Ikea - My Obsession

Can I just tell you how much I LOVE!!! LOVE!!! LOVE!!! Ikea!? I wish I had unlimited funds to spend there cause you know I would. Place is amazing with so much to see, buy and so many ideas!

Jim and I went to Ikea yesterday (after having breakfast) to make the purchases for the reno and we pretty much got everything we needed (plus some). The only thing I still need to get is a bench for the mudroom. I have the bench I want picked out  but I want to put all the shelving up first to make sure it will fit and look good. For the mudroom, we bought the bookshelf (shown with cute baskets!), the shelving as well rug. For the bathroom, we got a rug and decorations (how cute are the flowers on the mirror?). The laundry room, got the most attention. We got all the shelving (two each for the sides of the washer/dryer), drying racks (shown below though those aren't ours...just a random pic from the Internet.  You can see, they can be put up or down so they stay out of the way, they have three differnent positions and most importantly won't poke Jim in the back!), and some storage drawers as well. Jim will work on hanging the shelves today but he may have to cut into the drywall so that he can hang things safely and securely. 

When we got home, I put the shelves for the mudroom together as well as the bookcase and the storage drawers for the laundry. I keep going in there and thinking, "It's so pretty!" Not to toot my own horn but you know...it's so pretty!

Additionally we got some needed kitchen utensils and a cutting board. Oh and a veggie steamer. I need to go back there and look at their counter tops some time in the future since they do quartz and I want to price it out. I just wish I had unlimited funds to fulfill all my wants and needs! 

Today I'll head to Costco (was too excited to come home yesterday and start putting things together) and supervise Jim (he'll love that). He's still sleeping and will probably be there for a bit. Not sure what time he got home but I'm pretty sure it was LATE! At least it's Friday.

Sami's doing great. She's eating like a champ although she's not really had much dry food of late. Her poop is solid (I know you were concerned) and she seems almost back to normal. Thank you GOD!

K - well, I need to get a move on so I can be ready at Costco when it opens. Happy Friday! YAY! Later!

Normalcy

I do believe we have turned a corner. First of all, Sami went to Jim's side of the bed around 5:30 this morning. This is her normal routine when she needs to go out or wants Jim up. Now, the door was left open all night so she really didn't have to go so I'm not sure she doesn't have the runs but when I finally got up, she willingly ate her pill hidden in dog food (she actually has to take one for the next 6 days) along with two other bites and then an additional plateful of canned food. WOOT! Here's hoping!

Jim and I will get up and go out to breakfast here in a bit (probably the Original Pancake House) and then head to Ikea for stuff. I'm hoping to get the drying racks for the laundry room, a bookcase for the mud room, a rug, maybe a bench and possibly shelving. We'll see what they have. From there we'll go to Costco for some needed things. I'll start looking to make things for the Bay/plan the menu.

So my neighbors and I exchanged passwords for HBO/Netflix accounts and last night I started watching Orange Is the New Black. Hilarious...really good and I look forward to watching the rest of the 3 seasons that are out. I'd also like to watch House of Cards. One at a time, however.

And that's all I've got. Jim's on 2nd shift for the next week and a half (until we leave for PIB) so I'm hoping the last bits and pieces of the reno are completed (painting doors etc.)

Happy Thursday! Later!

Sami Update

It was a rough day yesterday. I got up, called the vet and was able to get an appointment for 10:00. I lazed around and just kept an eye on my girl. Around 9:00 or 9:15, she came running downstairs and headed outside. I followed her and saw her dry heaving in the yard and she had more diarrehea. I snuck up to see how her poop looked and saw blood in it. I said, "That's it!" and hightailed it to the vet early. At that point I was very emotional but I managed to hold back my tears as I explained to the vet tech what was going on. In the end, the vet decided to do blood tests, including a test for pancreatitis. Most of her levels were in the normal range but a couple were elevated but that could be because of the virus or whatever she's fighting. They also gave her a shot to help with her stomach, subcutaneous fluids, antibiotics and some canned food to take home. The said is she wasn't improved by today, they would have me bring her back in and they would do x-rays.

When we got home yesterday, I immediately gave her a pill which she took with a bite of dog food. She wouldn't take any more food but doc said if she took a bite every couple hours, that would be fine. She slept all day (as I finished a quilt...shown). When Jim got home, she greeted him while lying down but she wagged her tail a lot! That's a first for a while. Eventually she drank water twice without prompting and though she wouldn't eat more than a nibble of her canned food, she enjoyed a couple bites of hard boiled egg.

I left the sliding glass door open overnight so she could go out on her own. I know she went out at around 11:00 and 4:00. She definitely seems better so that's good. I'll be anxious to hear the pancreatitis test results but barring that, I don't think she'll need to go back in. Fingers crossed. I'm really anxious for my girl to feel better. She's so pitiful. UGH!

Jim works second shift tonight so that sucks but at least he'll be able to help me keep an eye on Sami today. Not sure what the day has in store. I'll probably finish another quilt and hang with my girl.

K - day 2 of vacation is under way. Time for breakfast. Happy...what day is it? Wednesday! Later!

Sick Girl

Sami's been sick since Saturday night. She's had diarreah and has been lethargic and just sad. She won't eat at this point either. I made her some rice water on Sunday and she drank some of that but wouldn't touch it after the first bowl. She's also barely eaten. I made chicken yesterday hoping she would enjoy that and she seemed to in small snippets but this morning when I tried to give her the last bit, she wouldn't take it. Knowing that diarreah isn't abnormal once in a while, I kept an eye on her hoping it would clear up. It didn't and last night she threw up a bit in Jim's room. This is the first she's thrown up. I'll call the vet as soon as they open and hope they can see her asap. Worried. This is so unlike her. She never gets sick and for it to last this long isn't right. Prayers please.

That's all I've got for now. I'll update when I know more. Later!

People In Glass Houses

So I'll make a quick comment about the gorilla shooting and I'm posting on my blog rather than Facebook because only about 4 people read my blog and I don't think I'll irritate and offend any of those 4 with my opinion (not that I care but I'm sick of seeing opinions of people who don't have the whole story). Originally, I was all, "WTF?! What kind of parents would let such a thing happen. They should have charges filed against them." Now, however, I'v realized several things: A) I don't know the full story, B) People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones and C) What parent hasn't "misplaced" their child for even a few minutes? Because that's the time that it probably took for the kid to sneak into the enclosure. Maybe not even a few minutes. And I'm not a parent but I'm sure the parents are devastated by their ordeal and not just because of the bad wrap they're getting. Their child could have died or ended up with catastrophic injuries - I'm sure they'll be reliving this for years to come. And I'm sure they're beating themselves up because of what had to happen. Hindsight is 20/20, and I'm sure the zoo is wondering if they did the right thing but if it had been your child, would you feel the same? And don't say, "MY child wouldnt' have climbed into the enclosure because I wouldn't have been such a bad parent to let such a thing happen!" That's bullshit! We all make mistakes and I can't tell you how many times I've been at the zoo and seen parents stand a bit behind a group (with their eyes on their child) so that their little one could get a closer look. It only takes a minute. So lets give the zoo and the parents a little bit of a break. You can't imagine what they're going through. Lets remember that we're all human.  Unless YOU'VE never made a mistake.

K - I've climbed down off my soapbox. Sorry about that.

Today's plans - nothing much. I may just hang at home and enjoy the beautiful day. Sami's been sick and I don't want to be too far from her for too terribly long. She's had the runs for a couple days and is feeling right puny. Sad girl. I'll call the vet if things don't improve through today. I've given her rice water but other than that and a little water, she's had nothing. Poor girl.

We talked about having a cookout here in the circle but truthfully, I'd rather just hang and then have some pizza. I think most of the neighbors were in agreement. Cari and I made plans as well to watch the Bachelorette since Jordan's working today/tonight.

And that's about it. Tomorrow I'll be doing shopping and maybe some quilting. Happy Memorial Day to all. Later!

I Made It!!!

And it's here. The last day of school for the year. I'm more excited that you can know! Today will hopefully be a short one. We'll have a staff breakfast and then head to our rooms for the final details of the year. I'm hoping to be out (since I have NOTHING to do) around noon...earlier? But who knows what will happen. The new guy is coming today so we'll get to meet him.

Once home I'll complete the final cleaning details and then mow the front yard. We had a quick little storm yesterday and so I couldn't get to the yard but at least I got the house cleaned. Jim got the mirror and door up (pay no attention to the lack of door frames and vacuum). Not sure if I'll paint the mirror or not - it's not quite the same color as the vanity.

And that's it. Best head up and out. Happy last day of school to me and my ladies. Happy Friday to the rest of you! Later!

Late Late Late

Running late because I was paying bills and weirdly I had an email from my credit card that said too many attempts had been made to log on to my account and my account had thus been frozen. Hmm...wasn't me...wasn't Jim. Had to fix that. All done now but I'm out of time for posting. Who care though becasue it's the last day of school!!!  I'll have to go in tomorrow but that's nothing. We'll have our breakfast and then I'll head to my room to do last minute things and then I'm out!!!

Today I'll go to the grocery, clean the house and then get dinner for tomorrow in the crock pot. I'm making French dip sandwiches and figure I'm not going to want to cook on my last day so there you go. 

The washer and dryer are stacked and running. The painting is complete in the reno and Jim's getting the door frames and baseboard up (this takes time because he's gluing and has only so many clamps to set them). Today I've asked that he paint the doors because these need to go up for the weekend. After that, the sink is the last thing and Jim's job will be complete. 

And I'd best get going. Running late! Happy Thursday! Happy last day with the kids for me and my ladies. (Oh, Cassius got a 90% on his exam yesterday!)  Later!

As If!

Too true! Happy National Wine Day. I think it may be more beneficial for me - more "celebratory" if you will - to have a National Sober Day! Hee hee!

So I gave my LA exam yesterday. Out of the 11 kids that took it, there were maybe 1 C; 3 or 4 Bs and the rest were A's! YAY! Love that! Now, my history exam will not be so good but I can expect at least 2 A's on that and couple C's probably 1 F though for my girl who hates history and never studies. Oh well...at least she passed the class. And after this year she's DONE with history classes!

Jim and I got the washer and dryer installed yesterday. We can't stack them yet because we need to get a stacking kit. I bought it and its ready for pickup so Jim will do that on his way home tonight.

I used my new washer yesterday. It was so exciting. It's a front loader and that thing spins your clothes nearly dry. It's awesome! I've never been so excited to do laundry before in my life.

I get my snaggletooth fixed today. I'm sick of feeling the rough edge of my tooth so that will be nice. My appointments at 2:00 so I'll leave work at 1:30 to get there. Hopefully I'll be home by 3ish and hopefully it isn't raining and I can mow the lawn. If it is raining I'll clean the house!

Today is my last day with Cassius! It shouldn't be too terribly bad. He'll come in around 9:00, I'll give him his exam for history and then he'll get passed on to Santa who gets to deal with him for the rest of the day. After that - DONE!!!  And I'm NOT going to think about next year with him until next year happens!

And that's about all I've got. Time to get some more laundry in the washer (so excited!!!) and then head to work. Happy HUMP DAY!!!! 3 days left! Later!

Nearly There

And then there were 4...days left. Three with kids. I think I can, I think I can!

Today I'll give both my LA exams. Students will be there at 7:25 and out of my hair by 12:30. Woot! AND - we're getting Jimmy Johns for lunch. And!!! No Cassius! His last day will be tomorrow (unless Santa screwed things up which is VERY possible).

Lets see...what else is going on? Well, Jim's got all the baseboard up in the laundry room and one more door frame. We'll hook up the washer/dryer tonight as well, I'm hoping, the utility sink. We would have gotten the washer/dryer in yesterday but we got distracted by our beer-drinking neighbors. They had a keg they needed to empty and I pride myself on being there for my friends so how could I say no!?

I'll head to Walmart after school today (hate that place) for some bedding. I bought my awesome mattress pad there and want to get one for the guest bed for Maggie and Charlie this weekend.

I've been up since 3:00. Not tired yet but I hate that!

Okay well, that's all I've got. Happy Tuesday (just think in about a week, I'll have a hard time remembering what day it is!!!). Later!

Floors - DONE!

Pay no attention to the door frames and lack of baseboards (those will go in over the next couple of days). Instead, notice that we finally we got the floors in!!! Let me tell you it was back breaking work. Because of Jim's many body aches and pains, it was up to me to do all the maneuvering. I was on my hands and knees, pushing and pulling, for about 5 hours. The tips of my fingers are raw, my knees (even though I wore knee pads) are one kneel-down away from blisters (they're bright red and hot to the touch) and my whole body aches. When I got out of bed this morning, I was full of moans and groans...not the good kinds. Who knew that laying floors like that could hurt so bad? All that said though - the floors are finally down and I'm ecstatic.

Today Jim needs to get the rest of the needed base boards and then put in those behind the washer/dryer so those can get hooked up. From there we need the sink put in and the final painting done so the mirror can be hung. After that, it's my turn to get shelving etc. I'll make a trip to Ikea next week to do that. Maybe once I'm on break Jim and I will head to West Chester in the evening, have dinner and shop. Sounds like a plan.

I thought my school let out early this year but lo and behold - many schools are already out or nearly there. Lakota finished up on Friday and Mason has only two days left. For me I can't complain and I'm not. Today starts our final week and I'm just grateful that it was such a good year (I sort of dread next year). It flew by and I though this week will most likely creep by, we'll get there!

This weekend was a blast. Cari's party on Saturday was too much fun. I was very careful in my drinking to ensure I didn't end up with a hangover (water between all beverages and no wine!) I did, however, manage to do about 17 Jello shot (they were delicious!!!) but I think you'd have to have about  75 to do any real damage. In addition, I played drinking games (flip cup) which I haven't done since I was probably 18. And I sucked! Definitely showing my age there. Oh well.

And that's all I've got. Today will be an easy day...review and getting paperwork done. No exams for my classes today Happy last Monday of the year!!! Later!

This Time Last Week...This Time Next Week

This time last week I was driving through Dayton headed to PIB. Sigh...wish I was there!

This time next week I'll be blogging about it being my LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!! Sigh...wish I was there!!!

However, all that said, you can't go back! You've got to look forward. Although, I don't want the summer to go too quickly so I'll enjoy this moment while I'm in it!

I know people say the end of the year - in the last week or two - goes so slowly but this week FLEW by. I can't believe it's Friday! And I'm done teaching for the year. I taught my last lesson in LA yesterday reading the Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. It was a stellar performance on my part by the way. I don't know if the kids enjoyed it but I reminded myself of my favorite former teacher, Mrs. Pfetzing. She was one of a kind and someone who taught me how to love literature. Aside from my mother, she is the other person who made me want to teach. I think of her often when I teach classics (Shakespeare, Monkey's Paw, Poe, etc.) Hope she's up in heaven reading this as I type (she died way too young).

Anyway...school's almost DONE (stick a fork in her). WOOT!

In regard to Cassius - I believe he'll only be present next week on Monday (a normal day) and Wednesday - to take his two exams. This is what I proposed to Santa to tell the dad. Hopefully it will pan out because I'm so over Cassius and his crazy ways.

Mowed the lawn yesterday and finished spreading the last of the mulch. The yard looks so good! (Except the side yard but that's a Jim project and will have to wait for the reno to be complete.)

This weekend is going to be FUN! Tomorrow I'll get up early and head to Party Source. We need to replenish: Our kegs (both are blown), bloody Mary mix and champagne! Oh, and I need to get some Fireball! Need to be well prepared for Cari's party Saturday. Oh, the pic is the basket I put together for her birthday. Cute, huh?

Here's a funny. So I let Cari and her husband use my Prime account on Amazon. They used it on Sunday. Monday, I ordered all of Cari's stuff for her basket. I was mowing the lawn yesterday (in the back) and saw that the UPS truck was coming by. So I finished up the lawn and went to the front porch to get the package I was hoping had been delivered. It wasn't there. So I went out and asked Jim - who was weeding in the front yard - if they had delivered. He said yes, but Cari met the guy as he was coming to drop them at the door and said it was for her. So I think - well, hmm...I hope that wasn't the package for her she took. It was. She came over with it and said, "I opened this but it was some sort of glove so it isn't mine. Sorry!!!" I said, "Yeah, that's mine...well, yours...part of your birthday gift you stupe!" Hilarious.

Okay well, I'm out. Happy Friday! Later!

This Should Be Interesting

Today, at 7:00 AM, there's an IEP meeting for crazy autistic kid. (I think I'll nickname him Cassius.) He's not on my caseload (he's on bad sped teacher's...I'll call him Santa) but I'll make an appearance at the meeting, mainly to see what's been decided about his attendance for next week. I'm hoping that he can come as normal on Monday and then come only on Wednesday or Thursday after that - for his two exams (history and art class). I bet the art teacher would be fine not having him take the art exam but we'll see. Santa is wishy washy and doesn't always give his "professional" opinion.

Came home yesterday, walked Sami and then mowed the front yard. Jim got home while I was doing that and continued the weeding in the beds. After I finished mowing, I started hauling mulch. We've got one bed to finish up and then I think we'll be done (because all the mulch will be gone). I did manage to get it all out of the neighbors driveway though...he'll be happy to come home to that.

Today when I get home (after going to Home Goods) I'll mow the back yard. YAY! Hopefully it will be somewhat manageable and not so soupy. Too bad if it is because if I wait any longer, the grass will be up to my shins! (Not really but you know!)

Finished up the last of my paperwork yesterday (for IEPs). I also managed to get review games made for LA. I'll finish up with that today and then do some history review games.

That's all I've got. So...I guess I'll head up and out. Later!

7 Days Of Kids

Not that I'm keeping track (HAHAHAHA!!!) but including today, I have only 7 more days of students for the school year! Can you believe that?! I'm not sure how many days of my autistic kid I'll have...he won't be taking but 1 or 2 exams so he won't have to be here next week for anything but 2 days (I hope) but I'll find out for sure tomorrow.

So my neighbor is turning 30 this week and she's having a major blowout in the circle on Saturday. Aside from the neighbors, she's invited about 40 people. They've bought a beer pong table, they'll have a margarita machine and are getting a keg. She also said at one point she was definitely doing a beer stand before the night is through. I'm not sure this 45-year old will be able to keep up! I mean, of course I'll be able to keep up but I'm not sure I want that kind of hangover. Hopefully the weather will mostly cooperate and we can be outside most of the night but we'll see.

Her birthday is actually Thursday and so I went online (Amazon) and got her gifts. I'm going to put a little "alcohol lover" basket together. Along with the pics seen, I'll also include a bottle of her favorite wine and a 6-pack of beer. Fun, right? BTW - I'll take any of these as gifts if anyone is ever looking.

What else? I'll have to get to the grass on Thursday. Hopefully it will have dried out enough by then. Today Jim will finish up the weeding and we'll get the rest of the mulch spread.

And that's it. I finished my last IEP yesterday and have all but one batch of end of year paperwork complete (with the exception of progress reports...I'll start those today). Woot. Hopefully I won't have too too much to do on the work day.

Happy Wednesday. Eva starts her last week of school today. Next year she'll be in kindergarten!!! WOW.  K - later!

Back Breaking Work

My neighbors recently got a delivery of mulch and top soil and overestimated how much they'd need. So...they offered us the leftovers. The rub: They need it out of their driveway by mid-week because they're having a big shindig this weekend. This meant that Sunday Jim and I came home, unpacked and headed outside to do some weeding and mulching. We actually only ended up getting the bed complete by the mailbox. Yesterday was the real work. Jim ended up working a half day so he came home and started preparing beds for mulch. After I got home, walked Sami and did a grocery shop, I joined him and began the arduous work of digging out the ground tree stumps in preparation for filling the holes. I'm telling you I nearly collapsed from the work. The one stump wasn't so bad - it was a smaller tree but the other stump was about 6 feet in length and 3 feet in diameter. Not to mention I had to then haul the dirt into the back yard and dump it in the woods. Thankfully about halfway through the 2nd (large) stump, Jordan came over and gave me a hand. (He had been working with Jim and carting over the mulch.) We managed to get all the top soil used but still have 2 or 3 beds to finish up and mulch. That will have to happen on Wednesday since it's raining all day today. Whew.

I have to say that I'm surprisingly limber today. I don't really feel sore much...maybe a little twinge with my back.

School is school. Nothing much going on there, just finishing up odds and ends and trying to power though. It's tough going however with the end so near. I'm to the point now that everytime my alarm goes off I think, "Wait a minute...why is that going off? Aren't I on summer break?" Not yet...almost.

And that's all I've got. Jim was out and headed to work at about 5:20. He's headed to Beavercreek for the rest of the week (up by Dayton) and he's trying to make up the hours he lost. He'll work 9 hour days to get his full 40 hours in...ugh! And then he'll come home and work in the laundry room. Thankfully that should be downhill from here.

Okay - best get a move on...I have a powerpoint lesson to complete so I need to get to work.

Oh, one last thing: My neighbor who is the unluckiest person on the face of the earth? (She has a drunk for a husband who got 2 DUIs in the space of about 4 months; she's trying to divorce him but he refuses; her sister adopted a pair of incestuous kids - they didn't know this upon adopting them and then the boy touched her daughter; a giant tree landed on her house during a wind storm several weeks ago...that STILL isn't fixed...unlucky, right!?) She got in a car accident yesterday...has no car. I mean could that woman catch a break!? Jeez!

K - I'm out..later!

Spiel chuck no wonking.

A Taste Just Isn't Enough

I'm certainly greatful to have had the weekend, and we had so much fun, but such a tiny little taste makes me itch for more. Oh well, we'll be back in less than a month so I have that to look forward to!

Oh, and the ferry ride on the way back!? I haven't been that nervous since our trip in, I think, 1990 Thanksgiving. The waves were unbelievable and the ride was extra long since they had to take the boat out from their normal route so they could turn to ride the waves to Catawba. I was shaking like a leaf and poor Jim's hand! When we drove off the ferry, the pavement was completely underwater with the exception of one small area. Scary. Maggie wasn't nervous, Bussie slept the whole way and Eva had no issues either. I'm just a nervous Nelly!

I won't recap the weekend since most of what we did was posted on Facebook. I'll just say that there was a lot of celebrating with Farkle, music and a few beverages here and there.

This week: I have a sped meeting this morning so won't be in the classroom until after 11:00. I have one IEP meeting this week (my last) and I'm pretty sure the parent won't show. Exams start next Monday and next Thursday is the last day with kids! The 27th is our final work day! WOOT! I have a lot of stuff to do to finish up...yowza!

And that's all I've got. The reno is obviously still going. Jim and I need to do some gardening today because our neighbor gave us some leftover dirt and mulch and he wants it off his driveway by today. So...that means we'll rush home, dig, weed and spread mulch and the reno will resume on Tuesday.

K - well I need to finish getting ready. I'm hoping the meeting is at central office but I'm not sure. Hmm...hope I don't end up in the wrong place. Later!

My Friday

This time tomorrow, I'll be driving through Dayton, I hope! Woot! Just need to get through today! And I think I can! Especially having yet to lay eyes on my autistic kid this week. He was in Philly Monday and Tuesday and apparently had allergy issues yesterday so there you go. Easy week for Muir! (Knock on wood...I do still have to get through today!)

Yesterday I managed to get the front yard mowed. It wasn't too terribly soggy. After that, I had a couple beers with the ladies in the circle and then Jim and I headed to Shooters. For the last couple months, every time we walk in, the bartender, Steve, sets up the "reserved" sign and candle at our spot. Why? Because Jim's a goof and a couple months ago he called ahead and asked the owner (who answered the phone) to save our spots as we were on our way up. You can't make this stuff up.

Today after school I'll go to the store and get the last minute stuff for PIB. I'll then come home - do a light cleaning and pack. I'll load my car with what I can and then hunker down until bedtime. I plan on getting up at 4:00 tomorrow. We'll have a quick breakfast, load the cooler and car and get the hell out of dodge. Can't wait!!!

Hoping for NO storms today. We have a slight chance for severe. Yuck!

Okay well, I have an 11:00 IEP today but other than that...nothing. Excited! Happy Thursday to all. I won't blog until I get back but I'm sure I'll post plenty of pics on FB. Later!

Another Crazy Dream

I woke myself up dreaming last night. This time, however, I wasn't talking in my sleep. Nope, this time, I bit myself in my sleep. See, I was dreaming that my crazy, drunk neighbor was attacking me so I bit him and apparently I bit my finger for real, which woke me up. I bit it pretty hard too. When I woke up and realized what I did all I could do was chuckle. Kind of funny. However, I wish I'd stop having crazy dreams and just sleep through the damn night!

I have an IEP this morning but I have a feeling the parent won't show. She's never shown in the past. We'll see what happens. The good thing though is it's during the period I have my one-on-one time with the autistic student so DARN! I'll miss him for the third day in a row!

I sat down and mapped out my plans for the rest of the year yesterday which made me VERY happy. Now all I have to do is put my two exams together along with a study guide...and review games. Shouldn't be too hard. My LA exam is mostly complete and the history exam will just be on WWII and will just be taken from the section reviews the kids have been doing these past couple weeks.

The rain is annoying me. It's not supposed to rain today and I would love to come home and cut the front yard but I think it will be way too soggy, still. We'll see. I may be able to cut the upper part but who knows.

Jimmy bought me some new windshield wipers and they're Rainx ones and they are awesome! Fifty bucks later they better be! (You know things are boring when I start talking about my windshield wipers.)

Jim got another layer of mud up last night. I think he'll have to do a third layer and then he can sand and then he can paint. And then we can lay the floor! Woot! I'm guessing by next weekend things will be mostly complete and I can start shopping for my shelving etc. I'm going to head to Ikea to see what they have there...can't wait!

And that's all I've got. Jim and I both need gas this morning so I need to get a move on. Happy Wednesday! Tomorrow is my Friday and I can't wait!!! Later!

Two Day Reprieve

Much to my delight, I found out that my new autistic kid is out through today because his family took a trip to Philly. Can I get a WOOT! I know this sounds mean but this kid is a handful and wears me out. Mostly I feel for Diane who is aide to him for 3 consecutive bells...she benefits the most when he's absent and suffers the most when he's here. I've said it before - he's like an octopus...eight arms, all over the place, can fit into small spaces and is sometimes very ellusive. You just never know what he's going to do or say. For instance, last week he was upset because he wanted friends and didn't have any (Gee...I wonder why). I tried to talk him down by saying, "You're new...it takes some time." And then I tried to have a conversation with him about how to talk to people. (Not quite sure what I was thinking. It's nearly impossible to have a conversation with him...he looks away, turns his back on you, sometimes walks away...completely in his own world.) Anyway - after trying to have a lesson on "how to make friends" he walks up to one a kid and say, "Will. You. Be. My. Friend?" And the kid said, "Sure!" Then, my autistic kid turns away and loudly exclaims, "OH NO!!! I'm afraid my friends are stupid!" I said, "Uh, no, he's smart and you're in the same class so..." Little shit! He then sat down in a chair, grabbed his man-boobs (kid needs a bra) and started bee-bopping around like a hoochie girl. I don't know WHAT that was about but I immediately said, "STOP THAT!!! THAT'S INNAPPROPRIATE! You aren't going to make friends that way!" Just a taste of what we deal with!

I woke myself up last night talking in my sleep. I was having a fight with Jim's brother Rob. He was being a pain in the ass and I was telling Jim about it and said (in my dream and out loud), "He's got some God damned nerve!" Scared the shit out of myelf and jarred myself awake. Funny. When I told Jim about it, he said, "How is Rob!?" (Rob passed several years back) and I answered, "A bit of a pain in my ass!" I'm sure Rob's up there causing lots of mischief!

Jim got the final drywall up. I was nervous as HELL! I told him he wasn't allowed to cuss while installing because it set me on edge thinking he'd busted through the water line again. Thank the baby Jesus it went well. Phew!

And that's about all I've got. Guess I should get a move on. I've got a list as long as my arm to get through over the next several days. Happy Tuesday...later!

Griswold-Like Weekend

Things started out so well here at the Hanke household. Well, I take that back...I was still pissed at Jim on Friday and to top it all off, he ate my Pad Thai leftovers which I had planned to eat for dinner on Friday. That was very stupid on his part.

Saturday started out well...I got up, Jim was already up and working in the laundry room so after my coffee, I made breakfast. From there I headed to Lowes to get my flowers for planting. When I got home and was on my deck bee-bopping along and planting my flowers, Jim, who had been hanging drywall, came out, soaking wet, to say he's just drilled a hole into the water line. UGH!!! That took a trip to Home Depot and another hour for the fix. This was quite the pain in my ass since water had to be turned off for the fix and I couldn't water what I'd just planted. Oh well.

When it was time to turn the water back on, Jim called to me to shut off the opened taps. As I did, I heard Jim yell and cuss again. He fixed the wrong line! Oh boy. So that meant ANOTHER trip to Home Depot and another 45 minutes for the fix. He was certainly getting faster at the repair. At this point, it was time to get ready for our neighbors Derby party so Jim turned on the fan to dry out the mess and tried to forget his foolishness.

Sunday, I headed to Wal-Mart to get the last of my flowers and an umbrella for our deck table (scored on that front...got the color I wanted and it cost under $30!) As I unloaded the car, Jim ran out to the garage, soaking wet and said he's just drilled through the water line again. I thought he was kidding until I turned around and saw his soaking wet shirt. Man oh man...poor Jimmy. Thankfully this time, he had the materials he needed and he had it fixed in about 20 minutes. He's an expert now.

In the end, Jim managed to get most of the dry wall up (he had to let things dry around the area where the waterline busted) and he put the first coat of mud on. Things will continue tonight...I'm hoping he will not bust another line...but I'm nervous.

This will be a short week for me. I'll be heading to PIB on Friday! YAY! Can't wait for that. I have 2 IEP meetings this week but I have a feeling the one on Wednesday will be without the parent. She said she'd be in but I've yet to meet her and I've had at least one of her kids on my caseload for 2 1/2 years.

Okay well, it's pouring here...best head out and get ready for school. Happy Monday! Later!

Losing My Shit!

I lost my shit last night. Jim and I were finishing dinner and I asked him if he would be putting in the washing machine water nozel box thingy since it's the next thing that has to be done before the drywall can be completed. The answer I recieved was NOT what I expected. He told me that the replacement box needed to be taken to the plumbing supply place so they could assist him in setting it up. Considering I got this same story last weekend and then was told early in the week that he had indeed gone to the plumbing supply and everything was ready to go, I blew my top. I mean I lost my shit. And I'm not sorry and I'm not going to apologize. This shit is getting on my last nerve. Needless to say, Jim made it to wherever the plumbing place is and they helped him. Of course he came home and got pissy with me for starting the dishwasher after dinner (like I knew what the f&%k he was going to do...according to his stalled plan, he was planning on sitting on his ass) and then of course he couldn't replace the box. So nothing got done last night. Nothing got done (with the exception of the dryer vent being set up) all week. Can anyone/everyone feel my pain?! We may end up divorced before this project is complete.

Deep breath...it's Friday thank God.

Plans this weekend: I want to get my flowers for the deck and get them planted. My neighbor is having a Derby party tomorrow so that will be fun. No real plans Sunday except to hang out...maybe mow the lawn...I'm sure it will need it.

This time next week I'll be heading to PIB!!! Can you believe it's finally almost here?! YAY!!! I need to figure out meals with Maggie...and do some shopping!

And that's all I've got. The administration is cooking out for the teachers today - that's always yummy. And the National Honor Society is setting up a sundae bar for us. (This has not been a good week for eating healthy!).

Speaking of eating - I bought a premade meal this week from Costco - Chicken Parmesan - and made it last night. It was SOOOOOO good! I was shocked. The chicken was crazy tender. Of course I didn't nuke it like the directions suggested but put it in a pot on a slow warm so that probably helped. I'll definitely be buying that again.

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

Freakin' BRRRRR!!!

Forty-two degrees does not make me happy. And more rain today...yuck! My grass is going to need a cut already! Well, at least we're looking at a warm up!

How cute is Eva in her pink dress with her friends!? Taken at her spring concert...wish I could have been there!

School is fine...just counting down until the end. I'm starting to think about getting things ready for the beginning of next year...lighten my load for the work day heading back. I've got all my senior paperwork complete and now just need to get through the last 3 IEPs of the year. One is completely written and the other two are mostly written...just some odds and ends I have to stick in.

Safe travels Mom and Richard! Have fun.

And that's all I've got. Time to get to school. Later!

On The One Hand...

...I'm glad Cruz is out (that guy is shithouse crazy) but then there's the other hand: Trump. That hand is gangrene, rotten, stinky and I wish I could chop it off. Starting to worry!

What else? Mowed the lawn when I got home yesterday. Front and back! Took me about 2 hours because it was so freaking long! I didn't realize how long it was...I had to walk like a turtle in certain areas where it was crazy thick and long. I don't think our grass has ever been this lush, green and thick. With all this rain we've had it's been hard to keep up with. At least I got my exercise on.

Not much else is happening. I'll head to Costco after school today. I need some necessities (allergy pills, chicken, etc).

Jim needs to open his eyes Shelby! Why is it that he thinks simply opening the refrigerator should reveal all its goods?! You may have to bend down and move your head and eyes around to find what you're looking for. JESUS!

I think the sooner this reno gets done the sooner Jim will be back on my good side. UGH!

And that's all I've got. This week is jeans week for Teacher Appreciation and today's theme is "favorite band" or concert t-shirt. Since I have nothing for that - I'm just wearing jeans and a sweater. If you really appreciate me, you'll be fine with that.  And if you're not...suck it. I don't really care. Ooh, lunch is provided today by the PTO. We have the greatest PTO by the way. Yesterday they brought us all donuts and filled our teacher work room with needed supplies (sharpies, note pads, staplers, pens, and a ton more) plus they bought us a Keurig and a shitload of k-cups. How awesome is that?!

Okay - gotta go Rainx my windshield.  Happy Wednesday. Later!

P.S. Teh speel chuck stall ain't wolking. Soory!

Well That Was An Interesting Dream

I had a dream last night that Chris Martin and I hooked up. It was only okay. He was a bit of a limp lipped kisser (which I HATE!). If you're a man (CHRIS) than I expect manly lips...not livery lips! He was very snuggly, however. Which kind of annoyed me too...it was a small bed, in a small apartment and I was sweating my ass off. Just an FYI Chris...for next time I'd like a little more romance (but a little less cuddling).

Later within the same dream I was (shame) walking to my car, in the snow, and it was my OLD car - my Mercury Tracer. And I'll tell you - it did NOT want to start and then didn't want to warm up. It was quite a hairy drive especially since it's been about 20 years since I've had a stick.

Jim is still milking his supposed "illness". So frustrating. He sent me a text yesterday saying he was still sick. I responded and said, "Then go to the doctor!" He said, "It's the flu." I said, "It's not the flu." He said, "I've had it 6 days, what else could it be?" I said, "You don't even have flu symptoms!" See, he's had "cramping" in his "gut" and that's about it. But of course, when he got home he told me he was achy (uh huh) and his neck hurt and lalalala. I said, "I thought you've had this for 6 days? This isn't what you've had for 6 days. You suddenly have new symptoms?" I mean right?! If it looks like bullshit, smells like bullshit it's probably bullshit right?!

Okay what else? Nothing. School is annoying right now. Every year at union election time people get on my nerves. Makes me want to NOT run for office! I'm so sick of people "replying to all" on emails. I want to send an email out to all saying to NOT reply to all when it comes to personal opinions, digs and passive agressive bullshit but I know that would start a fire storm of crap. UGH. I may do it anyway. (I probably won't).

K - well, happy Tuesday. Later!

P.S. Spill chick is'tn woking.

Last Month

This time next month I'll be a week into my summer vacation. Can you believe that?! We have 19 days of school left - 18 with kids and...oh shit! 14 regular school days. I'm nowhere near ready for my history exam! I'm still teaching WWII! Yowza...I better get a move on, huh? Well, at least I'll only have to test the kids on WWII rather than the whole semester. That'll be good. As for Language Arts, I'm going to have to fly by the seat of my pants for a couple weeks as we finish up the year since I just finished a book with the kids. Short stories sound like the way to go.

The weekend was fine although Jim was a drama queen pretty much the whole time. He kept complaining of cramping which was ANNOYING! My neighbor offered him some Midol. I mean seriously, dude...just fart and put us all out of our misery. Or maybe he's getting his period...I wouldn't put it past him. So of course with Jim "not feeling well" there wasn't a ton of stuff done in the renovation. He got all the electrical done, the lights are in and the rest of the drywall was bought. He promises that we'll be able to paint by the weekend. I'll believe it when I see it.

Didn't sleep for shit last night. I turned off the light around 9:00 and fell right to sleep but around 11:30 I woke up and tossed and turned until about 2 or 3. I woke up again around 4:30 which annoyed me but alas, what are you going to do.

Maggie and Charlie (Charlie) gave Eva her birthday present (nearly 3 weeks early). Ridiculous! Someone has no will power. She loves her car, of course, but I wonder what they'll buy her now so she has a gift on her actual birthday. Maggie said a t-shirt...with: "My real gift was a car" written on it? She called me yesterday (Eva did) to tell me she wanted a broom that she could sit on which would fly...like Hilda...Broom Hilda? I told her I'd like that too...then we could play Quidditch! I'm guessing I'm going to have a hard time finding that.

Okay well I'm out. Happy Monday. Later!

Gas It UP!I

The Jim saga continues. I think he just needs to fart. He's having what he calls "sharp pains" in his gut. He said he thinks it's gas. I told him to walk around a bit and try and wiggle it out but that was a mistake because have you seen Jim walk? That's more painful than hearing him bitch and moan. (I know I'm a bitch! It's not my fault though...I blame my mother...love you mom!) Thankfully Jim's going to power through and go to work...better for him NOT to sit around at home making himself feel even more sick. I bet, if I come home this afternoon and he's here and I say, "Hey! How about a jaunt to Shooters!?" he'll suddenly be feeling A-okay. That just might be the miracle cure.

You know what I love? I love the fact that I was piddling around last evening and it hit me, "Oh shit...I have an 8 AM IEP meeting tomorrow." Everything is done...I just forgot because anymore, IEPs are just no big deal. When I was newer and younger they were a bit nerve wracking but after doing them for 16 years (at 18 average on my caseload, sometimes twice a year if a student heads off to the career center...that's probably about 350-400 IEPs)...I've got this. Thankfully I know my regular ed teacher will show and the parent was just in for the three-year reevaluation so this should be quick and easy.

What else? Started showing my kids in history class the first season of Survivor. Reason: We're studying WWII and they were a bit flabbergasted about Italy and Japan siding with Germany when it was pretty well-known that Hitler wanted to take over the world. I explained to them that gathering alliances helps you to move forward and eventaully you cut them lose...kind of like in Survivor. And of course, half the kids said, "What's that?" while the other half said, "I've never seen it". Perfect for the last 15 minutes of class when they're all hopped up, the lesson is over and I need some peace and quiet.

Okay well, today is the last day of a wonky schedule. So glad we got through that! Now we just need to get through the rest of the year. WOOT! Happy Friday to all. Later!

The Saga Of Sighs!

First things first: My teeth are all still intact. No cavities and the dentist said, "You do such a terrific job on your oral care!!!" Thanks - I try! I was in and out in a 1/2 hour but it would have probably taken less time if the hygienist an I didn't yammer on forever.

So I get home yesterday - do my prep work for dinner and then sit down to watch some recorded shows. Jim's home and hanging around. Around 4:30, Anne called me and I noticed that Jim was sitting on his laurels when he should have been getting shit done in the laundry room. So I give him the signal to get a move on. He gets up, I finish my phone call and continue my watching. And then I hear cussing coming from the garage, which I ignore because that's what you do when Jim starts up. A little while later I hear ruckus again and then a bit more cussing then nothing. I finish watching my show and get up to start dinner. First, however, I check the garage and see Jim is no where but, huh, there's crap all over the floor...like a little bomb went off. Or maybe someone threw a hissy fit for some reason. (I love it when Jim gets like this!) So I ignore and move on to the kitchen. About 5 minutes later Jim ambles down and I say, "What's wrong?" Jim says, "I can't find these screws I need." Oh, okay that makes sense why you tore the garage apart...NOT! Gee maybe if you didn't leave the place with crap scattered everywhere you'd be able to find things! I did not say any of this. I simply said, "Dinner will be in a 1/2 hour." He went his way, I went mine.

Fast forward to dinner. Jim comes to the table and sighs loudly as he sits down. I'm still getting things on the table and as I sit down, he sighs loudly again (as though I hadn't heard his first loud sigh). We proceed to eat...I finish first and notice Jim is nibbling at his meal. I nearly ask him what's wrong (again) but I decide not to because this is what Jim does. See...if I'm an expert on Jim and I think I am, he's doing everything he can to NOT work in the laundry room. And he's trying to get my sympathy and "permission" to take (another) night off. And I'm not going to do it.

So I get up and I do my dishes and Jim finally gets up and brings his stuff over and sighs loudly again and I ignore it.  We go on like this for a while...I watch the news, he sits down and cuddles up in the big chair and then I get up to go to bed and read. Jim says not a word to me except to say, after I toss the remote at him, "OOMPH!" (It hit him in the belly) "I didn't need that!" Me: "Why...what's wrong?" Jim: "My gut is killing me." Of course it is.

This morning I got up and he's in the guest bedroom. He said he couldn't sleep all night because his bladder is killing him - like he has a bladder infection and he's got diarrhea (sorry for the detes). Now, I know I seem like a hard-headed bitch who doesn't care a fig about how Jim feels but this is what he does. He pussy foots around and sighs and pouts and moans when he doesn't feel well (or wants to get out of something) rather than coming out and saying, "I'm sick" or "I don't feel well" or "I'm not up to working tonight". He wants me to coddle him and read his mind. It's like he just met me. UGH! I'll be interested in seeing how he feels tonight.

Okay - sorry about the downer, mean Muir saga...sometimes you just have to get shit off your chest. Happy Thursday...we're almost there. Later!

Storms...Massive Rain!

Yowza...the weather went cray cray last night!. It hit like gang busters around 8:00. Mostly it was rain and loud thunder...no real wind but there was about 2 minutes of hail. Jim and I ran around the house to make sure the water didn't come into the garage (it was a bit of a worry the way the driveway was pitched) but thankfully all was well. One thing different as a result of the driveway was the amount of water that came off the side of the driveway and drained into the side yard. It was nuts and I think we're definitely going to need to put in a french drain there. Ugh! Add that to the project list.

On a positive note - with the rain and winds from the last two days, I believe all the stupid helicopters have fallen. I HATE HELICOPTERS!!! They are the bane of my existence! They litter the driveway and deck and clog the drains and sprout stupid little shoots in the middle of the yard and in my flower boxes...RRRRRR!!!

I'm finally sleeping like a baby again. While I was sick I wasn't sleeping well and even Sunday into Monday I slept fitfully. I would wake up with my heart pounding and then I wouldn't be able to get to sleep listening to it and feeling it pound. Hate that. Last night, however was a restful sleep and I didn't wake up once during the night.

Day two of moronic schedule. Yesterday sucked but today is going to be 50 times worse because I'll have my history class with wacky new autistic kid. He is exhausting. It's like having to deal with a hyper 5 year old who one minute is jumping up and down and then next grabbing half the shit off my desk and running off with it and then when you firmly say, "STOP!" he throws everything in every direction and while you're trying to pick everything up, he runs in the opposite direction shaking his head and yelling at the top of his lungs. Now, none of this has happened but sometimes it feels like it has as I try to keep up with his spinning mind. He NEVER listens and has had NO structured learning anywhere in his recent past and he has NO idea how to act in a classroom much less a school setting. Oh, and he can't whisper or talk quietly either which makes it very frustrating when trying to work with him in the library. UGH! Next year is going to SUCK when I have him for LA too. This too shall pass.

And on that note, I'd best mosey. I have a dentist appointment after school...fingers crossed for a healthy set of chompers. Happy Wednesday. Later!

Four Days Of Poop

No I'm not sick again (don't worry, you won't have to hear another illin' Muir saga). Today starts 4 days of an effed up schedule with four classes a day that are about 1:45 minutes long. I CAN'T STAND IT! Long bells like that aren't good for anyone. The kids have a hard enough time sitting for 52 minutes and if you're hoping they'll be productive during that time you're high! Not to mention trying to PLAN for a bell that long. I feel like we need a 5-10 minute recess during that time. Well at least it's only 4 days and we aren't a school with block scheduling...what a nightmare that would be.

Got an interesting email from a colleague yesterday about a possible grievance she wants filed against the powers that be. This is regarding a vacancy/posting for a social studies/basketball coaching position at my school. Apparently (and I didn't even notice), the job was posted internally on the 20th. However, in the minutes for the board meeting on the 19th (day before the posting), they had listed a person they basically already hired. The press release about the hire was made on the 22nd. Here's what the teacher said:

It seems pretty obvious that this is a violation of our contract, will the union be filing a grievance?  This seems especially important in light of the fact that it appears this position was created specifically for the person the district wanted to hire to coach basketball, and in a time when we are being told we have financial issues that will require a levy along with cuts.  I'm just thinking a grievance is a good idea.

Can't say I totally disagree with this whole debacle...certainly seems crooked to me. I'll be interested to see how this plays out. Sucks for the guy in the middle of the firestorm, however.

Possible severe weather expected this afternoon...not happy about that. Hopefully the sun will NOT shine too much today...that will reduce the possibility. 

And that's all I've got. Time to get to school. Happy Tuesday. 23 days left!!! Later!

Low Key

It was a low key weekend for me and much needed as I didn't feel normal until yesterday afternoon. Friday (Jim worked) I came home, had dinner (my first real attempt since Monday) and tried to enjoy a glass a wine but it just wouldn't go down so I was in bed by 8:00.  Saturday I got up and felt pretty good. I made breakfast and enjoyed a mimosa. After breakfast I walked Sami and then cleaned the house. At that point I was spent so I took a bath and a nap. The neighbors hung out in the circle but I was not up for it and was once again in bed by 8:00. I know - lame. Sunday I woke up feeling pretty good. After breakfast I went to the grocery and came home to do some clean-up work on the deck. While Jim worked on the laundry room I read my book and soaked up some vitamin D. At around 3:30, I went out to hang with the ladies in the circle and at that point I knew I was on the upswing. Thank God!

Jim and I finally got the stumps in our front yard ground. There were tree people taking 4 trees down next door so a bunch of us got stumps ground because the price was right. Happy to have that done.

Kroger brought their plants and flowers out last week and so yesterday I purchased my ferns for the front porch and my 2 hibiscus trees for the back deck. I'll look forward to getting my flowers planted sometime soon. I'm thinking maybe this weekend but we'll see.

Jim's making slow progress on the reno. He managed to get most of the insulation up but there are some adjustments that need to be done to the plumbing and drains in preparation for our new giant utility sink. Walls should be able to start going up in a day or two.

This week is still a wonky week with testing but today is the last day of AIR testing. This means that from 7:25 - 9:30 I'm in my room with students taking Biology. Tomorrow will start four days of government/US history testing during their own class time. This sucks because we'll only have 4 or 5 (can't remember) classes each day that are an hour and a half long. SUCKS! I have NO plans and dread that much time in one fell swoop with the kids. They get haywire. Oh well...only 4 days of that so I'll power through.

And that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. Happy Monday. 24 more days (and that includes exam week and my work day)!!! WOOT!!! Later

Shockers

It's always shocking when someone dies who seems too young to have passed, even though we are clueless as to their current physical/mental health status. (Robin Williams, David Bowie, Alan Rickman and now Prince). But we have a connection with these people because we grew up with them and we have memories of them and regardless of them not having memories of us, we mourn them.

I remember (and my siblings have similar memories) going to PIB when Purple Rain was released. We didn't have a "box" in the cottage to listen to - or at least not one my dad would want to hear blaring "our music". So, for the time we were there, we would grab our Purple Rain cassette tape (every night I think) and listen in the car - blaring it as loud as we dared...with the sunroof open, looking at the stars. I think we would rewind "When Doves Cry" about 13 times before moving on. "I Would Die 4 U" was probably my favorite (hand signing with the chorus) but "Darling Nikki"? Yowza...for my 13 year old brain it was so DIRTY! Thus, that got lots of air time. I'm sure we ran down our dad's and Becky's car batteries to dangerously low levels but I don't ever remember them saying anything. Good memories, the type of which I'm sure are shooting up to heaven from all over the world. What a legacy.

My health: I'm slowly getting my mojo back. I struggled at school yesterday in the afternoon but by 4:00ish I was feeling much better. I'm still not able to eat a ton of things and I get slightly nauseated thinking about most foods but I did manage to eat half a piece of lasagna yesterday for our dinner. We'll see how today goes.

Lets see...I've got nothing else. Jim has to work 2nd shift again tonight which is fine...we've got the weekend to see each other and hopefully next week will be normal.

That's all I've got. Last night's late night at school was fine. We ended up with only 5 kids in our room to present their senior community service projects (normally there are about 10) so we were out of there by 7:00...woot!

Happy Friday! Later!

Back In The Swing

I'm up and about so that's good. I'm feeling fine though my appetite still hasn't returned full force. I still feel slightly nauseous when I think about food or think about eating anything more exciting than oatmeal, mac and cheese, cinnamon toast or chicken noodle soup (that's all I've eaten for the last 3 days). I imagine that will change with time.

Today at school will be day 4 of testing - part 2 of the math. From there we'll have a modified schedule (not sure what bells are today) - 5 bells total. It's our last late night at school too (senior community service night). I'll stay rather than go home so that I can finish up an IEP for next Friday and then start (and hopefully finish) an IEP for mid-May (one of my seniors deferring diploma and going on to another program within the district).

What else? Oh, my car is finally parked in the garage. Woot! Jim works 2nd shift for the next few days which is good because we ran into a bit of a snag with the reno that needs to be taken care of right quick. He'll be able to do the purchasing for that today and hopefully get most of the work done as well. This project can't end soon enough! So sick of looking at unfinished work.

So apparently allergy sufferers are in hell and I'm surprised that I've not been suffering. Especially since I've been lax these past few days with taking my pill. I always believed that my biggest issue is ragweed which is bad in August/September but realistically, it's a crap shoot as to when I'm affected.

And that's all I've got. I best get moving since I have no idea what I've got on my plate for today. Happy Thursday! Later!

Well...That Sucked!!!

I blame Eva since she was sick too and I don't think I've had that type of illness hit me since I was maybe her age.

So to sum up (and sorry for any graphic information): I started my illness around midnight Sunday into Monday. I definitely tried to get through school on Monday but with my visit to the restroom ever increasing there, I knew it wasn't going to be possible. I went home around 10:30 or 11:00. I continued that path through the day but overall, I wasn't feeling awful (except my tookus). I even managed to eat dinner on Monday evening (big mistake!!!). Around 2:30 AM Monday into Tuesday I started throwing up and didn't stop until yesterday afternoon. UGH! I couldn't keep anything down except water and the evacuation happened from all points. Jim came home around 5:30 with coca-cola and chicken noodle soup. Nothing has ever tasted so good as that coke and I managed to get most of the noodles and broth down (couldn't eat the chicken). Luckily it all stayed down too.

Around 6:30 I took a shower (the first since Monday morning) and around bedtime - 9:00 - I made my last painful trip to the terdlit. Thank the baby Jesus because I think I'm nearly out of TP (not really but you get what I'm putting down, right?). I did take today off because I didn't know how I was going to do today. I'm still not completely well, I'm still really weak, achy - from throwing up, I guess - and exhausted but I'm definitely on the upswing. Nothing sounds good to me except coke and cinnamon toast (that's what Eva had for dinner last night) but as time goes by, I'm sure I'll get my appetite back (unfortunately). That's one way to lose weight.

One of the worst things from yesterday (aside from throwing up and the other) was having to deal with all the disgusting food commercials on TV. It was terrible. Everything made me want to run for the porcelain throne! Especially the Hardees commercial for a certain burger I don't even want to think about. It literally was on every 15 minutes. And I won't be eating kale salad anytime soon. YUCK!

Okay - I'm done talking about my illness. Hopefully I didn't get anyone sick (especially Jim).

Today I'll just chill on the couch. Jim's working 2nd shift for the next two days which I'm happy about because A) he'll get things done in the reno and B) I have to be at school late tomorrow so Sami won't be alone for too long. And then, WOW, it's Friday. YAY!

K - best relax...happy Wednesday. Thanks to all my girls at school who have helped and covered for me. So sorry! Later!

Gonna Be A Rough One

I've been up pretty much every hour...sick. I can't call in, however, because of testing and I have NO plans ready. UGH! I'm still not doing well but I'm hoping I'll power through and as time goes by things will straighten out in my belly. Man...this sucks.

I'm now running late because I've had to go back and forth to the bathroom (sorry for the TMI) so that's all I've got for you. Sami seems like she's feeling puny as well...hmm...

K - wish me luck. Later!

Final Post Until Monday?

Probably. Sorry. When I'm at Maggie's, it's just not as convenient to post there but I will post on FB.

Plans this weekend: When I get there today, Eva will be getting ready to host a play date with her friends. That should be fun to watch. Then afterwards - with Charlie in Cincinnati overnight - Maggie, Eva and I will go out to dinner. Friday Eva will go to school and afterwards, we will all go to the zoo. Woot! Beyond that, no plans. I'd be happy to sit around and relax...enjoy the weather...take a couple of nice walks at the park.

Last night with the packing I needed to do, I decided I wasn't going to cook. So! Jim and I headed to Shooters. After that, we came home and had a beer with the neighbors. Can't wait for summer and lots of hanging out in the circle.

Drove home yesterday excited to see my new driveway! I was mighty disappointed to see the view at left. No big deal though. The weren't really supposed to start until yesterday but the driveway guy decided to open it up to let it dry for a day on Tuesday (after all the rain we got Monday). He'll finish it up today and tomorrow. Oh, and they finally got the check that I mailed out on the 29th. I'll never send from the post office next to my school again. This is the second time something went out of there and took 2 weeks to make its destination. And yes, the driveway guy even mentioned that it was postmarked the 29th. I even handed the envelope to a post office worker who was emptying the box so I knew it made it "out". I should make a complaint.

And that's all I've got. I still have a bit of packing to do so I'll head up and out. I'll be on the road directly after school and I hope to get to Columbus before 4:00. Later...happy weekend.

Good Surprises

First of all I love a good surprise pic from Maggie of my girl.  Here she is getting her first haircut yesterday! She said she loved it! She got about two inches cut off...just to shape it. It's still long and luxurious!

I got a pic from my neighbor yesterday morning of her son enthralled with the goings-on at my house. Seems the driveway demolition was underway!!! It wasn't supposed to start until today (due to the amount of rain we got on Monday) but WOOT WOOT!!! They got on it early! Hopefully by the time I get home today all will be complete. I'm excited!!!

Speaking of the driveway - I was just reading the do's and don'ts and it says not to part on it when it's hot or in direct sunlight for the first 100 days. Sorry Jimmy. He's also not allowed to park on it for the first 14 days. I can drive on it after 3-5 days but of course I currently can't park in the garage because there's still renovation materials in my way. Hopefully by next week.

I just checked the sub site to see if I got a sub for Friday and YAY I do. Of course I have no idea who it is so hopefully all will go okay. It'll be a movie day so no big deal. (Just looked him up and found his pic...I've seen him around the school so and he looks okay...board member of a local school district).

Speaking of school - I started teaching WWII yesterday and at least one of my kids is gaga for this. He was quite excited leading up to my class. Literally he would walk in the room and yell out, "WHOO!" It's a lot of pressure on my part to make this exciting. I'll do my best. I've already revamped my lesson to make it more detailed. My original lesson would have only lasted about a week but this new one will take about 2-3 to cover. It includes the war in the pacific and all the major battles. I'm sure a couple of my students will be bored as hell but they would be anyway. You can't make someone love history...especially when there are cognitive roadblocks.

Tonight will be a whirlwind of getting ready for Columbus. I'll come home and do laundry and pack since I'll be leaving directly after school on Thursday. So excited for the awesome weekend weather, the zoo and Eva. And Maggie and sharing many a mimosa with her!

K - I'm out...time to get my teach on. Happy HUMPDAY!!!  Later!

Dumb Facebook Quizzes

You know those quizzes you see on Facebook - what Harry Potter character are you; what kind of tree would you be; what is your optimal color; what Disney character are you...and so on. Well I took one that posed the questions: What is your perfect state to live in. The first question was: What do you prefer - mountains, ocean, skyline other. I of course chose mountains. I also said I could TOLERATE crowds. Best of all was, what's your favorite season - summer all year round, all four seasons, I don't know, cold and snowy. I chose all four seasons. What state did I get? F&%king FLORIDA! Come on. It's as if the quiz was really determining what state I would LEAST likely live in. Stupid waste of my time. By the way - Hermione is my Harry Potter character. Duh!

In school news - nothing. We're gearing up for testing and got our room assignments yesterday. We - the sped department - were told that we would each have our own, separate room assignment because of the numbers but guess what? Lisa and I are in our room together. WOOT! Knock on wood - hopefully that won't change.

Crazy rain yesterday...needless to say, Sami didn't get her walk. Which meant that I had to get on the elliptical. It will be nice for the next many days so she'll definitely get her walk on.

I took a sick day for Friday and so far no sub has picked it up. Uh oh. Not that I can do anything about it or that I'm worried about it but it does suck that we are so short on subs. At this time of year, teachers are out left and right and we probably have 5 or 6 reliable people out there. I'm guessing there will be an email going out soon that there are [blank] number of people out for Friday and we need massive coverage. Oh well...what are you going to do?

Nothing else is happening. Guess I should mosey. Happy Tuesday. Later!

Sunday Evening Blues

In my family - I believe Maggie and my mom suffer from seasonal affective disorder. You know when winter rolls around and there's less sunshine and they get the wintertime blues. For me, it's Spring/Sunday evening affective disorder. In the Spring (as the end of year comes closer and closer), when Sunday evening rolls around I get very blue. Sucks and I hate it. I know I should think, "YAY! We're that much closer to summer vacation," but for some reason I get blue and I hate thinking about the end of year and end of year testing and the plans I've got to come up with to get through to the end. UGH! Of course Monday morning rolls around and I'm my normal chipper self, ready for the week.

Speaking of the week - I do believe I'll be making it a 4-day work week. I'll be taking Friday off (as long as I have nothing in the works that I forgot about...I'll check when I get to school) and heading north on Thursday after school. Woot! If I don't do it this weekend, I won't have a weekend through May to see my girl. Cough cough.

Mom - here's the pic that Trip sent (he sent the same one twice). I don't want to post it on FB since they aren't on there.

On the renovation front: We managed to get the vanity in!!! It took a bit of finagling because there had to be some adjustments on the vanity and pipes so that it would slide in but after two days of tweaking "we" finally managed it. It looks terrific (if I do say so myself). The mirror would have been up too if Jim hadn't put a hole in the wall. Oops. He then had to cut more out of the wall to put in reinforcements for hanging the mirror which means he had to mud the wall again which will take another few days to dry, sand, remud and then paint. In the meantime, we'll start the laundry reno. Almost there.

And that's about it. Rain today and then sunny skies and warm air for the next 7 days! WOOT!!!  Happy Monday. Later!

Saturday Morning Post

I'd like to apologize for NOT posting yesterday. We had an apparent outage when I awoke in the AM and so couldn't follow through on my normal routine.  I told my mom I would post this morning...so here you are (almost forgot, by the way).

 I mean, is there anything better than a Cookie Monster Blooper reel!? Uh, NO! My fave part is when he says, "Me okay...me okay...me trooper!" It's such a conundrum as to who is my favorite muppet: Cookie Monster or Grover...tough to decide...currently we are tied.

In other news - I got home yesterday and as I drove into my neighborhood, I encountered Jimmy walking Sami. Such a nice surprise...my hubby was home early and Sami was getting her walk on! Woot!!! I thus felt it important to take a moment and reward us both with a treat after a long week. Off to Shooters! From there we came home, Jim headed out for Chipotle and afterward, I took to the tub...the bathtub that is.  I enjoyed some bubbles and the Mumford and Sons channel on Pandora. I actually had more Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder than M&S but I've got NO complaints because I loves me some Pearl Jam!!!

Plans today: I'm going to grocery shop, exercise and maybe do some dancing...and quilting. Jim's going to do some reno. Plans on that are to get the molding up and get the vanity in with faucet, toilet roll holder and mirror. From there, we'll start demo-ing the laundry room, which I can actually help with. My hope is that we will get EVERYTHING done by the time we go to PIB in May. I would like to get it all done by the first weekend in May but we'll see. I've told Jim his complaints and boo-hooing is going to just have to get sucked up (his ass) and he's just going to have to power through. We'll see how that goes...I'll just have to keep him well hydrated and fed to ensure he doesn't implode on me. I've got my work cut out!

K - I'm out. Time to get to Kroger and get Jim up and off his ass! Happy Saturday! Later!

Highhhhlarious!

If you know Game of Thrones - this is perfect! If you don't - you need to watch Game of Thrones! How many times do I have to tell you people this!

Lets see...I can't think of a dern thing to write! Oh, except Saturday! It's going to be 38 degrees!? The high!!! 38!!! Ridiculous! However, on a positive side, it will most likely be our last fire for the season so that's nice.

I'm reading a really interesting book: Survivors: A Cal Henderson Novel by Robert Palmer. Look it up...read it...really good.

School: Nothing too exciting. We had a meeting yesterday and I came away with two observations. First - the newest of our teachers (I can't remember the nickname I gave him during his annoying first year here last year) wears women's glasses. I think they are the same pair that I wore about 5 years ago. The second observation I made, which is an old observation that I was reminded of yesterday: Lil Platt is ridiculously annoying. I think she talked for 20 minutes about how worried she is on how the kids taking the ELA (reading/writing) test in a couple of weeks will do. She's all up in arms about their extended time because IF they have to take advantage of the extended time, they will have to get up, move rooms and that will be TOO much of a distraction and OH MY GOD!!! SHUT THE EFF UP!!! I mean, Jaysus Mary and Joseph. Needless to say I didn't hear much in the way of details yesterday during the meeting because I was distracted by the glasses and so had to text Kim and Diane about it (which they replied to by telling me another of the sped teachers had his finger half way up his nose to which I replied, "and the other hand was down his pants...completely inappropriate!) and then when Lil was speaking, I had to tune her out. Whoops...bad Muir. Guess Lisa will have to clue me in on what I missed.

Had a dream last night that I was at school and in a room with two kids when a storm hit and a tree came crashing down on top of us. UGH! Thankfully - by the way - the winds were not bad yesterday. Thank you Jesus!!!

Okay well, I'm out. Happy almost-Friday! Later!

I Hate Wind

Unless I'm at PIB, I hate wind! Today is supposed to be another bad wind day. UGH! It's supposed to start around noon and go into later afternoon. I'll be at school for some of it but will be coming home in the midst of it all. WHY!? I knew this spring would be dicey. Crossing my fingers that all is well this time tomorrow. (May have to take the other half of the ativan I have.)

Happy birthday to Becky!!! Not sure if you'll see this since you're in Las Vegas but I hope you have a great day (from the pics you've posted it looks like you're having a great week!) Love you!

School is school. Nothing major going on.

Jim is NOT working second shift today which means that he's not able to start on the laundry room but that's okay. He's been doing little things every night for the other part which keeps me happy.

Additionally, the driveway hasn't been started because of weather. And they say they haven't gotten the check which is crap because I sent it over a week ago. We'll see how things go through the rest of the week. If they don't get the check by Friday I'll just have them take it out of my credit card and then hold on to the check. Stupid.

And that's all I've got. Best get a move on. Not looking forward to the winds today...may need to drink wine tonight. UGH!

I'm In Pieces...Bits & Pieces!!!

  (A little Joan Jett title...I thought I'd change it up from my normal "Bits & Pieces". And, it looks like this was a remake - as I'm sure my friend Diane would tell me...if she ever read this...by the Dave Clark Five. I'm betting I would like Joan Jett better.)

So...I stayed late at school yesterday because there was an "executive council meeting" and as a building rep, it was my turn to go. I swear I always manage to go to the ones that people just start rambling on about shit I don't care about. Why can't people figure out that in a meeting like this, issues that are "for the greater good" are the things that should be brought up rather than personal matters. JEEZ! I was there until nearly 5:30!

On another matter I finally had to lay into "useless sped teacher" yesterday. He came in to "apologize" about the mess from Friday and I pretty much told him what I thought. I could tell he was a bit nervous having to confront me but GOOD! He should be nervous. I also told him that I didn't understand how he could continue to basically not do his job (I didn't say it quite like that) and there were never any consequences to him and that it really just pissed me off. In the end, I grudgingly accepted his apology (I never really said, "It's okay" but I shrugged and said, "okay". Because I know it will happen again.)

Jim is on second shift tomorrow so he's going to start dismantling the laundry room. There are certain things in the mudroom/bathroom that have to wait for the laundry room but Jim is also working on getting the molding up around the doors and then baseboards.

Reds win!!!  I actually didn't see it because it was 2-1 (Reds losing) and I didn't get home until late and I needed to watch the finale of Walking Dead. Which, by the way, I was not thrilled about. This is the worst position our "people" have ever been in and I feel like it's the beginning of the end. I mean, how many seasons can they continue? I'll be a nervous wreck until October (exaggeration).

What else? Nothing much. Oh, just a little piece of gossip (that has nothing to do with me): I was told yesterday that one of the teachers at my school won't get to teach the honors class that she's taught for years because - get this - so far this year, she's been absent a total of 4 weeks! FOUR WEEKS of missed instruction for the kids in her class. And by the way, she teaches the lowest and higher kids. And she doesn't have a chronic illness - I'm not being a total bitch. She's a definite hypochondriac though. And I I'm pretty sure she doesn't even have the sick days to do this. I'm pretty sure that she had to "borrow" sick days last year and we only get 15 a year so she can't have built any up. Crazy. Not sure how that happens. But it's not any of my business.

Okay well, best mosey. Happy Tuesday...can't believe there are flurries scattered in the tri-state area. Come on Spring!!!  Later!

Drama, Drama, Drama!!!

Lots of drama this past weekend and it all started at school Friday around 10:30 am.  I won't get into all that because it would only manage to start my week off on a sour note and I don't want to do that.

Friday was fun and easy. My neighbor and I went out for a couple of drinks down in old Loveland and our other neighbor joined us for dinner. It was nice to get a taste of everything that's happening only 5 minutes from my house. New bars, new restaurants, Graeters. Such a small town homey feel so close to home. We were home by 9:00 and I was in bed and asleep by 10:00. Jim had gone out to a union meeting and then his brother-in-law's birthday celebration. He was home after me.

Saturday started out good with Jim working on the reno (painting) and me cleaning house, walking Sami and grocery shopping. Things didn't get harry until around 3:00. At that point the winds started and my nerves were quick to fray. By 4:30 I was hunkered down in the mudroom (the place in the house where there are no windows for me to see the swaying trees and the sound is muffled). I was texting my neighbor Cari who offered me a pill to calm my nerves. At first I declined but then I told Jim and he said, "TAKE IT!!!" So he ran over and got me an Ativan. I took 1/2 and felt much better within about 30 minute. It just ever so subtly takes the edge off. I was able to come out of my hiding place and cook dinner. By around 6:00 or 7:00 the winds had calmed but not before one tree went down in the circle and two of my neighbors had one fall on their house. (Although one of my neighbors only had damage to the gutters over their garage).

I know that my fear is slightly unreasonable but with the trees surrounding us, it's hard NOT to freak out.

Yesterday Jim and I managed to get most of the floors in (we had to stop when we approached the laundry room) and we DID get the toilet in! YAY! We're making progress (not as quickly as I'd like) and hopefully things will move along now so we can move on to the laundry room. In the midst of all the reno stuff, the neighbors needed our help getting the tree cleaned up in the circle. It was actually quite a nice little scene as the neighbor who has caused such problems and angst due to his annoyance of the dogs in the circle came out and did more to get things done than anyone. They also got another tree down that was dead and a danger. Team work!

After that, Jim was done and so no more reno was tackled (which did not make me happy). Jim proceeded to drink too much and was basically passed out by 5:00. Dinner alone for me. Oh well.

And today starts a week that should prove to be annoying and long. I'll be at school until well after 5:00 because of a union meeting. Additionally, the autistic kid who started a few weeks ago is extending his day into my history class (COUGH...BULLSHIT...COUGH). Found that out at the end of Friday with no warning and NO team meeting. Whatever. I'll figure it out despite the assholes.

(Ignore me!!! I'm still bitter)

And that's all I've got. Time to get to school and figure things out. Gotta help one of the secretaries with her taxes. Later! Happy Monday! GO REDS!!!

Yay For Friday!

It's been a good week...no complaints...especially since it's now nearly over.

Plans for the weekend: I'm supposed to go out tonight with a couple of the ladies in the neighborhood...not sure where or who exactly will be there. I want to go to the new bar down the street...The Casual Pint. It's got about 30 beers on tap...I'd like to try every one of them! Lofty dreams! Jim has a union meeting tonight and there's a suprise party at Mecklenburger's for his brother-in-law (last minute...his sister sent him a text and I already had plans so there you go). Saturday will be a day to work on the reno...I'm determined to have the paint complete and the floors down. I should correct that: I'm determined for JIM to have the paint complete and floor down. How long have I been saying that?! I'm so sick of saying that! You know what's coming next: Then the toilet can get put in.

Our laundry tub came in the mail yesterday. It's ginormous. We got one that's double the size of what we currently have. The great thing about it is it's wide enough to put Sami in there and bathe her if need be and the nozel is removable. Nice, huh? With that purchase, pretty much all the major buys have been bought. The only thing left is shelving for the mudroom and laundry.

What else...didn't get any major storms yesterday - thank you Jesus! We got a major downpour, however with a couple rumbles of thunder and the wind did kick up for about 10 minutes but that was it. Whew!

And that's all I've got. Best get a move on.  Happy Friday! Later!

P.S. Spell check is not working!