Hallelujah!!!

I can't tell you how relieved I am that the negotiation team walked out the door yesterday with a tentative agreement. It truly is miraculous considering the contention in the room all the way until 3:00. There was a lot of  yelling (on their side), exasperation (on both sides) eye rolling (that was mostly me) and frustration but in the end, our side got what we MOST wanted: our steps will be returned to us over the next two years of our contract. We got a small increase on base over the next two years as well, a sick leave bank (that was a surprise considering every time we brought it up we were immediately shot down) and in return, the district will go to an HSA in January (that gives us solid time to prepare, train and save). We also are going to 24 pays per year (on the 5th and 20th) - first paycheck under the new contract will be on September 4th (the 5th falls on a Saturday).

Now, all of this is dependent first on the board approving what we decided on yesterday (that will go for a vote this coming Tuesday...fingers crossed) and then the members of the union will have to vote for it. I know there will be a group of people (at the high school especially) that will be upset about the HSA and that might keep them from approving the contract but I believe the elementary schools will vote with overwhelming approval. I certainly hope so because we WON'T get a better deal. We barely got what we got and we will NEVER have a chance to get our steps back in the future. In fact, our mediator was flabbergasted that we got them back. He told our side, at the end of the day, how impressed he was with us in our tenaciousness. He never thought we would get our steps back (he said he had heard of a district somewhere that managed this but had never been involved in such a deal). I'm very proud of that. 

Of course when the email went out yesterday from our union president that a tentative deal had been reached, the #1 pot stirrer had to make comment about wanting to know the details NOW!!! Sir - settle down...it first has to be approved by the board. He's such an asshole. 

Okay well - YIPPEE!!! Maggie and Eva are coming down today (a day early) for the weekend so we are going to hang at Raeburn all day!!! I'm so excited. I texted Maggie yesterday that she should do this, not really believing it would happen, and WOOT WOOT - she said yes!!! HOT DOG! It's always a good day when I'm at the pool with Maggie and Eva. 

Okay well my fingers are tired...that's the most I've had to type in a while (being that the past couple of months in my life have been uneventful)...time to do my morning routine. Happy Thursday!!! Later!

Back Into The Swing...Sort Of

I guess I should get used to posting early and before going to work but I'm not happy about it. UGH!

So I'll be headed into central office today for negotiations. I'm not sure what's in store for us. I don't think that the "management" side is feeling the pressure yet but who knows. Marla, our LRC (labor consultant) will have a better understanding for what we can expect. I would imagine, the first hour or so will just be us getting back into the swing, reviewing what we've agreed on, and reiterating our wants. We have a second date set for tomorrow but who knows what will happen with that.

As has been the norm whenever I've been in negotiations, the weather is looking to be stormy starting around lunchtime and with that a small cool front will settle in, giving us a bit of relief. YAY!

Lisa went up to school yesterday to instruct the custodians on how our room should be put together. Should be done by today and next week, we will most likely meet up there to get everything in proper order and unpack a bit. Of course schedules are still effed up and they have until Friday to get it straightened out. I don't have much hope for it being done properly...they just don't care. This is a point of contention for me because what a waste of time we spent in discussions as a department and then with administration. Why do they act as though we matter when in fact they're just feeding us lines of bullshit? Why am I surprised? I guess I'm not, my expectations are just too high. I guess I need to lower them. What's lower than zero? Negative...yup.

Okay well, I best head up and get on the elliptical and I need to do a bit of mending as the shirt I'm planning on wearing has a small rip. Damn...I hate that I have to look somewhat "professional" before my summer is even up. Stink!

K - wish my team luck today! Hoping for progress and big bucks. Later!

Monday Errand Day

How is it Monday again already?! I'm not even going to discuss the fact that there are only two more, summer break Mondays left after today! It's just so depressing.

What's even more depressing - well not depressing but annoying and completely frustrating - is the fact that schedules for Lisa and I are STILL all messed up at school. They currently have me teaching 3 LA classes (I'm supposed to only have 2) with no prep period and they still have Lisa and I teaching Transition/World Studies at the same time. I've emailed my department head with ANOTHER heads up but who knows if I hear anything or if she does anything. (I emailed her once before and she responded that it would be taken care of/fixed by end of day, last Wednesday. Didn't happen.) I'm so sick of the bullshit that special ed has priority and it will be done right this year and la la la la la. I don't know why they don't just let US do thing right the first time. Oh, wait, I know why. Because they are so afraid to give up a little control. Anyway - I did email FW schedules for Lisa and I that would meet all needed parameters but I'm sure no one will listen to me. And maybe I'm stepping on toes but you know what? As per contract, I'm supposed to have my teaching assignment by Friday so there you go. They have until Friday to get this shit right! (Although, realistically, I do know what I'm teaching, I just don't know what periods I'm teaching classes and where.)

So my plans today: I'll be running errands. I need to go to Joann Fabrics to try and find a zipper for a couch cushion slip cover of Maggie's and then hopefully fix it. I also need to go get some new work out shorts. All the ones I have are sweatshirt material and way too hot. I'll probably go to either Walmart or Meijer for that. Then I'll come home and start my design and cuts for my next quilt. I have all the material for it so it's just a matter of deciding on piece size. Exciting, huh?

I ended up NOT cooking last night because we had a ton of leftovers so tonight's dinner will be last night's planned dinner (rigatoni with steak sauce...yummy!).

And that's all I've got. Happy Monday. Later!

Quilts, Saturdays & Sunny Days

So, here's the quilt that I've most recently completed. It was a surprise quilt for my Mom (although I had told her after finishing my last quilt that she was next) but she thought it would be coming to her at Christmas. Amazingly, in total, this quilt probably only took about 2 weeks to complete, start to finish. I've figured out that if I chose a design with fewer pieces, I can crank one out in less than a month. Not bad. My goal now is to complete quilts for the rest of the ladies in my family before Christmas. We'll see how well that goes. I've got a design and colors chosen for 2 of the three ladies and am figuring out the third currently. Here's hoping I stay motivated.

Yesterday was a lovely day at the pool (my parents). We only stayed for about 3 hours but that was plenty of time for me to get some more good sun and kick Jim's butt in volleyball twice. Can't wait to spend next Saturday there...currently it's supposed to be a beautiful day.

Today's plans: Jim threw me a bone yesterday by going to the pool so I will throw him one and we'll most likely go to Shooter's at some point today. House is clean so all I really need to do is cook breakfast and walk Sami. Cari next door wants to go for a walk as well so I'll do that before crazy heat hits.

And that's all I've got. Jim's stomach just growled so loudly that I heard it all the way across the room. Yowza. And considering the bear he becomes when he's hungry, I better get a move on. Later! Happy Saturday!

The Second Esther Williams In The Making

No time to post as I'm out the door and headed north but I thought someone's Nana would love a little shot of Eva! She is truly amazing (I'm not biased either!)

K - I'm out. Later!

A Whole Lotta Nothing

Not much to talk about. It's hot as a dickens but today will be the last day of humid misery for a few. Tomorrow (and the next few days) is going to be lovely and I'm psyched that I'll be in Columbus to enjoy it.

Before that, however, I need to do a few necessary things: Costco (how did I run out of tp?), Joann fabrics and then the board meeting this evening. I'm not sure there will be much of anything exciting at the board meeting but the board needs to see the community and teachers banded together as a force they can't mess with. Franklin City Schools (a nearby, Warren County school) is currently at an impasse in negotiations as well and they have a date set for strike if it comes to that...scary considering we're in the same boat.

Lets see...crazy shit happening on Big Brother but I won't talk about that because I don't want to ruin anything for Lisa. If they don't show it on TV, however, I'm going to have to catch you up.

And that's all I've got. I need to go do my daily stuff so I can get up and out the door quickly for errands and get home early. What day is it? Tuesday...happy Tuesday. Later!

Annoying Weatherman

So last night I was settling in to watch Biiiiiiggggg Brotherrrrrr when the sirens started sounding. I looked outside and saw sunshine. Hmm. (A minor downpour had just gone through but not much more than that.)  Jim came downstairs (he had just gone up to bed) and said, "I'm going to sleep in the basement." He was kidding of course. He was just coming to check the weather. Turns out the tornado warning was in the southern most part of my county (I'm in the northern most part). As Jim was checking, I said, "It's so weird that local weather hasn't broken in." And as I finished that sentence, they broke in. Stink! That meant I would miss BB17 (although I'm fully aware of all that is going on in the house since I read a blog and truthfully, there wasn't anything exciting that would happen.) Oh well.

So I stayed downstairs and just flipped from one weather report to the other. And let me say that the weekend weather people just SUCK! But worst of all is channel 12 (WKRC). This guy was a JOKE and I refuse to call him an meteorologist because I'm not sure he managed to get that degree. His report basically consisted of him reading towns and then tell viewers to get to their safe spot and pile a bunch of shit on top of them. "Put a mattress on top of you or flip the couch over on top of you. Maybe pile some blankets on you. Oh, but don't pin yourself. Don't trap yourself." It was so weird. It was like he had nothing to say because he isn't well trained in reading/understanding the weather so he just talked and talked stupid shit. Can't believe this guy has a job.

Lets see...today is Monday (I know this because Jim went to work). I'm not sure what my day has in store for me. I need to do my usual stuff but other than that I have no plans. I'll go to Maggie's on Wednesday. Tuesday is the board meeting at school. Nothing else exciting.

Okay well, that's all I've got. Best mosey. Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM!!! Hope your day is fabulous and without storms (to freak Sadie out).

K - later!

Another Scorcher

It was so nice yesterday to just lay around in the pool on such a hot day. Lots of volleyball playing and chilling out. Today, the weather will be similar but we will be staying home. I need to mow the back yard but can't wait too long because the heat is going to out of control (which means this will be short). It did rain/storm last night, however, so I'm not sure how wet it is out there. 

I was going to comment on a message that Lisa sent me last night regarding the effed up schedules for school next year but I'm sure that it will be fixed before I need to really pitch a fit. I'm just assuming that until August, things won't be tweaked (that's what usually happens). I did, however, email our department head to give her a heads up...we'll see what happens. I won't ask the question, "Why is this so hard to do EVERY FREAKING YEAR" because I'm assuming it won't stay the way it is. (But, you know what they say about assuming.)

Time for a mimosa and breakfast. Pulled pork for dinner tonight - yum! Later and happy Sunday. Stay hydrated. 

Recovery

I apologize for not posting but there was a bit of a shit storm of drinking Wednesday night with my neighbors and I ended up with a massive hangover on Thursday. There was no way I was going to be able to focus long enough to blog. UGH! Thankfully Jim went to bed early on Wednesday and didn't suffer but for some reason (somehow) I stayed out until after 1:00. I thought I had gone to bed around 11:00 but Jim set me straight. Oops. The biggest issue was that I mixed alcohol. Always a downfall for me. I started with wine, had a giant beer at dinner (we went to the Mexican place up the street with the neighbors) then I switched to the canned wine and finally to regular wine. Not good. It also didn't help that Cari kept saying to me, "You just want a little more, right?" Bad Cari! And my neighbors were in the same position as me but they have a 7 month old to contend with. Double ugh!

Needless to say I didn't drink on Thursday (no hair of the dog for me) and greasy food hardly worked at all (pizza barely made it down). But the root beer Jim got me was a perfect remedy and I now have a new best friend: The couch. So reliable and steadfast!

I finally felt better yesterday and did my normal Friday stuff - a little cleaning, grocery shopping and then I worked on my quilt (exercise was put on hold for one more day). My quilt is almost complete too...just the binding to do. YAY!

Today will be spent at Raeburn (Anne and the kids are going too...they're not really kids anymore, huh?). It's going to be a scorcher so what better way to deal with the heat than the pool? We'll pick up some cold cuts (I accidentally typed cold buts first) and just hang. I'll have to keep Jim well lubed up.

What else? Um...nothing. That's all I've got. Time to make breakfast and get ready. Happy Saturday...later!

Canned Wine!?

Look what my neighbor found!!! I'm pretty excited. She bought some of the fizzy sangria but hasn't tried it yet because she's been sick these last two days. I may have to head to the grocery today...see what's what. I'll probably try the sangria and pinot...definitely perfect "circle party" cocktails!

This weather is whack-a-doo. It is July 15th and I've got my windows open and have no plans of closing until the weekend (when we may actually hit the 90s). So nuts. Yesterday turned out to be really beautiful here and I managed to get about an hour and a half of laying out. I was planning on laying out today but it isn't looking very beautiful. Tomorrow should be though...gotta keep my color up.

I joined Amazon Prime yesterday. They have a 30 day trial thingy so we'll see how I like it. With everything they have available with the deal, it seems pretty worth it. We'll see.

What else? I think I may not cook tonight. We'll see what time Jimmy gets home. I'm thinking Mexican but Jim may have a different craving.

And that's all I've got. Sorry I'm boring. Oh, finished another book last night - a new author for me: Liane Moriarty...really good easy reads. Mom - you'd really like her (if you haven't read her already). Start with The Husband's Secret.

Okay well, time to start my routine. Later!

I Wasted So Much Time!!!

How much do I love my new iPhone? Right now I'm in that "new love high". I'm sure that once the excitement wears off, my phone and I will settle into a rather normal, humdrum existence but I will tell you - I can't believe I waited so long to replace my Blackberry.

And by the way - I've posted this picture because that's the case I got for my phone as well...it's very vibrant and easy to find...and well protected from drops. That being said, I got a $25 gift card from a parent to Amazon at the end of the year and I've just ordered 3 more cases...I like to switch things up.

Originally, I was planning to get an iPhone 5s under a two-year contract agreement (thinking that this would cost me less). After sitting and hearing all my options at AT&T, however, Justin (my sales guru) explained the stupidity of this plan. Instead, I'm basically paying for the iPhone over a two year period (monthly installments) and during that time, my bill (for both Jim's and my phone/plan) is under $100. I've lowered my bill by $30 and I've increased my data. Woot. Plus, my phone is covered for any catastrophe during that time and I have no contract to wait out (of course I'd have to pay the difference for the phone if I had to leave AT&T early).  Oh and I ended up with the iPhone 6 because it was a $3 difference from the 5s. I'm happy and having had an iPad from school this past month really schooled me in my understanding of how Apple works. I always thought iPads and iPhones were not user friendly...boy was I wrong! I love it when I make a good decision...that saves money!

So the storms that hit last night were pretty mild. We had a TON of lightning at my house but the thunder wasn't crazy (Jim didn't even wake up). I got up to see what was what when they hit (around midnight) but they were pretty tame. No winds to speak of at my house.  Today will be another day of possible severe storms but my plans are to stay in most of the day so no worries. Sami and I will hunker down together if need be.

Jim had to get up today at 4 AM for work because he had a 6 AM start time in Dayton. YUCK! I didn't even hear him get up. Poor Jimmy. This does mean, however, that he should be home around 3:30.

And that's all I've got. I'll be sewing most of the day, I believe. Exciting, huh? All Star Game is tonight. Oh, and YAY Todd Frazier for being the King of Swing (he won the home run derby last night).

Happy Tuesday...later!

Stay Calm

Weather reports are not making Muir happy. I'm trying my best not to over think and overreact to the possibilities of a wind storm tonight...I don't want to freak myself out unnecessarily for then next 18 hours...I just need to see what happens over the next few hours. The problem is that the winds that MAY hit will occur around 11 o'clock or midnight. Which means I'll either just sleep through it all (not likely) or I'll not sleep for worrying (likely). UGH! There is a plus side to the night time winds: I won't see the sway of the trees and that will keep my freak-out mode lower (not likely). Hate wind more than anything.

So my plans today are to do my normal morning stuff (walk Sami, exercise) and then shower and head out to AT&T (possibly getting a new phone...we'll see) and then to Joann Fabrics. I need to get batting for my current quilt and I need to peruse fabrics for my next one. Still in planning mode on that one. We'll see.

This week should be pretty quiet. Next week will be busier (board meeting etc.). I'm hoping this summer slows down a bit because it's going way too fast already. Trying not to think of that, however.

Lots of stuff going on in the city this week with the All-Star game. I will NOT be heading anywhere near downtown.

Got an email from Becky yesterday to say that Cullen has been cast in a film. I don't have much information other than the fact that the woman who wrote it (?) wanted him to audition for it; he did sent it (video) in and he got the part. More info as it comes to me. YAY!

Okay well I best get a move on. Later...happy Monday!

Really God?!

So there I am, sleeping peacefully, dreaming of nothing, just sleeping, minding my own business, really. Suddenly, behind my closed eyelids I saw a flash and then almost instantaneously, the most massive BOOM. It was like someone put a mortar shell in a trash can just outside my bedroom window. Scared the SHIT out of me. I mean, WTF God!? A simple rumble is all that's needed! Jim got out of bed at this point, as did Sami, but I managed to fall back to sleep. Ah...thank you Lord...nothing better than that unexpected extra half hour of sleep. But guess what? God had other plans for me. I think the second BOOM was bigger and louder than the first one. As it was happening, as I was flying to the ceiling, I yelled, "JAYSUS!!!" Fer real?! Needless to say, I got the hint and got up.

Plans today: Well obviously I won't be doing anything outdoors. I'm thinking...this may be a good...SHOOTERS DAY! Jim will be happy.

Yesterday I managed to get several things done. First, I walked Sami. Then I came home, helped Jim clean and did my elliptical. From there, I was going to lay out but the weather wasn't sunny so I decided to mow the lawn...just the front (I had done the back the day before). At that point, the sun was mostly shining so I grabbed my book, a towel and my bathing suit and proceeded to soak up some rays. Jim painted the back exterior of the house on the deck. Looks really good and now I'm jonesin' for the rest to be done. Of course with the rain, that's never going to happen. Oh well.

Hung out last night with Cari, my neighbor...home and in bed by 11:00.

Okay well, Jim is getting antsy for his breakfast so I best mosey. Happy Sunday...later!

My Sincerest Apologies!

Especially to my Momma - I've been very lax at my blogging and have no excuse since I've been home for two days now. Chalk it up to laziness...or we could just blame Kristyn! (I don't know how she'd be to blame all the way in Australia but I'm sure I could riddle something out.)

I had such a nice week at the Bay but there is truly no place like home. No place like my own bed. No place like my couch. No place like my own kitchen where the placement of dishes, pots/pans, utensils and glasses makes SENSE and there's a limited amount of JUNK accumulated. Can't say that about the Bay. I'm telling you - if I could clean that place out (without the wrath of certain someones) there would be so much ROOM and ease of cooking. Anyway - love the Bay and love home.

So, what did we do? Well the weekend of the fourth was FULL of activity.  A lot of eating, drinking, wave running; some pool time; boating and neighbor time. We had a great sunset on Thursday and the fireworks on Saturday were as usual great. In the week we were there, I had dinner at three places I had never eaten at before: The Upper Deck at the Boardwalk (we watched soccer there) and then Blu Luna (Italian and very delicious) and we had lunch on Middle Bass (nearby island) at J.F. Walleyes. There was a TON of catching up and laughing with Aunt Kathleen and John and I hope to make it to California next year to visit them.

Thursday was my travel day. Maggie and I made it to Columbus by 1:00 and then Maggie drove me to Washington Courthouse around three where Jimmy met me. Since then I've been catching up with my Sami. Oh, and when Jim picked me up on Thursday - he brought Sami. She was so happy to see me but pissed at the same time and I got yelled at by her. Seriously...she did her high pitch, I'm-so-pissed-at-you-so-don't-touch-me yelp. Once we got home, she was over it and I was able to properly love on her. We've been doing a lot of cuddling since and she seems to be over my absence...until I leave again (not sure when but I'll go to Columbus again soon).

Today will finally be a sunny day. I'm not sure what we've got on tap...definitely some house cleaning but other than that, probably just some laying out on my part and some sort of delicious dinner (penne a la Betsey).

I will be a better blogger from here on out...promise...sorry Mom. Happy Saturday to all. Later!

Jim Feels Like A Woman

Jim was leaving for work today, he'd said goodbye and walked out the door. A minute later, he came back in clutching the left side of his chest and saying, "OUCH!" I said, "What is it?" He answered, "My nipples are ROCK HARD and I ran into the wall with my left one and it hurt!" Good lord. It's like he's trying to prove to me he's a woman! Heehee.

Lots to do today before leaving. I'll clean, pack, go to the grocery, and go to the bank. Hopefully I can do all this before noon. Why? Well, it's supposed to be sunny and Muwee needs to get a bit of her tan on. With this crazy summer, I need to take advantage of blue skies when they happen. I was going to mow the lawn but we got a shitload of rain yesterday and it's way too soggy out there. Jim will just have to do it when he comes back Sunday or sometime next week.

Can't WAIT to get to the Bay! I'll actually be there for a week, which I'm psyched about and I can't wait to see everyone. The weather forecast has steadily improved for this weekend and Saturday, especially, should be lovely. Woot!

I think I mentioned that I started my next quilt the other day. I got all my cuts done Monday and yesterday I started piecing it. Unfortunately, my iron broke and quilting isn't possible without a working iron...dammit! So I'll get an iron today so I can continue. It's going to be a good one...my best so far I think.

Finished another book last night (couldn't put it down and was up until midnight reading). Still Missing by Chevy Stevens. It was a bit of a rough subject (a woman gets abducted and held captive for a year before escaping) but it was a fast, easy read with quite the surprise ending.

Okay well, I have lots to do today so I best get a move on.  Later. I won't be posting for a while but I'm sure I'll be posting on FB. Happy 4th to all!