Latest Creations

I have been busy creating lately! I FINALLY made LeaAnn her Christmas present from last year. She's not getting anything this year :)! It is a crochet hook case that I created myself, no pattern. I'm quite proud if I do say so myself!




Tonight I didn't get to sew. I had to bake. I of course made cupcakes.... Red Velvet cupcakes.


I have also been busy making a sock monkey quilt. All I have to do is bind it. I will have pictures up soon of it. I am going to keep it because a couple of the embroidered squares are messed up. But it is still really cute.

I wish I could just quit my job and just create all the time! That would be the life!

Finally!

I finally figured out how to download designs from the internet to my embroidery program in my computer! I have only had the thing since July. I haven't tried putting it on my machine and actually stitching it yet but hopefully I will get a chance to tomorrow night. I was thinking, if I was 15 years younger I would have figured it out in 5 minutes. I sat down 2 nights in a row trying to figure it out. I guess the important thing is I did it. Hopefully I will have a picture of something I have stitched out soon.

What's wrong with this picture??

This is so funny and yet so sad. I am not sure if I am more worried about the woman or the reporter that probably unwittingly put this picture with her story. Did Stephanie Klein-Davis want to make a statement with this picture? I doubt it, but she did. What do you think?

Speaking of jackhammers..... I think there is one in my head right now. This is a crazy week! I talked to about 40 parents tonight about how we are going to teach their kids about sex. Wednesday I have my formal observation, the kids are insane just trying to survive till Winter Break. I am not sure if I am more excited than they are about it!!

Doctor's, needles, and collapsing veins, OH MY!

I REALLY don't enjoy going to the doctor. In fact I rarely ever go unless I am really sick. A sore throat for me usually means a trip to the doctor but that's it.
I have been tired, and sleepy, since May. I figure something has to be wrong. I think the scariest thing about going to the doctor is possibly finding out that something really is wrong. I had to figure this out though. So, I went to Dr. Nguyen, a Vietnamese lady that Ellyn had recommended. She was great! She wanted to do some blood work. That always strikes fear in me. Not because of the needle. I can handle the needle. It is because they can never find a vein and when they do it usually collapses . I am never just stuck once. To make a long story short....They stuck me about 5 times. 3 of them left bruises from where the vein collapsed. I spent about an hour with the doctor and the nurse with the rubber band around different parts of each arm them slapping trying to get a vein to pop up. NOTHING! I had to go to a lab to get it done. My lab experience is a whole story in itself and I had rather not detail it because I get so angry when I think about it. BUT.... when I finally did get to the lab, the lady stuck me ONE TIME!!!
Now for the real reason I started writing this in the first place. Dr. Nguyen called me with my results yesterday. Blood sugar - normal, Iron - normal, B-12 - normal, thyroid - normal. the only comment she had was that my cholesterol was 186 which she said wasn't bad, just a little higher than she would like to see it. My bad cholesterol was 116 and they like for it to be under 100. She didn't think medication was needed at all at this point. If you know how much cheese I eat you may be in shock that it was so low. My sister was :). With all that good news there is still one problem. Why am I so tired and sleepy all the time. Another thing she mentioned before was sleep apnea. Basically it means I am waking up through the night, not enough for me to notice, and never getting into a deep sleep. When she gave me my results she recommended that I go to the sleep center so they can do some tests.
I'm glad I finally went. It is nice to know what isn't wrong. When is the last time you went to the doctor for a good check up?

As promised...

Well, here it is, my latest cake creation. I made it for Chelsea's birthday. I used fondant icing bought from the store. The white was incredibly hard to work with. It took so much time to roll it out. The colored fondant was much easier to handle. I am not a huge fan of how it tastes either. Well, not so much the taste as the texture. It is kinda gummy. Again, the colored was better than the white. I think it turned out halfway cute. I am not excited about using the rest of the white though.
My next cake creation I hope to make on Tuesday night. Harvest cupcakes.....mmmmm.

It fits!

This is Bennett Speck the baby that I made the hats for that were in an earlier blog (August 21st "Praying For Bennett.") And here he is in the hat!!!! There is even a comment made about the picture, that is on Bennett's website, that mentions the hat :). Kelly said Bennett wore it home from the hospital too. Just thought I'd share. Below is one from a different angle.

I think my next post will have pictures of my newest cake creation. It was cute, but not the tastiest. I'll explain later.

What do I want to be when I grow up?

It may seem a silly question, after all I am 31. I have a degree, and a good job. So why am I asking this question? Well, because I don't want to teach for 30 years. I am tired of ungrateful kids that have more rights than I do. There are so many of them. They know I can't make them do anything they don't want to do and I really can't stop them from doing whatever they want to do. I give up. Nope, can't do it.
But what can I do? I have thought about grad school, getting my Masters in Educational Leadership. That would put me on an administrative track. But I would still be dealing with unappreciative kids. I could change subjects but I would still be stuck with the same problem. Then there is the Accelerated Degree program to get on the fast track to becoming a Registered Nurse. I don't have many classes that I would have to take before going right into the main courses. Problem is the two Universities in this area that offer it are George Washington and Marymount....only two of the most expensive universities in the area. I haven't fully explored this option though and I know that nursing is a great field and the shortage is only getting worse.
Then I have thought about just getting a job that I need a degree for. I hear there are government jobs like that. I don't know what those are or if they really do exist. (I'm even willing to learn Arabic....that should be a plus, right?)
All I know is I feel stuck. I hate feeling stuck.

C is for Cookie

I made these cupcakes for a cakewalk at church 2 weekends ago. I made 3 sets of 6 and they were the first 3 to go that afternoon! Here are step by step pictures...
I used icing made from Crisco, powdered sugar and water, tinted with royal blue icing. To get the furry effect I used the leaf tip. I left a space for the eyes on some but not on others. It doesn't matter really.Using the large round tip I added the whites of his eyes. Be sure not to let it peak but let it be flatter on top.

I tinted a small amount of icing black. Using the small round tip I made the eyes and the mouth. Don't worry too much about filling it in all the way. You'll see why in a minute. The one thing I did mess up here was eye placement. I should have put them more on the inside with one up and one down (more googley.)

To finish off the cupcakes place a mini Chips Ahoy cookie in his mouth. You can also crumble one up. I didn't think of that till later though. The 100 calorie Chips Ahoy might also be good to use.

They really were that simple to make. Didn't take a lot of time either. You could use chocolate icing instead of the black and even use upside down chocolate chips for the eyes.

I think I am going to try Oscar the Grouch next :)!

Oh all the YARN!!!! (with pictures)

The field trip to Raphine, VA was a success! It was a beautiful day and the drive was wonderful. The only complaint was that the trees weren't dawning their full fall colors just yet. The yarn shop (Orchardside) was so quaint and had TONS of yarn! The lady was very helpful and we used her expertise quite a bit today. But, we rewarded her well by spending a good bit of money in her shop. I finally got the merino wool for the tunic I have been wanting to make. I am so excited! I also got some yarn for a baby sweater I want to knit. And no, I don't really know how to knit just yet. We all found something we "needed" and each left there with a bag in hand.
On the way there we had passed the Apple Butter Festival which we all agreed to stop by on our way back. It was a small festival but had some really neat things. It was held at a mill. We talked to the owner and found out he and his wife bought it 16 years ago...knowing nothing about a mill. They were just tired of the city life and decided to do something else. That idea in itself deserves a blog of its own! The Amish were there selling things. I bought something very non-Amish from them but I can't post what it was since it is a Christmas present for someone in my family.
Then there was an herb farm with a great little shop and wonderful gardens to walk through.
I think we should take a field trip once a quarter! I have already started looking up places to take our next one!!

Ashley, Pam, Virgina, and me outside the Orchardside Yarn Shop.

A blacksmith at work.

A little Bluegrass band. They played In The Jail House Now and I knew it after about 3 notes :)

What is Pam gnawing on??? Actually, she's biting open a chestnut :).
Just down the driveway from the mill is the Herb Farm.
Here we are walking in the herb gardens. They were beautiful!
Our day was done. Time to go home. But not without one more look back at the "simple life."

FIELD TRIP!!!!

Today my Stitch and "Itch" are going on a field trip! We are heading down to Raphine, Va to a yarn shop. I have to admit, I haven't finished anything recently. Those baby hats are the last thing I completed. I made one for my great nephew which I didn't take a picture of...yet. I still have it. I'll try to get one of those posted. I am working on a blanket right now. It is all single crochet so it is super simple but can get a bit boring. I am making pretty good strides on it though. I am making it my house sitting project. I work on it mainly when I am house sitting. That will be 4 weekends in November so I should get pretty far on it. (I think I will take it on the field trip too. It should be a good car project :))
Of course I need to be sewing too. I am almost done with another tote bag. I have to change something about it though. (Mom, I might be calling you!)
I'll have pictures of our field trip in a blog coming soon. Till then...

Officially OLD

Well, I am a great aunt. I think that means I am officially old. It of course reminds me that I myself am not married and have no children. (Although I have no idea where I would fit an husband and children into my schedule at this point in my life.)
I think I am also officially insane. My principal has asked me to be what amounts to be a teacher's aide in a math class. It is taking one of my planning times which amounts to 4.25 hours a week. While I will get paid for it, I have a feeling I will miss my planning time. The group of students in this class is unreal. I have no idea what guidance was smoking when they decided to put them all in one class. No wonder the teacher needs help. Just when I thought things were finally calming down on the work front. Oh well!

My feet hurt!

I am tired of wearing nice shoes to work. I am used to wearing tennis shoes everyday but now that we have to dress up to teach health I have to wear nice shoes too. My feet are not happy with me right now. Next week I get to go back to tennis shoes :)!!

There is a lot going on right now. Too much to write about. I will get back into a rhythm of blogging again soon.

I am still here

It has been a while since I've blogged, I know. I have been a wee bit busy. Today was a pretty good day though, busy, but not too stressful. I seem to always have a "to-do" list that is about 20 items long. Maybe things will slow down in October. I haven't had any time to do stuff I want to do really. I want to sew but by the time I get home I don't feel like it. I am going to have to schedule it in I guess. I have a lot to do before the holiday house! I have a few bags cut out but I need more. Then I need to sew them all.

Well, I am pooped so I am going to bed.

About to drown

You know that expression "Keeping your head above water?" Well, I know now better than ever what that means. I suddenly hate my job. Every time I think I have things together and things are going smoothly someone throws in another tub of water. I am in survival mode. I feel like teaching my students is something that happens in the midst of my job. I thought that was my job...to teach. Instead I am busy doing a million other things. Then they throw a huge curve ball without any thought of how it would affect me and gave one of my 8th grade classes to another teacher and gave em a new 7th grade class. Which means I no longer just teach one grade. I have 2 preps now. Granted, I am used to having 3 but that was before I had the position of Department Chair. I feel like I am delegating everything I possibly can. I thought all was better today and then I got an e-mail from both my principal and assistant principal about a parent complaint. Not on me but another teacher. They said if I need them to intervene they will. I want to show I can take the responsibility to approach one of my department with issues but this teacher is new to the school but NOT new to teaching. He is the veteran teacher of the department. I really don't want to bring it up to him but I don't want to dump it on the administration because it is my job first and then theirs if he doesn't respond.
I am so burnt out at the end of my day I don't even want to think. I just want to turn my brain off and sleep. I don't want to do laundry, eat, sew, anything.
Is it June yet?

And now to add to my misery... I was so excited to get to take a banjo class that I could afford. I went to register and they have canceled the class. That was going to my personal thing to get away. UUUGGHHHH!

Here we go again!

Monday is quickly approaching. Hopefully it won't be as crazy as last week. I do actually have to start teaching this week though.

Today I went with my good friend Shayna to the Slovic Festival. The food there was amazing! A Catholic church in the area does it every year. I realized we weren't in "Church of Christ Land" anymore when I found that you could buy beer at this festival :) I told Shayna I go to the wrong church! (Of course I was just kidding mom.) We took our food inside and I realized Bingo is king (as you can see in the picture of Shayna and Carl. Unfortunately I couldn't get the disco ball that was also hanging in the room.) I got hit on by a man that could have been my grandfather....he was trying really hard too. Not sure if that was better than not getting hit on at all. When we went back outside there was a Polka band and people were dancing. I am going to put it on my calendar for next year....so Shayna, you know what that means since I won't go without you.


Well, football season is here. Not sure what happened to my Auburn Tigers this weekend. On a good note, I am tied for first place in my College pick'em and 2nd in Pro Pick'em with a few games to go. (I was the only one that picked Tennessee to win today!) Currently I am beating my match up in fantasy football but there are still games to go and it is close. Vince needs to step it up a little and start giving me more points!

Nuff Said...

Is there a sign?

I think there was a sign on the front of my car this morning that said "Pull out in front of me or cut me off. I don't mind!"
I say this because not 1, not 2, not even 3 people did it to me throughout the course of the day. Try 8! I am not exaggerating either. I'm talking slam my breaks on they are coming! It was insane! I think I need to put my NRA (National Rifle Association) sticker on the front of my car instead of on the back. They might think twice about doing it then!!

Too early!

I think 5:20 in the morning is too early to start waking up. Yes, I said start. If you have read my past blogs you know that the snooze button and I are good friends. This morning I only hit it for 20 minutes. Much better than my 2 hour date with it yesterday morning. I just can't get motivated for meetings. This whole "teacher work week" is actually "teacher meeting week." I haven't got much work done. I still have things in both offices, all the new equipment is in one closet (the guys and I did unpack it at least,) you can't see my desk, and I haven't even begun to think about a lesson plan. Since Monday I have been in a meeting. I might have 20 minutes between them. That is enough time to just get started and on a roll doing something before I am whisked away to my next meeting. You can tell the atmosphere in the building isn't a positive one because of this too. We are all complaining. As a member of Leadership Council I am going to bring it up I think.
Today we aren't even in the building! All middle school teachers are going to one place. There is nothing we can do about this though, it is a county decision, but the rest of it has to be fixed.
I am ready for Winter Break and the kids haven't even come back! Oh, and I was taken off of morning bus duty and given 6th grade lunch every day! Not happy about that either. I know I can't always get what I want but the lady they put out there doesn't want it at all. Just saying, if the teachers are miserable, the kids will be. It isn't all bad. it is a great school. I am hoping we are just off track this week.
I am sure I'll let y'all know :)

Introducing Lonestar Lonnie

This is Lonestar Lonnie. I made her yesterday in that sewing class I mentioned in yesterday's blog. I was right about $50 being better than $400. I learned a lot, most importantly how to use the embroidery part of my machine. I still want to take the other classes, but this was a great start. The face is all embroidered and the star motif below. It really wasn't hard. I did mine in muted colors and everyone else did brights or metallics. The teacher, and creator of this project, had never seen one done like mine and she really liked it. She said it was more Americana and then she said she needed an Americana one (she has several like Heirloom Hope, Crazy Patch Carol, Appliqué April... ). She was thinking of a name and I said "Americana Amelia." She loved it. I told her if I saw it I better get a free class on her :)! Anyway, now that I know how to use my machine more, hopefully you will be seeing a lot more pictures of things I am making. Of cousre school is about to start up so I will have to neglect my job to do my hobby :)

AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!

I went up to the school yesterday with the intention of only being there for the new teacher luncheon. I stayed till 6 pm. I started cleaning out a closet and organizing it. Then I got a call to come to the principal's conference room. One of my fellow PE teachers had just resigned. Just resigned...the Friday before teachers report on Monday. Guess what I get to do this weekend? Comb over resumes, make phone calls and hopefully do some phone interviews. I was hired over the phone. I only have 4 resumes to go from right now. Slim pickin's. The good thing is that I was trying to figure out the best way to tell her (the lady that quit) that I was going to take her office. Now I don't have to! She is moving out out on Monday. I can't say I am going to miss her too much. I mean she is really nice and sweet, but kinda set in her ways.
I am going to the chiropractor today! Good thing too because my neck is hurting this morning a lot and giving me a headache. Then I have a class at the Springfield Sewing center today. I hope to use it as a quick way to figure out how to set up the embroidery part of my machine. $50 is better than $400 right now.

Keep praying for Bennett Speck. You can read up on him at www.prayingforbennett.blogspot.com. You can read posts by Travis and Kelly if you click the link at the top right-hand side of that blog.

I'm not ready!!

I am not ready to go back to work! I need about one more month. That should do it. I know, you're thinking, shut up, what are you complaining about, you have 2 months off in the first place. True, true, but I also have to deal with 11-14 year olds 7 and a half hours a day 10 months out of the year. Want to trade?

On a completely different note....I want to get my hair cut. This is never easy for me. I want to keep it long, I want it to be easy to fix in the morning, oh, and I want it STRAIGHT! I want it long so I can put it back, and I like to sleep so I need something quick to fix. And I am not to happy with my curls....AT ALL. I got a straight perm one time and the lady that did it said she had never seen it not take.....till me. I have tried to embrace my curls and have gone curly the past couple of weeks. I hate it. So I have to do something. Maybe a wig?

Praying for Bennett

I know most people that read my blog will already know about little Bennett Speck and what he is going through, not to mention Travis and Kelli. I knew Travis when he was in high school and would lead singing where I went to church when his brother couldn't be there. It's a small world isn't it? I am so sure that our God, the only God will be faithful to us that I crocheted him a little hat tonight. I can't wait to see him wear it!

When there is nothing else to write about...

All of the phone numbers have fallen out of your address book. Whose number do you look for first and why?

OK, this kinda happened to me....twice. I don't know about you but I don't remember many phone numbers anymore. They are all in my cell phone. I remember numbers I had before I had one like my parent's and my sister's phone numbers. The first time it happened my screen dies on my cell phone. The phone worked but I couldn't see any numbers on the screen. When I got my new phone I was able to transfer some of the numbers but not all of them. The next time was about a month later when my cell phone was stolen (there are times I hate teaching in a middle school.) There was no recovering them this time. I got a cheap little phone and had few numbers in it. I did write down some of the numbers before, but not the majority of them. So, which ones did I not write down that I missed the most? That would be a friend of mine in Texas that I hadn't talked to in a couple of weeks and it was my turn to call. What was I going to do? Then I had a stroke of genius (yes me) and I scrounged up an old phone bill. They have all the numbers you called and that called you listed and the city it is registered in. I found lots of numbers that way! This time I did write them down though :)!
What number would you look for first?

UFOs

How many UnFinished Objects do you have? I just added to my list today by cutting out a bunch of tote bags and part of a shower gift. If I count those.... let's see that's 6 plus...... 1 quilted wall hanging, 1 burp cloth, 6 crochet afghans, 2 crochet scarves, 1 knit scarf, 2 large cross-stitch projects, 1 small cross-stitch project, 1 large painted tub (pictured), 2 large blankets.....I am sure I am forgetting about 10 other projects. And that isn't even counting materials I have for projects I haven't started! Thing is some of these projects don't lack much being finished. Take for instance the wall quilt just needs to have the binding put on it. The burp cloth would be done in 30 minutes if I would just sit down and do it. The small cross-stitch I could finish in a day, the painted tub might take 2 days to allow for drying time, but not many of my UFOs would take a long time to finish. All that to say... I would like to propose a UFO weekend, well more like a UFO Saturday. Reserve the room next to the kitchen, the room across from that room, and the kitchen at Fairfax, set up tables, chairs, ironing boards, etc. and do nothing but work on projects that are already in the works. Scrapbook pages, painting projects, sewing projects, crochet projects, knitting projects, needlework projects... shall I go on? We could do donuts and juice for breakfast, bring a bag lunch and have dinner catered. We could even have a couple of babysitting shifts for those that need to bring their kids. Just throwing it around in my mind. I would like to hear what some of y'all think and if you think others would be interested.

My trip to The National Aquarium...the "fake" one

I live, what, 20 minutes from DC and today was the first day this summer I went downtown. Shayna and I decided to do something neither of us had done before and that was to go to the National Aquarium. Did you know there was one in DC. Yes, there is one in Baltimore but there is another one in DC. It is under the Commerce building or something like that....next to the Ronald Reagan building. First of all let me tell you that it is not free. It is $5 to get in. It was worth about 50 cents. I'm not kidding. Do you know what a Barking Tree Frog looks like? Well the picture and the exhibit below the picture...well look for yourself...
Call me crazy but those look like fish below. There were some pretty cool things there but not many. My favorite things were the fake exhibits. The highlight of my day was when a lady looked in awe of this one exhibit saying how cool it was and knocking on the glass to try to get the fake lizards coming out of fake eggs to move. Bless her heart!
There were some colorful fish....
But my favorite were the piranhas...This thing looked pretty cool too. It is a dragon something or other.

Oh, and when fish use too much eye liner (don't they know they're in the water?)

And Shayna's favorite, the turtle (you can even see part of Shayna in the glass.)



So now I can say I've been there. There are actually a lot of places I haven't been downtown. Where haven't you gone and what's your excuse?

A meeting that was actually worth my time!

Don't you just hate most meetings? Most are meetings for meeting sake. There is no point and rarely does anything really get settled. I had a meeting today that was from 8:00 to 3:30 for new department chairs in the county. To my amazement it was actually helpful and informative. My favorite part...How and when to hold a meeting. I guess since they are telling us how to they had better do it right. I wish all my meetings were like that. I really wasn't bored once today. I am however a bit overwhelmed. During the meeting today I thought to myself, I can handle this.... Then I remembered that I also teach 5 classes on top of my responsibilities of being department chair. Oh, and that I want to start my Masters program in the Spring. Oh, and I do want a life. AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! At least I know how to have a great meeting!

Another great random question

When you hesitate before hitting snooze on your alarm clock, are you being lazy?

If you don't know where I am coming up with these questions they are in the user profile. I thought this one was especially appropriate for me. I am the Snooze Queen. Let's see this morning I hit it 6 times. Yes, 6 times multiplied by 9 minutes each time is almost an hour. And I do sometimes hesitate before hitting snooze. I have to muster up the energy to move my arm to turn it off! Sometimes my arm is asleep and won't actually move. I have tried sitting my alarm clock across the room so I would have to get up to hit snooze. That didn't work. I just ended up turning it off and going back to bed. No, I opt for the set my alarm to wake me up WAY before I need up option. I guess my last hour of sleep isn't really restful, but it is something I have learned to cope with. I also do math in the morning. You know, figure out just exactly the latest I can stay in bed and still make it to where I have to be on time. The only time my alarm doesn't work is when I incorporate it in a dream. It usually ends up being a phone ringing and when I hit snooze I am answering it in my dream. It is those times I wake up late and about have a heart attack, flying out of bed and getting ready in record time. Which always makes me refine my math the next morning because I CAN get ready pretty quick if I need to :). What are your alarm clock habits?
Don't you find yourself wondering what the next random question will be?

Not allowed to work!

We were told last week that we aren't going to be allowed to our classrooms till the 23rd so I can't really go to work and get things done I wanted to. Normal people would be happy about this. I, however, am trying to get around it. I have so much stuff to do! I think I can do most of it in the office which I am allowed to be in.....but still! I guess I'll HAVE to go to Splashdown more this week than normal. And I'll HAVE to sew some. Life's rough. I'm sure I'll get over it though :)

The Random Question is...

What is the best time you ever had licking stamps? Who comes up with these questions? First of all, I don't think kids today would believe we ever licked stamps. (Why didn't I invent the self-adhesive stamp? What genius!) The sad thing is I can actually answer this random question! Who remembers Green Stamps? We had a White Stores grocery where I grew up and my mom collected Green Stamps. It was my job to lick them and put them in the little book. Mom, correct me if I am wrong on this, but I think what you did was turn the book in for different things. Things that have long since been put in a yard sale I am sure, but that wasn't the point of Green Stamps I don't think. I think the point was to keep me quiet and out of the way while my mom put up the groceries! Same as the Publisher's Clearing House envelope was "my mail" and gave me something to do while mom paid the bills. I licked those stamps too. I even got to pick which car I wanted if we won. (I always picked the black Jaguar but sadly never won it.) So maybe this random question wasn't so crazy anyway. Took me back for a little while. What about you?

The one day.....

Uggghhh! The one day this week I go to Splashdown....it storms! Really now. I only got to stay for 3 hours. I only got in the Lazy river one time, granted that was for over an hour, but still. I know, I know, we need the rain.

Football pre-season is starting up. I am so excited. My Colts play Dallas tonight. I may not be able to talk to the Sergios during the game :) It is time to start listening to ESPN radio in the mornings again. I love my baseball but they are so boring when they talk about it. I had much rather just watch the game.

Tonight I am going to try cooking something new. I don't even know what it is called. I am making it up. I'll let you know how it turns out and if it is any good I'll share the recipe...if I can remember what I do.

This post has been all over the place! Oh well. Oh, and Katherine, you are welcome to come drool over my new machine. I am still drooling myself!

100 degrees...that's nothin'!

I know it has been a while since I last posted. I was in Tennessee for a couple of weeks visiting. I am back and trying to get ready for the beginning of school. Today I went in and counted uniforms. That was the most boring thing I have done in a while!

I heard that today is supposed to be the hottest day of the year. It is already 100. I remember in Saudi Arabia it being 137 degrees. I will have to admit there wasn't much humidity but still, 137 degrees is hot. I just have to thank God that he created the person that invented the air conditioner :).

I think I am actually going to get some sewing done today. I got a new machine a couple of weeks ago. It is a Pfaff 2170. I haven't tried the embroidery part yet. I will have to do some reading first. I want to take the classes on my machine but because I didn't buy it there I have to pay $400 for them! I think I will wait on that. I consider myself relatively intelligent so I am going to see how far I can get by reading the directions first.

Parallel parking

When did you learn to parallel park? My dad made me learn before I took my driver's test (even though I didn't have to during my test.) I had a 1976 GMC Sierra Classic long bed in high school that I had to learn to parallel park. Trust me, if I can parallel park that thing I can parallel park anything! I just saw this girl, looked to be in her mid 20s, trying to parallel park a minivan in a spot almost twice as big as her van. She tried for about 5 minutes. Then she drove to the end of the street, turned around, and drove straight in to park behind me. At first I thought the space may have been kinda short. But no.....it was huge! It wasn't a complicated park at all! Almost as easy as driving into a space and having to straighten up a little. Why don't people understand how to do these things? I always thought it a basic skill of driving. Guess it's not. I just hope she doesn't have to parallel park when I am one of the cars she is trying to squeeze between. Actually, I shouldn't mind....she will probably give up and find another place to park anyway.

You never know what you might need!

I hate packing. Why does it always seem you are forgetting something? It is a terrible feeling. I am leaving Saturday for 2 weeks and 2 days. I am also going on a trip within my trip which makes packing all the more difficult. I almost feel like I am moving! Don't worry, I know I moved the last 2 summers but I am only going for a couple of weeks this time :). I think I got the message that this is where I am supposed to be for now. I think I have all my clothes packed. Now, I have no idea what I am going to wear tomorrow because all the clothes I like are packed. I know I have packed too much. Too many clothes and too much stuff because I ascribe to the "you never know what you might need " philosophy. It is amazing how I can still feel I am forgetting something. Besides, it's not like I am not going to the land of Super Wal-mart. If I do forget something I can go at 3:00 in the morning to get it if I want to. Hmmm, I think I will rant about the lack of Super Wal-mart in this area in a blog of it's own. Another hazard of packing....no place to sleep! My bed seems to be covered in things I am packing. Ok, off to pack some more!

Too Many Hobbies

I know there are others out there with the same problem I have..... too many hobbies. I have probably no less than 20 projects going on right now of different varieties. 2 cross-stitch, 3 paint, make that 4 paint, 3 sewing, 8 crochet blankets, and I am sure I have missed something. Oh yeah, 2 crochet scarves.
I have punished myself....I can't buy any more yarn until I am done with one of the baby blankets I am working on. Not that I need anymore yarn. Or anymore material, or anymore thread, or anymore paint, or wood or canvas....... I also don't need anymore magazines of ideas. But those I always seem to buy.
In 2 weeks I am going to learn yet another handi-craft. I am going with my mom to the Martha Pullen Sewing School. I am going to be learning mostly hand but some machine embroidery. What if I like it?? I don't need another hobby!!! Sigh... You know, I can't understand people that say they are bored and have nothing to do. I don't think I have ever really had that problem. And when I am bored of doing the stuff I am doing I simply just start another project :). Hmmm, maybe that is why I have over 20 projects going. I think my mom should have had me tested for ADD when I was younger. I read somewhere that there are 2 kinds of crafters. One crafts for the joy of finishing something. The other crafts for the process. I am definitely the latter. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy completing a project. But it doesn't bother me in the least that I have a cross-stitch project I started 5 years ago still unfinished. Or a crocheted blanket that has been in the works almost 7 years now. It isn't like I don't ever finish something. I do...I finish a lot of things. I just prefer starting them....haha, Well, I am going to organize a bit and maybe work on something. I promise I won't start something new tonight!

Are those BAGS under my eyes?

Looking in the mirror this evening I noticed huge bags under my eyes. I can't figure out why though. I have gotten plenty of sleep this week. I can't say I have been under any stress, I mean after all it is summer. I just feel tired and old this week and looking in the mirror just made it even worse! Maybe a good nights rest in my bed will do me good. Actually, come to think of it, it isn't my bed....it is the Sergio's. But I don't think they would mind me saying my bed in passing...lol. Maybe I have bags because I figured out this past week that I will be 90 before I can afford to buy 708 sq ft condo. By then it will probably cost about $800,000. You think I am exaggerating? It already costs $212,000. IMPOSSIBLE! How am I suppose to exist here on HALF the average income of Fairfax County? HUH???? Sorry Ellyn, I might end up retiring....still living in your basement. Can someone please explain to me why someone that will be making almost $50,000 next school year can't afford to buy a one bedroom 708 sq. ft. condo? The payments were going to be almost 60% of my salary....my whole salary, not just my take home. I hope grad school is the answer. Wait....why am I up here anyway? Oh yeah...I TRIED to move.....TWICE!!! I guess it still doesn't answer why but it seems to be where God wants me to be. Each time I came back to something even better. First I got a job in Fairfax County and then the second time I was promoted to department chair. Ok, now I am rambling and I am sure those bags are getting deeper and darker. I will sleep now dreaming I have a rich uncle that is desperately searching for me to bestow all of his wealth on :)

Boys Stink

Literally....they stink. I have been stuck in a middle school boys locker room all day! There hasn't been a child in there since June 16th but it STILL smells. It is also amazing how many kids left there deodorant (not to mention PE uniforms, nice shirts, jeans and $100 shoes.) I don't think they ever used it. I am just glad my office is in the girl's locker room. I have at least one more day in it and then I go to another boy's locker room. In case you're wondering why...I have to put locks on the lockers and record where they are. It's not a glamorous job but someone has to do it.
Oh, still loving the iPhone!

On a soap box

I just went to the bank. After 10 minutes in line without moving AT ALL I gave up and left. Thing is it is always like that where I bank; at every branch. I rarely ever spend less than 15 minutes even when I go to the drive-thru. They are the SLOWEST people I have ever seen AND there are usually only 2 tellers, 1 at the drive-thru and one in the lobby...maybe 2 in the lobby. Now I normally don't complain about things but I used to work at a bank and I know it doesn't take that long to do a transaction. Either the people are just that slow or the system they are using is archaic. I am seriously thinking of changing banks on this fact alone. I have banked with them for a long time and haven't had any problems with them but when I go to the bank I expect to see more than 2 tellers and I don't expect to spend half my day in there. By the way, the bank I am referring to is Bank of America. I think I am going to write a letter or call to complain but I don't know to whom. I have another soap box I want to stand on too but I'll save it for later. It is a bit more controversial than banking.

Day 2 with the iPhone...

YEA!!!! I had 2 people comment on my first blog!! You don't know how happy that makes me :D I realize that I don't know the people out there that actually have blogs, I just know they exist. So if you have one please let me know.
It is official....Sammie Young is the Godfather of my iPhone. I still love it. I know most people don't get it....and that's okay with me.
For some insane reason I am working at school tomorrow and the whole week....and next week. Well except for the 4th when I will be floating down the lazy river :). AHHHH....I can't wait!
Right now it is time to pay bills. Good Ole Dave Ramsey will help me through it though. All I need to do is find a cool way to do my "envelope system." The Financial Peace nerds will know what I am talking about. I can't seem to find a system I like. Coupon holders don't really fold out right for me and they have vegetables on them or they are these huge over-sized things. The one that is included in the Financial Peace University is so uncool. I think I need to create one and then market it to Dave and have him offer it. Good idea? I'll take any suggestions regarding its creation. What would you like to see included in a compact envelope system? My brain is already scheming.

What's with the address? and iPhone!

clownh8r...well I hate clowns! Terrified of them. I probably shouldn't announce that but oh well. Just please don't use it against me.

I stood in line for 6 and a half hours yesterday for an iPhone. I got it and yes it was worth it. It is the coolest think. It is easier than I thought it would be to use. Some complain about the keyboard but I found it very easy to use. My biggest fear was getting back to the car with it. While waiting in line I met some really nice people. The Mac crowd doesn't tend to be an unruly bunch. We helped each other out with bathroom and lunch breaks. Even most of the security was nice. So, why did I wait for that long for a phone this expensive? Well, I could! I saved part of my tax return and I have the summer off. I technically could have been the first person in line but I didn't want to seem too nerdy. There really wasn't a need to stand in line that long. I could have walked in at 10:00 and picked one up but where would the fun have been in that??

I think I will be able to add to this blog with my iPhone so hopefully I will actually keep this one up. Now just to find people that will read it!