No Surgery Needed

That's the good news! My ailment: PVD (posterior vitreous detachment). So your eye is surrounded by vitreous (a gel-like substance) that helps to keep the eye's shape. As you age (of course it's cause I'm old) the vitreous shrinks and pulls on the retina, eventually separating. This is actually a fairly normal thing and if/when it happens, most people don't even notice. Sometimes, however, (in my case) there are symptoms that occur and are irritating but not threatening. The flashes of light I've been seeing (these are dissipating btw) are the pulls on my retina. The floaters I've seen pop up are part of it too. Unfortunately, the floaters won't go away but the doc says that eventually, the brain stops seeing them and I won't even notice them anymore. I find this hard to believe because every time I blink, it floats in front of my line of vision. We'll see. Anyway - as the vitreous detaches, it can cause a tear and so I'll head back to the doc on Dec. 17th to make sure all is still well but I should be okay and I have no restrictions. There's really nothing to be done while the vitreous does its thing. One sucky thing - they say that in cases where there is a vitreous detachment in one eye, within a year, the other eye will do the same. Hopefully I won't have symptoms when/if that happens but at least I'll know what's going on.

So after my appointment, I came home because I was virtually blind due to dilation, which lasted most of the rest of the day. I sat in front of the TV and tried not to be irritated by my floater. I did exercise since I have no restrictions so that's something. Oh and I lost the two pounds I gained over Tgiving and 2 more! Woot! I 6 pounds away from my original goal weight but I will probably attempt to lose 12 more. We'll see how that goes.

Here's the "problem" with my weight loss: None of my pants fit. And the new pants I bought a couple weeks ago are starting to get a bit lose. Please know that I'm not putting this here to "brag" or anything...it's just sort of a conundrum. Do I buy more pants to fit my body now or wait to buy once I've gotten to my goal weight? One thing I can wear that continues to fit are my leggings so you can imagine I wear those a lot. Lets just get to where we want to be Muir and then see what to do.

And thank the baby Jesus it's Friday! I look forward to a glass of wine tonight and the chili I'm going to make. Plans are to go see Crimes of Grindelwald tomorrow and Sunday is brunch at my friend Terri's house. (She's the one who normally has an annual tree trimming party but this year, she and her husband are going to Hawaii during the time she usually has the party so she decided to change things up a little...works for me as I'm such a home body).

K - happy Friday! Later!

Eye Woes

Sorry I'm late posting but I'm home today so I can go to the eye doc to get my ball checked. I'm hoping, hoping, hoping it isn't a torn or detached retina! I keep going back and forth about what it could be and dealing with these annoying symptoms (woke up with it watering like crazy), worst of which is the floater that seems to near constantly be in my direct line of vision. Talking to dad last night (who has had two detachments; same eye) didn't really make me feel better because his story sounds very much like mine: No trauma leading up to symptoms and feeling like how it all went down was so very unexceptional. You'd think with something as serious as a detached retina, there would be some massive THING that made you go, "OH SHIT! I NEED TO GET THIS CHECKED!" Nope. Well, lets home I get some answers!

My appointment is at 9:30 and after that, I'll probably just come home and chill...try and finish the IEP I have next week...if I'm not too terribly dilated. We'll see.

Maggie and Eva are headed to NYC today. Charlie is already there for meetings...wish I were going with them to see the tree! It looks beautiful! Safe travels!

So here's something annoying: I got Jim a gift which I ordered online at Amazon (a shop vac...don't tell him). Well, it came yesterday and it wasn't disguised AT ALL!!! Just came in its actual box. Thankfully I saw it on the front porch before Jim and I lugged it upstairs before he could see it but REALLY?! You'd think they'd put it in an Amazon box...they usually do.

And that's all I've got. It's very fatiguing to stare at a computer screen for too long so I'll wrap this up (currently looking out the window as I type this). Happy Thursday...wish me luck...wish my left ball luck! Later!

What's Special About Today?!

Well, for one thing, Jim got up and out by 3:30 this morning. That was special. Especially since the boys thought they should be up too. They weren't too bad but at around 4:00 Boo gave a bark so I got up, let them out, said, "NO! It's not time to eat" when I let them in and we all went back to bed until 5:00. They are now exhausted and sacked out. I wish they'd get up and romp because I'm going to have to cage them soon. Silly little turkeys!

Originally, Jim was going to come home from work yesterday, eat dinner and then go back out to work. That, however, didn't pan out and I don't blame him. He made a deal with himself instead to get up extra early and head out. Little did I know that I would also be forced to wake up as well. Oh well, what are you going to do? Happy birthday to me!

My cold seems to have taken a turn. I was coughing a lot more last night and today I have more of a cough than I've had, which blows. I'm also having issues with my left eye and I feel like I need to call the doc to see what's what. Yesterday I started seeing little flashes of light and a bit of blurriness. I don't know what's going on but it's annoying. I'll call CEI today and see what to do. My former doctor, Dr. Robbins, retired I think so I don't know who to see. I'll call and find out.

Lets see...what else? Not much. I plan on leaving a little later than usual today in order to give the dogs a bit more time out. Usually Jim stays home until 7:00 or so. Obviously I can't do that but I'll try to stay until 6:30...I don't really care if I'm late for work as I never am...my boys are more important.

Oh, yeah, so apparently this teacher at school up and quit. Or was forced out or a bit of both. There are rumors about what happened but she's gone. I talked to a friend of hers yesterday and she said that she just couldn't take the treatment from other teachers anymore as it was affecting her health. A little background: This is a teacher who has historically and consistently been a trouble maker. She and I have even had a little "thing" (she didn't like that I defended myself and another teacher against a misconduct accusation she made a few years back having to do with elections in our union). She even "unfriended" me on Facebook. The last straw was that she recently went to the press about an incident with my principal and of course the story got twisted and blown out of proportion. To me that's a cowardly act and something one would do when they A) don't have the balls to call out injustices while standing on their own two feet and B) a bitch, move meant only to stir the pot. She was called out by another teacher pretty publicly and I guess things snowballed for her in terms of possible harassment. She also says that the stress caused her to start having seizures (she's got a legitimate disorder). I feel bad for her because she seems like a very unhappy person who needs to find her priorities but she's the one at the wheel of her own life and the things that are happening are a direct result of her own actions. I feel bad for the kids, to tell the truth. She teaches seniors and now of course there are many whose grades hang in the balance.

Okay well, that's my exciting story for the day. Happy Wednesday. Tonight will just be a relaxed evening at home. I'm making a shrimp and peas fettuccine Alfredo for dinner...a new WW recipe. Hopefully it will be delicious. Later!

Technological Snafu!

My cable, phones and Internet have been on the blink since last night at 7:30 so of course I woke up to no Internet which means I couldn't post. My first thought was, "Aw shit...Maggie and Mom are going to be pissed!" Settle down ladies...I'm on it. Even though I should be preparing for my IEP meeting which is in 18 minutes. And I have to tweak my PowerPoint for first bell...don't worry! Your needs come first.

BTW - it's cold as a penguins bottom! Although, a penguin probably has a pretty warm bottom with the blubber and insulation. So maybe I should choose something else in comparison. You get the idea though. And of course my puppies are like all my other dogs...they love the snow. Which means they love going outside 72 times in an hour to chase each other and romp on the deck and eat ice/snow. Now, you may wonder, "SNOW?" We got a covering on the deck and grass yesterday evening but all is well on the roads. The parking lot, however, was a sheet of ice. Nearly broke my ass coming in. Hopefully my klutzy colleagues will be okay.

And that's all I have time for. I need to go set up the computer and get a move on. I haven't even sipped my coffee!

Happy Tuesday! Later!

Getting Back On Track

Happy Monday after Thanksgiving! Hope all had a great holiday. Mine was great with a minor bump in the road due to illness (more on that). It was great to get together with everyone, especially Cullen. Certainly don't get to see him enough but what are you going to do? He'll be in Cuba for the Christmas season but I hope to see him at the Bay this summer. Fingers crossed!

So anyway - Thanksgiving was good. The highlights: 

• Annual dinner at the Chicken Joint
• Thanksgiving with the family
• Annual after dinner fart walk
• Enjoying time with my pups
• Watching the Browns stomp on Cincy (that's sort of a joke)

The part that wasn't a highlight was I got good and sick on Friday. It started on Thursday (I hope I didn't get anyone else sick) and went until I woke up on Saturday. I had a fever, chills, aches and now I have a sort of cold...a cough and jacked up sinuses. My throat doesn't hurt but my voice isn't great which should make for fun reading in LA. Oh well...at least it really only lasted a day and so far (knock on wood) Jim's fine. Of course, he's been closely monitoring his temperature because he's a drama queen but did we expect anything different?

This week, well, Monday and Tuesday are busy for me. I have 7 AM meetings both days. I also have to have an IEP at some point next week but the stupid parent won't give me a time/date. It's annoying. I'll just set a time today and tell her, "This is when we're meeting...hope you can be there." 

Not much else is happening this week except my birthday on Wednesday but that's not a big deal. 

Oh, we got our tree up and though the boys were a bit curious, they've left it alone. They're biggest temptation are the pine cones I have as decoration. I've had to throw about 5 away because they got a hold of them. They just chew the tops and then leave the rest. Jerks. They also want to steal my big stuffed snowman so I had to put him outside. Turkeys. 

And that's all I've got. I need to get a move on and head to work. I'm back fully on Weight Watchers...I wasn't too bad but did gain a couple pounds...oh well...I'm not going to beat myself up about it since I expected it, I was pretty good, and I had a good time. 

Happy Monday - Later!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

HAHA! That's funny!

I don't know if what's going on with my nose and head is a cold or a reaction to the weather and the dryness. I have the tinge of a sore throat and my nose is a stuffy/runny mess and I keep sneezing too. Ugh! I'm going to pretend that this is just an allergy/dry weather issue. Although I did take a sinus/congestion pill and I'll shoot some saline nasal stuff up my cavities here in a bit. Hopefully that will knock whatever this is out. And by the way - I feel fine. I'm fine! It's fine!

Last night was fun. The fam (part of it) met at Silver Spring House for dinner which has become sort of an annual thing. We met at 5:00 and Jim and I were home in time to watch the Wheel. And bonus, Jim finally got to drive my car, which he loved, of course. Not that I would have driven since I'd had a couple glasses of vino but I'm telling you, my tolerance is for shit since I've cut back. I woke up this morning and freaked out thinking I hadn't put the stuff away from our quick stop at Kroger after dinner...including the bag of ice I'd bought. And I only drank two glasses of wine at dinner. Yowza! Not that I want my tolerance to get high again (because that would mean I'm drinking a lot more) but two glasses!? That's kind of pitiful!

Plans today: Jim and I will hang here for a bit with the thought to leave around noon for Raeburn. I want to give the boys a nice walk since they'll be caged up for a bit. I'll take Scout and Jim will take Boo. We'll also encourage them to be outside chasing each other as much as possible. I've had to do a bit of figuring out in terms of their feedings because I don't want them to have to go to 8:00 (when I hope to be home) to eat. So...I gave the half their morning meal this morning and then I'll feed them a full serving around 11:00 and then when we get home later tonight, they'll get another 1/2 serving. That should keep them relatively happy. And I won't have to bother neighbors.

Okay so here's what I'm thankful for: Jim's health...first and foremost! I'm thankful for my family and their constant support! And of course friends.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope everyone has a terrific day full of food, family, friends, fun, football, and love! Later!

Obsession

So my pups have had an obsession with a chicken (maybe it's a duck). It's been in their lives nearly as long as they've been here and for a while, it's been floating around the house with no head, no feet and no wings. It's really just been a fabric-covered squeaker. Well, last night, they finally got the squeaker separated from the fabric and Boo is obsessed. He won't let it out of his sight. I had to take it away from him last night so he'd come upstairs and go to bed. Currently he's under the dining room table just sucking on it. And it's driving Scout nuts because A) he wants it too and B) if he can't have it he wants to play and Boo is having none of it. And by the way, I bought a 2nd chicken when the first chicken was on the way out the door but are they interested in that one? Nope. For nearly a year, it's been left alone...so much so that it almost looks brand new. Little weirdos.

So last night was not my night with bowling. Remember last year when (apparently on a fluke) I was the bowling champ?! Well, last night I returned to being the shitty bowler that I am. One benefit? We bowled for free. I don't know how it happened...Jim was supposed to pay but they just gave him our shoes and didn't take payment. Bonus!

I was very proud of myself too...I had only two small pieces of pizza and 2 beers. Pretty good! Tonight I doubt I'll be as disciplined but I plan on cleaning, walking the dogs and generally getting a lot of activity in today so hopefully I won't be totally off my diet over the next few days. Ugh!

Speaking of tonight, we'll be heading out for our annual dinner at Silver Spring House around 5:00 and it will be a relatively small group. Just Jim, me, the Egberts, Dad, Becky and Cullen. Can't wait to see Cullen!

Today, I'll be cleaning the bejesus out of the house. It needs a major clean and with Jim out of my hair, it's a good day to do it. I also plan on working on organizing my dressing room and getting my files cleaned out. I'm sure there's a ton of stuff that can get tossed. I'll also make my app for tomorrow and make a quick trip to the store for dipping veggies. Exciting, huh?

And that's all I've got. I'll watch the first 15 minutes or so of the Today Show and then get cleaning. Happy Thanksgiving Eve. Later!

Big Day!

Not really...I just thought I'd give you something to look forward to upon reading the title of my post. Most of what will follow is probably going to disappoint. For that...sorry (not sorry).

So YAY!!! Today is the last day before "Fall break". I love that school has started to call this time off "Fall break".  I guess it kind of is but I call it "Thanksgiving Break"! The kids yesterday, loved the muffins and I have plenty of leftovers to feed them again. I also bought a case of water and many kids just took one of those and called it a day. Kids are thirsty!

I have a 7:15 meeting today with a parent regarding her son and his struggles in my class. She called the meeting (obviously since I avoid meetings at all costs...not sure what needs to be said in person that can't be said on the phone...although she does want the son there). Hopefully I won't get yelled at...that's always a possibly. The big issue is her kid is a bit of a lazy ass and hasn't quite grasped yet that he's now in high school and there may be times he has homework. I know, a foreign concept to these kids. I think the junior high tends to baby these students and then they come to us and it's like a slap in the face.

After school I have an appointment at the dealership to get my cargo net (or wine net as my sales person called it) installed. Hopefully that won't take long. And if it does, I'm going to be pissed!

Tonight Jim and I have plans to go bowling with the Nunns. We did this last year and had a blast. Free pizza Tuesday! I don't plan on having more than 2 beers but you know what they say about best laid plans (of mice and men).

And that's about all I've got. Today will be a movie day at school...I'd love to find a good Thanksgiving episode of something to play...maybe the Cheers where they have the food fight (I love that one) or a good Friends episode. Ooh, yesterday I showed my science class a Little House on the Prairie episode. We're learning about minerals and were talking the other day about "fools gold"/pyrite and I thought..."Ooh...I can show the one where Laura and her buddy 'mine' a shit ton of fools gold!" And show it I did. It always cracks me up how much the kids get into Little House. It's certainly a show for the ages!

Okay - that's all I've got. I've decided to play this day like a Friday so jeans it is! Happy Tuesday. I'll be posting later than usual tomorrow since I'll be "sleeping in". K - Later!

Two Days? I Can Handle That

I think I can get through this week but just in case there was a question of the kids getting through, I baked them a shit ton of muffins yesterday as a little "Monday...we got this" incentive. I've got pumpkin spice, carrot cake and cinnamon muffins. I'll stop at the grocery on the way out to get some bottled water for them as well. After that, the kids will take a little quiz and we'll be done for the day. Tomorrow will be a movie day because lets face it...these kids deserve a little break and the Tuesday before Thanksgiving is usually a waste. I just hope other teachers aren't assholes and giving tests tomorrow. Why do they think that's a good idea? I'll never understand it.

So my weekend was lovely. Friday, I drove up to Columbus and got there in time to pick Eva up from school. We then went to the zoo to see the lights. It was FREAKIN' FREEZING!!! Really the only part of my body that really had a hard time were my ears and face. The lights were nice but the true spectacle? The people...I'm telling you there are some real doozies out there. Anyway - afterward we went to dinner and were actually home by 8:00. Saturday we got up and went to a Christmas expo. From there, lunch and then home to clean and get ready for a little get-together at Maggie and Charlie's with their neighbors. Eva had a sleep over. Dinner was yummy...Charlie and the neighbors tied one on and I've never gotten to see Charlie as in his cups as I did Saturday. Thankfully he isn't an obnoxious drunk...just funny and fun. And bonus, he seemed to feel fine upon waking.

I got home in time yesterday for the Bengals game...wish I hadn't. Typical, typical. I'm just so over Marvin Lewis. He makes it hard to watch.

So Jim will try to work late today to get some extra hours in since he'll be taking Thursday/Friday off. Tomorrow, he needs to get home early because I have to go to the dealership to get my cargo net installed. Tuesday night we'll go to our 2nd annual bowling fest with the Nunns.

And that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. Happy Monday! Later!

Ah...Friday!

It's finally Friday! Actually, this week wasn't too terribly bad. Considering I had to take Tuesday off, bought a new car, Jim's scans came back with good results and yesterday I didn't wreck my car going into work...it was a banner week. Oh, and I get to end the week with Eva!!! I mean, who wouldn't love that?!

So yeah, yesterday the roads were actually just wet. However, I'm not quite sure why the damn superintendent couldn't just throw a 2-hour delay out there so that parents did have a freak out. Because you know they did...bitching up a storm on the Kings FB paged (which is kind of hilarious). And me tell you, there were a TON of absences and I guarantee if they had given us a delay, those kids wouldn't have been out. Whatever...I'm sure there will be snow days in our future if yesterday was any kind of sign of what's to come.

My weight journey is fine...I didn't gain and didn't lose this week. I had a feeling. And you know this coming week is going to be bad with Thanksgiving and all. I'll do my best though and try to get in a lot of workouts. Lately I've been working on my abs and arms. I'm hoping to get my abs to a point where I have some definition and not just a pooch. It's getting there. My arms...well, I've never had little arms but because I've lost weight everywhere, my arms are jiggling more than they used to so it's time to tone up. I'll be happy this week when the weather warms up a bit and I can get out there and walk with my boys.

Speaking of my boys, they are like all my other pups have been: Addicted to the snow and ice on the deck. They love it and want to constantly go out lick it. Crazy little turkeys.

BTW - still loving my car. I Rain-Xed my windows yesterday (forgot to do that when I brought the car home and it sure makes a difference).

And that's about all I've got. I need to get to school so I can get some grading done. I've had to cover another teacher for the past week and have missed having my plan bell...I've fallen a bit behind.  Plus, I need to get my plans together for next week as well as today since I'm leaving after the morning classes (doc appt for Jim). From there I'll head north. Figured since I was having to take a half day, might as well make the most of it and get my weekend with Maggie, Charlie and Eva started! Woot!

K - I'm out...happy Friday! Later

Ruh-DICULOUS

I mean we're in the middle of an ICE STORM WARNING and my school can't even call a 2 hour delay!? What the fuck kind of bullshit is that. I'm telling you, if I wreck my brand new car because they couldn't even throw us a fucking 2-hour bone, someone is going to hear about it. Not to mention all the people who have no power! I mean, why the FUCK would a 2-hour delay be a big deal!? Sorry, not sorry for all the "fuck"s.  Regardless to say, I'll be late for work. I'm supposed to be there at 7:00 but since classes don't start until 7:50 my aim is to get there by then. I'm not going to kill myself because the fucking district doesn't give a shit about safety!

In other news, my car is still wonderful. My whole garage has that "new car smell" and every time I walk in there to get something, I smile. So nice.

I made chicken fried rice in my instant pot last night and it was yummy but I was sort of winging it and I should have cooked it a little longer. The rice was done but it was sort of goopier than I would have normally liked. Again, it was delicious but a little too much liquid. Lesson learned.

Tonight I have no idea what I'm going to make. I was going to do a "Lazy man stew" but I might forgo that for Sunday night. I'll see what Jim wants.

I don't really look forward to my weigh in tomorrow. I feel like I was kind of bad this week even though I've stayed within my daily points but who knows. I did drink a glass of milk with dinner for the first time in about 2 months. I haven't had milk in forever. I just hate wasting my points for a glass of milk. Even though it's skim it's still three points. It was yummy though.

And that's all I've got. Time to go finish getting ready and hit the fucking icy (hopefully they're better now) roads. Wish me luck! Happy Thursday...later!

Buying A Car Has Gotten So Much Easier...

...however, we did have a bit of a stalemate with our trade in. Basically, they quoted me with an insulting number; I countered; they countered and I said "NO!" And then I shut down negotiations saying I would sell it myself. I then proceeded to sign papers and write my check and I was just about to go out with my sales person to get schooled in the car when he tells me that the manager would be willing to give me what I wanted (in the original counter). I called Jim who was at home doing his own research including talking to a manager friend of ours at another nearby dealership. That friend said the amount offered is what he would give us and that it was all the car was really worth. Done! And so now, I'm the owner of an amazing car and I managed to unload Jimmy's car without much of a pain in my ass.

I can't tell you how nice of a ride it is! Knock on wood - I feel so safe and secure in it. The technology is amazing! Apple Carplay allows me to have total hands free text and calling which is great and  I can use Waze through my phone too! I'm loving the Sirius XM radio. I only get it for 4 months so I'll have to haggle and possibly get it when it expires. I haven't gotten to drive it in any weather but it looks like tomorrow might be the day. Of course tomorrow we're expecting ice and no car is good in ice! I'm still having some issues with understanding what every light means but I'll figure it out.  Now I just need to get my PIB sticker that I ordered so I can make the car truly "Muir"!

Jim's health: His lesions continue to decrease! He is still having a lot of joint pain which he brought up with the doc so we're going to do a little tweaking of the Mekinist to see if that helps. Obviously I don't want to mess with his meds but the doc is comfortable doing a little experimenting to see if it helps. His next scan will be in three months so that's good.

And that's all I've got. I need to get a move on so I can drive my car...no really I have a 7:00 meeting and a ton of grading. Happy Wednesday! Later!

I Must Look Stupid

So last night, Jim and I were discussing trading in his car and the logistics of today. We decided that he'll go to the appointment this morning and then meet me later at the dealership. And so, he felt the need to instruct me on every little thing and I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm a moron! First he says there's hardly any gas in his car and late last night (7:30) he tells me he's going to go get gas for me. Um...I can do that in the morning! I've been pumping my own gas for 30 years!  And he says okay, fine but the light is on so...so I'll go STRAIGHT to the gas station...I'm aware of what the light means! It's like he thinks that because my gas gauge doesn't work in my car, I've forgotten what the little lights and symbols in my car mean or...I don't know...I've forgotten how to read?

Then, this morning, as he's leaving he says, "Oh! The garage door opener!" (Which is located on the visor of his car, passenger side.) I said, "Yeah...I'll grab it." And he says, "Now, when you leave and close the garage door, grab it right away and put it in your purse!" My response was, "What's a purse? What's a garage door? Leave? Where am I going? Without you, how will I get there?!" I mean jeez! Dude! Do you hear yourself!? I know you're trying to be helpful but here's a better way to go about all this:

• Hey - I'm almost out of gas...do you want me to go put some in? (Nope...I can handle it.)
• Hey - don't forget to grab the garage door opener! (Got it!) 
• Hey - I don't think you're a complete moron...I know you got this! (Better than you would! No offense!)

All that being said...I get it...he's just trying to be nice and helpful. I just wish he wouldn't talk to me like that sometimes.

So yeah, Jim's out. He'll get his PET scan this morning and then we'll meet up and go to his doc appointment later. Fingers crossed. I plan on getting my shit together here and do two things: go to the grocery, (after getting gas, of course) and then head to the DMV to renew my driver's license. I think I have all the documentation I need but who knows. With these new IDs and all they expect you to have, it's a crap shoot. My birth certificate doesn't have my married name on it and I don't know that I have my marriage license but I'm going to check. If not, I think I have other forms of identification to get me renewed.  We'll see...I'll just remember to stay patient and remember that I'm going from there to pick up my new car! (Hopefully nothing there will irritate me!)

Can I tell you how excited I am that next week is a two-day week!? It's Thanksgiving already! I can't believe how quickly it came upon us! It's very early this year, so there is that.

Can I also tell you how happy I am that we are full blown into the Christmas season!? The commercials make me so happy every time they come on. It just makes me so happy! It also makes me happy that Jim has given me two good ideas for presents for him (he wants a Sony bluetooth speaker and a new shop vac). That makes my life so much easier. My plans this year are to get shit done quickly! My break doesn't start until almost Christmas Eve so there's going to be a lot of rushing around do to on that weekend before and it can't include Christmas present buying.

Okay well, I guess I better get my shit together. I want to hit the DMV when they open. Wish Jimmy luck with his scan (healthy thoughts!!!) and wish me luck with the final detes regarding my new car. Happy Tuesday! Later!

The Outback

Nope...I'm not going to Australia (though that would be amazing too)...I bought a car!!! Woot! Don't you think it's a perfect car for me?! Here's what I'm excited about (now, I won't pick it up until Tuesday so there's still time for there to be a snafu but...):

• It's so pretty!!!
• It's a new car!!!
• I feel just as secure in it as I did in my Sante Fe. (I was worried about it not being high enough.) 
• I can't wait to play with all the bells and whistles (Apple carplay which means I can hook up my phone and use my phone through my car!!! And Siri will even read my text messages to me!) 
• Adaptive cruise control - you can set the number of car lengths you want to stay away from the car in front of you and then the car actually slows and stops on its own!
• It has a camera for backing up!
• I'll have a gas gauge that works again!
• There's plenty of room in the back - Jim had to sit in the rear when I test drove and he had plenty of leg room!

Now, like I said, I'll be going in on Tuesday to finish up the paperwork, trade Jim's car in and get the keys so there's still time for something to go amiss. Really the only thing that needs doing is the trade in...we'll see what we get for Jim's car. Fingers crossed it's a couple thou!  So yeah, Jim's getting my car, which he's very excited about. I just hope he treats her well. She was a very good car to me.

So tomorrow, I've taken off work. I actually took off work for Jim's PET scan and then doc appointment. His PET is at 7:00 AM and it'll take about 3 hours. I expect to be able to make it to the dealership around 10:00. I'll leave for his doctor's appointment around 2:30 or so...I'm a little nervous. Hopefully all is still well.

And that's all the excitement that we had this weekend. I finally completed ALL the leaves so that's a relief. We played cards Saturday night but mostly hunkered down and hung out with the pups in front of the fire.

I have a dentist appointment after school...gotta get my grill cleaned. Other than that, nothing exciting is happening today.

K - I'm out...time to get a move on. Although it's crazy early since the pups woke me up before 4:30...turkeys. Of course we all went up to bed at 7:00 so it's understandable (I read until 8:00 or so).

Happy Monday...later!

30!!!

My new favorite number is 30! Why? Because this morning I hit the 30 pound loss mark! Woot!Can't tell you how good that feels! I set out on the journey not just to lose weight but to feel better about myself. Mission accomplished! And yes, losing weight is MOST of the reason I feel good but I'm also so proud of my will power. For example, last night I decided to have a glass of red wine as I got dinner ready (which by the way was delicious!). After the one I really, really wanted another. But then I thought, "I've been so good and my weigh in is tomorrow and it'll be Friday and I can hold off!" And so I did! Four months ago, I would have said, fuck it and had a 2nd and probably 3rd glass.

How did I celebrate my mile marker? I had avocado toast for breakfast. I've been avoiding toast (one of my favorite things, by the way!) but today was a day to celebrate! Now you may be wondering how much more I want to lose. Well, my original goal was 40 pounds but I may amend that to a weight goal which would mean that I would have another 14 pounds to go. Who's to say if I'll go for more after that. I don't want to be a stick but I'd like to confidently wear a bikini again...in public. (I still wear a bikini at home.) We'll see how that goes...I also need to do some tightening up.

I'm so happy it's Friday! I got home yesterday and ended up doing one more pass in the backyard with the lawn mower. When Jim got home, I had him start the cleaning process (dusting) and when I finished in the yard, I vacuumed. Reason being: I would rather have the house clean going into the weekend so that we have fewer things to do on Saturday and Sunday. I do have my dressing room and dining room I want to tackle (straighten up and organize) but I also want to do the whitewash on the fireplace and test drive a car. Plus, I think Jim and I need to show our faces at Shooters...it's been a while!

I ended up taking this coming Tuesday off at school so I can definitely go to Jim's doc appointment. Because his scan is on the same day as the appointment, I won't have the info from the scan before seeing the doc so I won't know if I'm okay to miss it or not. And we all know what happens when I miss an appointment or think that things are going fine: Bad news! So I'm allowing superstitions to rule and I'm taking the day off. Which means from now until after Thanksgiving break, I won't have a full week at work. Woot!

And that's all I've got. Today should be an easy day at work. Only a couple kids have tests and I'm just finishing up a couple things in my classes. Happy Friday! Later!

Mean People Suck

So I mentioned, briefly, in previous posts over the last few weeks, about an aide who had recently been put on administrative leave because they said she stole from district. This is an aide who was assigned to my room this year after an issue last year. A little background: Last year, when asked during an evaluation meeting how things were going in the room she was assigned (with BFC, sped MD teacher) this aide had the gall to tell the truth. This started an investigation into the inappropriate and abusive actions of the sped teacher toward her students. Unfortunately, the teacher was allowed to return (despite several witnesses and proof) and since then, based on what happened with this aide, a witch hunt has been on to find reason to get rid of her. Yesterday they finally forced her to resign. It bums me out not only because what they did was wrong (and should be against whistle blower protection laws) but also because I hate knowing that I work in a district with such appalling, mean, vindictive people. I don't want to be associated with people like that and more and more, my district does things that make my skin crawl. People in power lie about others and are never called out on it. And when you see these people nearly every day it's hard. Hard to look at them when they say hello to you; hard not to roll my eyes; hard not to let my face show my disdain; hard to see them heading my way without turning around and walking away from them. I just hope karma is real and that these people get what's coming to them.

This week has been so SLOW!!! Having an in service on a Tuesday really screwed me up. I kept thinking all day yesterday that it was Thursday. So now that it is Thursday it seems like this week will never end.

I am nearly done with leaves...thank God. Yesterday I managed to come home and finish the front yard and go over the back with the mower. I need to do that one more time in the back to further mulch the remnants but I lost time last night...I had to make dinner. And oh what a yummy dinner it was!  Coq au vin! Yum! I made it in the instant pot and it was only 7 points (including the mashed potatoes)! I wanted to lick my plate but I held off. It tasted like I slaved over the meal for hours but in reality, the hardest thing I had to do for the meal was cut up the onion, carrots and mushrooms and then saute the bacon before dumping everything in to cook. I'm telling you - my instant pot is a wonder!

If anyone wants to know what to get me for X-mas, by the way, I could use the accessories that you can get for the instant pot.  I bought them for Maggie for her birthday but would really like them for myself...however, with my bday and x-mas so close, I don't want to deprive anyone of a great gift for me. I'm so thoughtful!

Okay - time to get a move on. Tonight's dinner is Protein Packed Chicke Stew (in the Instant Pot). Another WW meal...2 points.

K - happy Thursday...later!

Breathe

Once my leaves are all up, I'll REALLY be able to breathe but for now, I'll breathe a little easier with this election finally over. That being said, now is time for the real change to begin. Dems need to get their shit together and figure out how to get things done! And yes, reaching across the aisle is part of that. Today is the kickoff to (I hate to say) the presidential 2020 campaigning and if we are going to keep this thing rolling then no one can sit on their laurels. There needs to be a leader and right now we don't have one and Nancy Pelosi isn't the one to get it done. She's fine and whatever but we need a young whippersnapper to charge this party up.

And I'm done.

Okay well, yesterday was fine. I worked in my room for most of the day...got some shit done but it wasn't anything that I couldn't have done slowly throughout the year in preparation for my science class next year. I went to one meeting on my HSA dollars and really it wasn't anything I didn't know. There was some info on investing but with Jim's health and the need for us to use most of the money in the account, that isn't something I'm ready to tackle yet. Someday.

Jim and I came home yesterday and did more leaves. The front yard is nearly complete. I'll complete it today when I get home. Thankfully most of the leaves in the front are off the trees so once that's complete we should be good there. Thursday I'll tackle the back. I'm hoping just to be able to mulch back there rather than canning and dumping. We'll see. Another day of drying out will certainly help.

I'll be happy to have the leaves done by the weekend so I can focus on other things. I think this weekend I'll be cleaning out my "dressing room" and organizing some things: Closets, filing cabinet...stuff like that. I also want to go out and test drive a car and look at fireplace accessories. I want to white wash the stone and then get a mantle. I started looking yesterday and I want something rather rustic looking but it's hard to find something online...I'll have to find a place for purchase in person.

Okay well damn...it's early. These boys got me up way too early...it was a 4:30 tongue attack and man oh man are my nostrils and ears clean!

Happy Wednesday! Later!

Woot! Election Day!

Which means an end to these damn ads. I'm so sick of the shit things that all the candidates put out there about each other. I understand the need to explain where the opposing candidate veers against ones stance but to get so nasty? There's just not a need. And to put it out there on TV with kids watching? Showing them that that type of behavior is okay? No wonder there's such readiness of kids these days to act out without thought to consequences. And I'll tell you, in my neck of the woods, I noticed that there were certain candidates that did NOT go there at first and then the attacks on them were above and beyond and then they decided to go there. It's a bunch of chickens running around with their heads cut off and their dicks out. Are we ever going to get back to being a civilized society? I know...not for at least another two years. UGH!

These dogs are getting on my nerves. And in turn so is my husband! Why do I have to ALWAYS be the one who gets up to shut them up from barking? Seriously it's so annoying. And here's another thing I love (insert sarcastic tone): When one of the dogs runs in the house from outside and Jim and I are both sitting in the family room watching TV and Jim says, "What did he just run in with?!" Uh, gee, I don't know...I was sitting here just like you watching the Wheel. Maybe you should get up and check! But no that won't happen because the reason you even said that was so I would get up and look. I've got your number! 

Here's another thing that drives me nuts: I've been asking and asking for going on two years for Jim to get someone to replace some of the siding on our house and to insulate a part of the house where there are pipes that freeze up. So Jim had someone but he hadn't followed through and so here we are in November with cold weather on the horizon and Jim says to me this morning, "Hey, I have a guy coming on Friday to take a look at..." (Wait for it...wait for it...)..."the three windows in the basement so we can put in glass block." Me: "Uh...that's great...can we get the siding taken care of first?!" And then Jim freaks out on me because I'm getting annoyed that here we are once again with Jim going off on tangents with things that can be held off while more detrimental things need taken care of NOW!!! Typical typical!

Okay - sorry for the bitchfest. This is what happens when Jim won't let me be in the mornings! At least I don't have to deal with kids today - inservice. So my day consists of 4 parts - 2 in the AM and 2 in the PM. My morning is "Create your own Path" which means I'll be working in my room. I'll work through lunch, then go to a meeting on my HSA and then my final "meeting", the end of my day will conclude with a final "Create your own path" segment. I should be able to get a ton of shit done - most of which will be preparing for next year's Biology class.

K - I'm out! Get out there and VOTE! I already did so WOOT!  Happy Tuesday - later!

Leaves

The leaves in this area didn't turn until late this year - basically last weekend they were suddenly NOT green anymore and then of course we got some good winds and rain and it seemed that most of the trees shed their leaves all at once. And of course we had a ton of rain this past Wednesday/Thursday which meant that we had to play the waiting game for drying out. Alas, I couldn't wait anymore and so yesterday we did what we could. We started out front and got part of the yard done but we had plans for brunch so we had to stop around 10:00. When we got home (around 1:00) we started again and got the back yard completely done. However, it no longer looks like we did much to it. I plan on coming home today and tackling as much of the front yard as I can. It did rain last night but I'm hoping it wasn't too much and that the leaves aren't crazy wet. Ugh! I'll be happy when this is all over and all the leaves have dropped.

And of course we're supposed to get some good storms overnight tonight. Ugh! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't get strong winds. Mostly it looks like the severe storms will be south of the river so that's good. Phew. Randi Rico was teasing for about a 1/2 hour and finally gave me the scoop.

So yeah, the weekend was good. Relaxing. We hung out on Friday and I made dinner. On Friday I did my Freezer making extravaganza while Jim worked (more on that in a minute). Saturday night, after cooking for about 5 hours, I didn't want to be in the kitchen and I had a $100 gift card burning a hole in my pocket so Jim and I went to Seasons 52. Yummy. I really like that place because they have diet friendly meals (I had scallops) and their portions are normal. Sunday, well, I already told you what we did.

My freezer meal making extravaganza...here's what I made:

• A giant pot of meaty spaghetti sauce (I stopped counting at 20 cups)
• 2 eggplant Parmesan
• 4 chicken, broccoli potato bake
• 3 shepherd's pies
• 2 bags of lazy man stew
• 1 Italian wedding soup
• 2 pounds of turkey meatballs (1/2 of which went into the wedding soup) 

I still have chicken pot pies to make which I'll do, probably tomorrow. All of my meals are WW friendly too. I'm ready for winter. AND...I still have a bunch of soups in the freezer from previous meals. Woot!

And that's about all I've got. Tomorrow is Election Day and students don't have school. I have some inservice meetings but I'm also working in my room because I signed up for a "Create your own path" thingy.

Oh, and Jim has a PET scan today. His appointment for the results is next week but I will see the results sooner than that. Keep fingers crossed please and pray that things are still going in the right direction for Jimmy. I feel like we've gotten lulled back into a sense of calm and that makes me nervous.

K - happy Monday...wow this was a long one. Later!

A Little Late

Well, on this Friday, my car didn't break down but my computer was updating and taking forever so I couldn't blog at home. Of COURSE Maggie had a hissy fit (like she does...haha😜) and started texting me and giving me grief. Even though I immediately sent her a text to let her know my woes. But of course, my text didn't go through so I had to suffer her wrath. Not a good way to start a Friday. Hee hee!

So YAY! It's Friday.  I have a 7:30 meeting this morning so need to make this quick. However, the parent isn't coming...we're really just meeting to get signatures and I'll go over the IEP with the student briefly. She's a junior...same old same old.

I've decided that Scout is alpha. Now, in many ways, Boo acts like alpha (he can be a jerk) but I've decided that the way Scout controls the mood of everything, Boo is constantly following his lead. For example, I've noticed that if Scout wants to play, they play. If Scout wants to chill and lay in bed, they chill and lay in bed. Like this morning. I couldn't get Scout to come down and hang with us while we ate breakfast...he just wanted to snuggle on his bed. And so, Boo, who was ready to play, ended up going upstairs and hanging with his brother. It's actually kind of cute. I went up to finish getting ready and they were on the same dog pillow and Boo was cleaning Scoutie's ears. They may have scuffles but those boys certainly love the beejesus out of each other. 

In diet news, I'm down another 1.5 lbs! I ended up having to order about 5 pair of new jeans this week.

Side Note: Mom just texted...I haven't read it yet but I'm betting she's having a hissy fit too about my lack of blog...Settle down lady! I'm getting there. Yep...Just got the "Okay! What's going on!?"

Anyway - my diet: I had to buy new pants because all of my jeans are way too loose. I can pull them on and off without unbuttoning or unzipping. And I'm constantly having to hike them up. Plus, Old Navy was having a big sale so I thought...might as well.

Weekend Plans: I'm doing a Freezer Meal Making Extravaganza tomorrow. I'll be making a bunch of casseroles to freeze so that I can just pull things out, heat up and enjoy. Some of my recipes: Eggplant Parmesan, Taco Casserole, Chicken/broccoli/potato bake, Chicken Parmesan; I'll also make and freeze some turkey meatballs and chicken meatballs and I'd like to do some marinating. We'll see. I'm excited to have this done...I can't tell you how convenient and nice it is not to have to think about a meal on certain days...especially in the winter...on a Friday.

Okay - other than that, the weekend is open. We're going to brunch on Sunday with neighbors and then I'm hoping it's dry enough to get some leaf gathering done. We'll see.

K - time to get read for my meeting. Happy Friday...later!

What A Mess

It is POURING!!! I don't look forward to my drive to work. The question is - Do I take the highway or go back roads? We'll see what's what when I leave.

Miraculously, the rain actually held off for about 45 minutes at our house yesterday at the very beginning of Trick-or-Treating.  I managed to see most of the kids but of course dinner was just hitting the table as well so Jim had the duty of passing out candy. I think the last kid came around 6:30. That's how it usually is - we mostly just get the kids in the circle and that's it. Fine with me! But you know Jim bought the largest bag of candy he could find in the grocery so now we have a ton of leftovers and that's not okay with me! I do NOT want candy in my house so Jim will be taking that to work with him today. I did have a bite sized Milky Way though last night. It was delicious! I was actually craving a Milky Way too! See, I'm currently teaching about the stars and galaxies in Earth Science and yesterday was all about the Milky Way. Pretty coincidental, huh?

So yesterday I was sitting in my 5th period GI (guided intervention, which is a sped study hall) when I overheard a conversation one of my girls was having with another. The phrase that I wished I hadn't heard was "she's his f buddy". ARG!!! So I laid into the kids about the inappropriate convos they have CONSTANTLY with me sitting right there. I don't want to hear about their or their friends' sexual endeavors! The girl who said it just kept saying, "I didn't say the word! I said 'F'!" I told her that word wasn't my issue! I then had to explain that they don't want to hear me talking about my husband in that way do they?! Of course they all said, "EWWWW!!!!!" And threw up a little in their mouths and I said, "That's how I feel about you guys!" Then of course it turned into, "Mrs. Hanke is is a bad mood!" ARG! So then I had to go into, "Just because I don't want to hear you guys speak of inappropriate things and I get on your case about it doesn't mean I'm in a bad mood. It means you guys need to learn how to act in public!" These kids are so unaware and self-absorbed and are having TOO MUCH SEX!

Okay - that's enough of that before 6:00 AM! Time to get a move on. I'm sure it's going to be a yucky drive so I'd better hit it. Happy Thursday! Ooh, I can't believe tomorrow is already Friday! YAY! k - later!