweet old people, a smiling soccer mom and even a non-screaming kid that was actually capable of independent play. There was a 1 for 2 clerk situation (one good one) and overall things were looking pretty good. Until of course you mouthed off, “Can you guys get some help out here? Fuckin’ A!” I’m all for more counter help. In fact, I might even send a letter to management to report how painful this station is, but saying what you said and then doing all your posturing, sighing and slamming your flat-rates on the counter just wasn’t cool. The FuckinA was especially uncalled for, and frankly, it really wasn’t on par with your $75 Magnum Opus haircut and designer clothes you were sporting. I firmly believe that a simple, “Jesus!”, with an emphasis on the ‘Gee’, befits a man of your caliber. Seriously, your reckless tirade left one clerk speechless for a least five minutes and should have resulted in the postmaster booting your ass out the door. I was embarrassed because we share the same generation. Here’s a recommendation: your time is far too precious to expend at the post office, please send your trophy wife in – me and a couple other regulars wouldn’t mind checking out some fakies once in a while. And dude, what the fuck are you doing out of Lake Oswego anyway?
4) Forty-Five-Year-Old Cell Phone Tard: I’m not spending a lot of time on you. Others have. Your ilk is well-known and well-hated, like on that trip to Salzberg during the fortress tour where you talked over the guide on your cell phone about some fucking t-ball game your brat played in, or at the Beaverton Nissan dealership when you were buying the convertible Z (gag), or even in the milf-infested Pearl District Starbuck’s. So you think you have a really cool job? Well let me tell you. . .people could give a shit when they’re well into their 20th minute standing at the Multnomah Post Office! We really aren’t impressed that you’re part of the ‘CG effort’ for the next Dreamworks production. I mean, YOU SELL COMPUTER PARTS ferchrissakes (memory modules I think?) to the Techs that run the computers that support the Creatives that bust their ass in a very non-glamorous sweat shop hell of a job. Come to think of it, you’re NOT really part of the ‘CG effort’ at all. You’re just some nominally-educated, self-employed consultant dickhead that believes he’s getting his 15 minutes of fame by name-dropping ‘Dreamworks’ fifty times to some pissed off people in a line at the post office. I guess I did spend a lot of time on you. And that’s because I hate you.
5) Sighing Milf: I don’t have a clear picture of you, because you come in droves. You are all shapes, sizes and flavors. 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, blonde, brunette or redhead, you have truly perfected the art of The Sigh. I’ve come to appreciate and respect you, for when I hear your call, I’m about to have a great moment. Now, The Sigh indicates that I’m moving a lot of merchandise and I’ve got a formidable stack of packages with me. Capitalism at work. Money in my wallet. I’m already having a good day. I want to let YOU in on a little secret Sighing Milf. . .your sweet sigh will almost always preclude one or all of the following: a slower than normal process of placing the packages on the counter, my apparent confusion with a receipt or customs form, or, if I’m feeling especially wicked, entry into a light-hearted and prolonged banter with Pete the clerk. You may not be subjected to these atrocities though if Sweet Old Lady or Smiling Soccer Mom are in front of you. But, mind you, I’m here almost every day and you’ll be back too because I’ve seen your road-weapon Navigator with the lame stick-family sticker in the parking lot before. It’s a slippery slope, The Sigh, and it may eventually elevate you to Cold-Hearted Bitch someday. Just sayin’.

I was the one!

Have you ever gone to the post office, only to see there is someone with a ton of packages standing at the counter. Yep...that was me tonight. My lovely husabnd asked me to drop off some packages at the post office. Normall this would involve running in dropping them off(since most are already postmarked) and leaving. On occasion, we might have a couple that need to be weighed but tonight there was, I think, 15. Fifteen packages, all international, that have to be weighed and postmarked. Needless to say, I was certainly not everyone's favorite person, especially the lady that was glaring and sighing the entire time I was there.

I love being a homeowner!!!

I don't know many people that would enjoy doing yard work in 40 degree weather, but Matt and I had a lot of fun doing just that today. See, we moved into our house when there was several inches of snow on the ground, so yard work was not in the books at that time. Well there hasn't been much snow lately and the yard is looking a bit shabby, so I went to Lowe's this morning and bought some yard work supplies and we got to work. Although there is still a ton to do, we made a lot of progress. My whole plan was to document it all but the battery is dead on the digital camera and I can't find the charger. So I guess you will just have to take my word for it.

I might have put the puppy into a very long sleep coma too. She was WILD this morning. The way she was running around the kitchen and family room doing laps, well let's just say I thought someone had slipped something in her food. So I took her for a 1 1/2 mile walk and then she spent about two and a half hours outside with us while we did yard work. She was given a nice warm bath afterwards because like little kids, little puppies are very curious and do not care when you say no to them. She was a very dirty, but still very cute puppy. If you need someone, or something, to dig a nice hole in some dirt for you, I have just the person(or puppy). And, by the way, she can dig pretty fast!

What should I do?

I would love to be outside cleaning up the yard from this week's past wind storm but a certain puppy gets into trouble while we are outside. She barks and barks and whines at the door. At least we know she is alive and can see her. Then she will just disappear and suddenly we hear a crash. That would be her crawling all over the furniture and the coffee table knocking things down. She hates being along. She even whines when I go downstairs to the basement to throw a load of laundry in. Can anyone else feel my pain????

Interesting story...this week was the State ELA(English Language Arts) exam. There is three parts. Since many of my children have test mods, I often have to test them alone and at a different time than the rest of the students. So one of my students is a poor reader, to say the least. The first day of the test is 28 multiple choice questions. The most she has gotten right in practice test, 7(yes, seven). So since I can't read a word to her, she was really struggling with reading the stories. She took so long on the first story that I told her she didn't have time to read the remaining stories. She would have to read the questions as best as she could and try to find the answer or guess. She decided that for the ones that she was really struggling with she would do eenie, meanie, minie, moe. Wouldn't you figure that she got 17(that is seventeen) correct. Can you believe the luck?

Well I am off to do some laundry since the little girls is sleeping. I don't dare to try and go outside. Not until Matt gets home, at least.

Awwwww crap!

I missed a day for the 365 blog nation. I hate making excuses but I do have a pretty good one. There was a pretty windy storm that passed through our area yesterday morning. Everything at the house was fine and dandy when we left for work but the power went out after I left and just went back on about fifteen minutes ago. So, no power means no internet and no internet means no post. No power also means no heat and no heat means a very cold little puppy. I felt so bad for little Layla. Thirty six hours with no heat can be hard on a little one. When we went to our neighbor's house to get some firewood and started up the fireplace, there was Layla right in the front row. I must say it was really cute. Even with the power back on she is still curled up in front of the burning embers. What a smart dog we have!

Give me a black and white stripped shirt and call me a referee

Call me naive but when I was nine or ten years old, fighting with other girls was the furthest thing from my mind. Maybe I called a girl a name or looked at them and stuck my tongue out a couple times, but I know for sure that I would not tell them that I would kick their $&! and I will see them on the bus. Geez. It is a beautiful day here and I decided to let the kids have about twenty minutes outside and then I have to break up fights. I was afraid one of the girls was going to kick my $#@. Ohhh the joys of being a teacher.

I almost slipped

Geez. It is only the seventh of January and I almost forgot to post a day. I am trying this posting everyday thing. I look at it as therapeutic in some degree. Now I can write and write and write, instead of chewing Matt's ear off about the things my students do to drive me crazy.

The trees are gone. We have a whole new backyard. It looks huge. I met the kids next door today. They are so nice. They were in shock that we took down all the trees. Then they asked me if I would get a job at the school behind us so I could be their teacher next year. I chuckled under my breath.

I will post some pictures later in the week of the before and after of our backyard.

Hip Hip Hooray

Today Matt and I bought some furniture for our new living room. So we spent a good long time on three different showrooms sitting on many different couches and loveseats. We finally agree on a sofa-chair set, we pick out end tables and a coffee table to match and low and behold, they only have the couch in the color we want. They might get in a chair or loveseat in that color sometime but they changed distributors and weren't sure when or if they would have it again. Aaww crap! So we go back to look at the same set in a different color. The salesman said he would give us a nice little discount and the loveseat instead of the chair if we bought it in the lighter color. I had my heart set on the "mocha" color. But, we ended up going with "honey." And now that I think about it, I am sure it will look quite nice. I am excited. Now we just have to find an area rug to fit in with all the new furniture.

While shopping for furniture, the tree guy called and said they would start work tomorrow. Yipee! I can't wait for that. It will be so nice to be able to do our own thing in the backyard. We have five trees and three bushes coming out. We are also having the maple tree pruned.

And to round out the house stuff, we are having our chimney cleaned tomorrow. It will be so much fun to be able to use the fireplace.

Man...being a homeowner is fun and very expensive!

Answer Sandwich party

In school, we teach our students to write paragraphs using an "answer sandwich." Basically the kids form their "top bun" which is when they restate the questions and give a gist. Then they must have at least three supporting details(the spicier the better). This is the meat, tomato, cheese, lettuce, etc. Then of course you must have a bottom bun to complete your sandwich. This is when the students say about the same thing as the top bun. So...we have been working on this since September. Next week is the big state test. The students have lots of reading and writing to do, so their "answer sandwiches" must be perfect. Today I went to one of my colleagues house to make some sandwiches for the kids to get once they have written a perfect paragraph. They have four opportunities to write. Each paragraph comes with its own treat. They get mini white castle burgers for one, crabby patties for another and then...check it out for yourself.

mini answer sandwich cookies


and a piece of the answer sandwich cake

So think of me Monday afternoon when our students will be feverishly writing in order to get their treats. And then think of their parents as we send them home all sugared up.

Way to go Layla!

So, today was my day to come home at lunch and let the little girl out. I was nervous the whole ride home. I was super nervous opening the door. Matt and I's new ritual upon entering the house is to smell the air. We continue to stick our sniffers in the air all the way to the crate. So with my big honker in the air, sniffing my way to the crate, I was surprised to find that...(is the suspense killing you yet) NO ACCIDENTS!!! Awesome! We went outside and took care of business. Layla would have loved to play with her mommy but unfortunately, mommy had to go back to work. So it was back in the crate she went. I was telling myself the whole way back to work that she was going to have a big mess when I came home because I didn't play with her. So home I come after work and put my sniffer to the air, but once again NO ACCIDENTS!! I am so proud of her. Call me crazy. But she crossed over a big obstacle today. This was the first time our little puppy made it more than three hours without having an accident. She has made it overnights every night, but for some reason when we both leave the house she just can't make it. So everyone raise your glass and toast Layla.

Things that make you go hmmmmmm

What does it mean when you come back to work and in your mailbox you have a half used bottle of hand sanitizer? Hmmmmmm...is someone trying to tell me I have dirty hands? Does the fact that it is lemon-lime scented have any significance?

Today is the big test! Will the little girl make it to lunchtime with no accidents in her crate???? Hmmmmmm...I hope so. All you blog readers keep your fingers crossed. We played for an hour this morning and then went for a walk so I hope she is tuckered out and does nothing but sleeps. I'll let you know the verdict when I get home.

Oh yeah another hmmmmmmm moment. At our school on Tuesdays and Thursdays we have something called extended day. The students stay for an extra hour and a half to get extra help with reading, writing, and math skills. I am not sure if it is as beneficial as it sounds considering a lot of the times, the kids that need it most get sent home on the regular bus because they couldn't behave during the regular school day. So why in the world would you make kids(and teachers) who have been on vacation for almost two weeks now, stay an extra hour and a half on their first day back? Hmmmmmmm. I need to retire!

First playdate

So Layla had her first puppy playdate today. She had a blast and is totally exhausted from playing with a big dog. She was doing really well till she puked the water she drank on my friend and then started to poop in their kitchen. Luckily we got her outside in time to finish her business. Not a great way to make a first impression. I am very thankful I have an understanding friend who remembers the puppy days and the lack of bladder or stomach control, especially after playing.

On another note, we had lots of quotes on some tree work and have decided to take out all the trees in the backyard. We want a fresh start for spring to make the yard our own. The spruce trees that are there now, along with some bushes have taken over and grass does not even grow. I'll attach some pictures later on so that you can get a better picture of the monstrosities(did I spell that right?) the trees are. The tree guy said he will probably be over next week. Man, I am excited.

What I am not excited about is school starting back up tomorrow. I was not blessed with a wonderful class. I think my teaching partner and I were given a class to force us to up and move. They are crazy little boogers. Don't get me wrong they can say some pretty darn funny things, but they can also drive you to pull all your hair out. State tests start next week and that is not the most fun time in my life. Since I am the special ed teacher, I get to deliver(give) lots of test mods to students. That takes me out of the classroom for no less than two weeks. I feel horrible leaving my teaching partner alone to manage the class but you do what you have to to get these kids to do their best. Let's just hope they do. And since puppy training is still well underway I have to come home three days a week at lunch to let the little girl out, which means my partner in crime has to take the kids to and from lunch by herself. Don't get me wrong, she can handle it just fine, but sometimes it is nice when one delivers them to lunch and the other picks them up so that you get a small break from the whining, bickering, and tattling. God,I hope I was not a big tattler when I was their age.

So far 2008 has been great. I can't wait to see what else it brings.

And the new year has begun...oh yeah!

So I may have only been awake for the ten seconds before the ball dropped to about five minutes, after but I am happy that 2008 has arrived. And the fact that I was almost asleep when the ball dropped does not mean that I was sad to see 2007 go. The year 2007 was a really good year. If you didn't read in my previous posts, a lot of exciting events happened in 2007. I got engaged and married to a wonderful man. I bought and sold a house. And we just recently adopted a little puppy that was abandoned outside a shelter.

I joined the Blog365 group. I am not quite sure what I have gotten myself into. I am hoping to learn a lot about myself and also meet a lot of new blogging friends. I am sure that with being a teacher, having a new house, and a new puppy that there will be plenty to write about.

I have a feeling that 2008 is going to be just as exciting if not more exciting. I look forward to telling you all about the exciting adventures of house-training a puppy, remodeling a house, and teaching. So with that being sad, I am off to wake up my husband and make him take me to breakfast to celebrate the new year(and for the fact that I have been getting up at the crack of dawn to let Layla(puppy) out to do her business in the backyard and not in her crate).