time management ~ lights ~ comments

HI.

I'm seriously sleepy so this will be short! School started Monday! So good to be back surrounded by students in the world of education! I love my job. What I don't love is my lack of efficiency and time management. Any helpful hints, anyone?? This is only day 2 and I haven't gotten home before 6 yet...I need to get a PLAN for after school and STICK WITH IT. But, yesterday I had to do more duck taping {LOVE duck tape!} and today I visited with Tam awhile about school since she is soon going out to teach in Wilcox, AZ! So I guess I do have valid reasons for not completing my work in a timely manner. Tomorrow I will have it together! I have determined that this year, SLEEP is golden and will be my upmost priority so I can function at my best for my hubby and my kids. That said, I wish you all could stop by and visit me at WHCS! Since I will be spending a majority of my life there for the next 9 months, I endeavored to morph my classroom from the drab, windowless middle room of the school into a well-lit, happy place! When I arrive in the morning, I have to make my rounds turning on the string of colored lights, the lime green spray-painted lamp, the patio lights and rope lights in the reading tent, the LED light for Beatrice the Beta fish, and of course the overhead halogen lights! But it's so worth it. The right ambiance makes all the difference. OK, enough rambling about lights, it's time to turn them out and scramble into my unmade bed. {another post will soon be coming to update you on the status and results of my happiness project resolutions! I am still doing it.} And I kinda hate to add this last thought, but I feel rather needy and am hankering for some comments from y'all! I know it takes a bit more time, but I crave your thoughts, advice, and opinions! Thanks. over and out.

{BTW, I didn't write anything about FOOD. Just sayin'.}

10 things

I will write about 10 things since I don't have time to elaborate on life at the moment.

1. Alisha, Pierre, and the kids flew back to the North Pole {CANADA} on Sunday...we miss them! Fantastic family time makes the best memories.

2. I actually worked at school today. And others worked there too, helping me. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by friends and family.

3. My goals are as follows: have classroom totally bedecked and transformed by Wed. eve, finish the dress I'm working on and have 3 more sewed by Fri. eve, and BEACH it on Sat! Unrealistic goals never hurt anyone.

4. What is a good, reliable brand of coffee bean grinder? Jill sent me the yummiest smelling whole coffee beans and I'm getting ready to drink their brew instead of just swooning over their scent!

5. I'm gonna wear PURPLE. Hopefully I will stop gaining weight so I won't remind everyone of Barney.

6. This school year is going to be AMAZING! The energy and enthusiasm of all the school board and teachers is just thrilling! Also love the new doors, clean floors, polka-dot curtains, and the lack of clutter!

7. My not-so-wonderful-anymore drying rack from Tarjay has fallen apart even after I gave it a hefty dose of Liquid Nails. NOT cool! I so dislike spending the $ to dry clothes in the dryer. I need to replace it asap.

8. SCORE! Outdoor lights that I've been spying on at Family Dollar were on a summer clearance sale for $4.80 instead of $8 today!

9. Speaking of Family Dollar, I love the yoga pants I got there the other day for only $5.50! Sometimes classy isn't even pricey! Love me some $ store!

10. Getting on my school sleep schedule is my next priority! Bye, Bye roaming around until 1 and sleeping in until 8:30...

keep calm?!!

This is what I feel like because I am not ready AT ALL for school to start in only 10 days! But we have been having a lovely time with Alisha, Pierre, and the kids. And bottom line, everything that has to get done, WILL.GET.DONE. I think so anyway, or hope so! Eeeek!! It HAS to! Ok, time to stop vacillating between calm and freak mode and just carry on!

the land where the trees grow upside down...

  Here's a poem that I found stuck in one of my old diaries... It was the inspiration for a painting I created last fall. I tried to find this poem then, but couldn't locate it anywhere, and had finally given up looking. Needless to say, I was delighted to happen upon it during my "reading old diaries frenzy" the other day! I think I wrote it when I was 17, in 2002.

The Land Where the Trees Grow Upside Down

The land where the trees grow upside down,

And the clouds drift along below...

Down into that mystical, watery world

Is where I long to go.

Where the sun shines up from

Down in the deep...

Waking the soul

who was fast asleep.

This world can be glimpsed

By one and all I know.

Just step on the clouds

With the blue sky below.

Let your mind run free,

Let it dream and dance!

Even a pond can be a magical world

If you just give it a chance!

-Sharon Faircloth-
{written in 2002, age 17}

 

Speaking of ponds, Danl is being the super sweet fun uncle and is fishing with Jacob and Neil as I type! He wanted to have them spend the day with him doing "manly" things! They shots guns this morning and I brought them Whataburger for lunch. Since I stayed home from fishing to sew, I had better get with it!





this butter dish

Forgot to write about this butter dish that came into my possession on Saturday. I had gone to a clean up job with Daniel that morning to "help." I put on a pair of gloves, picked up a few sticks, and tried to look busy before sitting in the shade reading my Nook while swatting bugs and sweating! Daniel was so thankful for my help that he took me out to dinner at Happy Palace and then to the Pawn Shop! They were having a small yard sale out front. I spied this butter dish nestled among the junk and walked away with it for only $.50! The bad news is that I think it's sorta ugly and I don't need a butter dish! The good news is that it is worth $15-$25!! People collect this stuff. But I don't. I just wanted to make a dollar or few.

 

BREAKING NEWS!!!

GLENDON, ANNA, & BECCA UNRUH ARRIVED YESTERDAY FOR A SHORT SURPRISE VISIT TO THEIR HOME STATE OF FLORIDA!!!

 

Becca is as beautiful as ever; we enjoyed a sushi bonanza with them tonight down at Sake Café.

More quality time is on the horizon tomorrow.



missplaced days

 

 I intended to write yesterday about things that happened on Friday, but that never came to pass so I will write today about things that happened yesterday {and Friday.} It's painful to believe that it is already August 4!!! I am having mild panic attacks about not being prepared for school to start in a mere 22 days... But life is good, it's ALWAYS gonna be busy with some deadline or other of some nature smashing down upon my brow, but bottom line, I like it that way and wouldn't have it otherwise. Most of the time anyway. Meeting Moni and Rhonda at the Coffee House Friday aft. was a big bright spot of my day! We hashed old memories and made new ones over frappes and fruit smoothies. Why don't we all go out for coffee with friends more often?! Next I browsed WeCare and Dirt Cheap looking for "things" for my classroom. I didn't find any, but did find some fab gift wrapping supplies at DC and a "early bird gets the donut" coffee mug at WeCare that I am going to trick my Dad with. He has one identical to it, but his is all faded out. I'm going to wordlessly exchange them and see if he notices. It's his favorite mug to have his coffee in every morning. And then I kept on shopping once I got home. I ordered stuff online. LOTS of stuff. I can't wait to start hearing the rumble of the UPS truck and the honk of the mail lady's car. But it wasn't frivolous spending. Not at all. I ordered a rug from my childhood. Mom always had one of these at the back door. And the dog always chewed the daisy off.

And I ordered new batteries for our cordless phones. I felt really frugal because I wanted to just get new RED cordless phones, but I didn't. It's gonna be awesome to be able to finish a conversation again without the phone giving up the ghost.

 bye, bye rad red phone.... in my dreams.

 Then I went over to mardel.com to order my sock monkey planner

 and was most delighted to find that my procrastination had saved me $7! Instead of being $11.99, they were on sale for $5! So of course I had to add other nifty items to my cart since I was saving so much. I know I going to love this classy hanging file, banner, and bulletin board set!

The dogs are living the high life and loving their new classy enclosure! I finally purchased this with my birthday $ and my heart has been brimming over with happiness ever since. It's SO. MUCH. BETTER than making a ramshackle, tacky area blocked off with an assortment of furniture! We have it right inside our back sliding doors.



OK. That's all! For now.

 

i'm back

  Hey. I'm back. And I've been putting off blogging, not because I don't want to write, but because I have too much to write about! I'd much rather expand a piddly bit of news into a lengthy epistle instead of condensing days of lively living into a readable, bloggable portion. So I will endeavor to touch and go on whatever topics flit through my mind!
  The aged phrase, "Don't judge a book by its cover" definitely applies to cupcakes as well! It could be restated as "Don't buy a chocolate cupcake from a Publix bakery just because its towering with chocolate curls and frosting." It. was. NASTY. I'm not kidding. Ask Melanie, she'll agree! Ever since we ate the "thing" masquerading as a cupcake last Saturday, I've been hankering to get in the kitchen and bake the real deal! Danl was gone last Fri. - this Mon to help instruct a firearms class in TN. I missed him. But I tried to keep my mind off my lonesomeness by accomplishing gobs of stuff, socializing, and partying! I went to Anthony and Katie's for banana pudding on Friday, stayed up til one o'clock rearranging the living room, took Mel with me to the beach on Sat, we got clouded out so ended up shopping and reading my old diaries in Starbucks over yummy coffee and that terrible chocolate cupcake, {insert: ancient diaries from my teenage years are appalling!! Help! But they are quite fascinating as well!} had a great supper and evening at Daniel and Anne's, played Foodie Fight with friends, taught Sunday School, dined on Dad's grilled pork chops, stayed up til 1 again finishing the new living room look, {love it!} and finally welcomed Danl home again on Monday! Whew! Then I packed up and left for MS on Tuesday with Priscilla, Mom, and Aunt Donna. {Priscilla gave me a beautiful painting of a black cityscape silhouette again a red sky with two birds on the wire! She is so talented! I adore it.} Talk about taking separate vacations. We aren't having marriage issues I assure you! It just worked out this way! We stopped at the bakery in Livingston for lunch and pie, and a caramel pecan roll, and donuts, and sweet roll twist thingies, and.... :) didn't eat this all at once in case you were wondering! Toured the new mansion Home at Oakwood. It is AMAZING! I know Gramps will love their new suite over there even though it's quite a bit smaller than their cottage. Listened to some couples sing over at the old Home. Aunt Donna and I slept next door at Amanda's house since she was gone. That worked well; I could make all the mess I wanted without getting on Grandma's nerves! We picked out some new snazzy glasses for Grandma in Westpointe. Feasted on a breakfast supper of egg pancakes and home canned sausage, then listened to memories of Kirby, the sweet little 11 year old boy that was killed in a tragic farm accident on Monday...so sad! Had a hearty oatmeal breakfast the next morning. I cut out a dress while we listened to the funeral. Mom grilled fish and shrimp and Uncle Ward's came for lunch. All too soon we were on our way home again! But it's really good to be with my hubby again! And our three dogs. That's a whole 'nother story. Amen.