NYE

Jim and I were watching the news yesterday and it said on the weather forecast, "NYE rain" and Jim said, "What the hell is NYE rain?" Dummy. 

I'm sure the question on everybody's mind right now is, "What are Jim and Muir's plans for ringing in the new year!?" Well, as usual, my plans are to stay home and party hard before ringing in the new year around 10 o'clock and hitting the hay long before we hit 2025. I've got some beautiful filet mignons which I'll top with crab claw meat and béarnaise sauce and serve them with some twice-baked potatoes and asparagus. I'm sure Jim and I will play some games and enjoy our fireplace as well. I have no desire to go out and the weather is going to be pretty shitty all day long. 

Yesterday was a good day. I got up and did all my stuff before heading out to get the steaks etc. Once I was home, I sat with my paint-by-numbers for a couple hours. It was so relaxing and I'm about 2/3 of the way done. It's really pretty, if I do say so myself but really it takes no talent...you just have to know your numbers and have a somewhat steady hand. Oh, and if you're old like me, you'll need some good readers. I look forward to starting my 2nd painting which is Christmas themed. I'll hang it next year which gives me plenty of time to finish it. 

Oh, I called my dentist about my tooth but of course they're out of the office this week. I left a message so hopefully I'll hear something early next week. It didn't give me much trouble yesterday but I'm trying to stay on top of the "pain" (it doesn't really pain me...more of an annoying awareness) with ibuprofen. I don't like taking drugs that much but the alternative is not preferable. 

Yesterday evening, I went to one of my work friend's house for a bit of chatting, snacks and drinks. A former high school teacher (now junior high teacher) also showed up and it was nice to just get together and hang without the annoyance of being at work. I was out of there by 8:00. 

Jim is working today but says he'll hopefully be out of there by around 1:00. Of course he hasn't even left yet so who knows. 

The Egberts made it home from there European vacation last night without any snafus. Charlie is meeting Trip at Washington Courthouse this morning to retrieve Birdie. I know Maggie is jonesing big time wanting her puppers home. She said in a text last night, "I miss her so much I could cry." I get it...the worst is coming home from a trip and not having your little loves there. I said to Maggie this morning, "Are you sure Trip's going to show up? He may not want to give her back." 

Okay well, time to get some yoga on and then figure out what I'm going to do. Happy New Years!!! Be safe out there if you're going out. Later!

Overdue

Dealing with my tooth is overdue and now it's beyond giving me fits. I've messaged my dentist and hope I can get in for a looksee soon. I'm pretty sure that this isn't going to be an easy fix. I need to get things started however. A tooth issue is so all-consuming. I mean, unless you're having an issue, you just don't think about your teeth; you certainly aren't constantly aware of them. So when one is being an asshole, it's all you can think about. I wake up in the middle of the night with it annoying the shit out of me. And it's not that it aches or hurts; hot and cold don't cause issue. I can eat on that side. However, I think the root canal I had on that tooth just didn't do what it needed to do. I don't think the tooth can be saved. I can't remember exactly what the doc said when he checked it about a year ago but he said this could be the issue. Ugh! Not only is that going to suck (pain?) but it's going to be costly to get an implant. And I'm sure it will take time. Oh well. First world problems right? 

The weekend was good and pretty chill. On Saturday, Jim worked and I went to the Y with Susan for some water aerobics and laps which was lovely. Jim and I watched football (that Bengals game nearly gave me a heart attack) and played games. Yesterday we went to Bath and Body Works for their big semi-annual sale (I was nearly out of lotion) and then we went to lunch. After that it was more football. Part of what we needed to happen, happened (Colts lost) but Miami won which wasn't a help. We now need to beat the Steelers and Miami needs to lose next week. Hopefully the stars will align. 

Today: I've already done my yoga. I'll call the dentist in a bit (they open at 7:30) and hope I can get in to figure things out. I hope they're open. I need to walk the boys and get on the elliptical. I'll head to Lehr's Butcher to get our New Years Eve dinner (filet mignon) and today at 4:30, there's a little get together with my Lunch Ladies. Since I'm driving, it will be chill and I don't plan on being there late but Jim's on his own for dinner.  

Sad news: Yesterday Doug and Lauren had to put Fenway, their Boston Terrier down. She had been struggling with Cushing's disease for a bit and took a turn in the morning. Sad but she had a long life and was such a sweetie. 

Nothing else is happening here. Jim's already on the road headed toward his job. He'll work tomorrow as well but I don't know if it will be a full day. I don't care though. I'm so excited that I still have the week off! So far (knock on wood) this vacay is going by slowly. 

K - time to call the dentist. Wish me luck. 

Unexpected Post

I know. It's Saturday (right?) and I don't normally post on a Saturday but since I didn't post Wednesday or Thursday or yesterday, I thought I'd throw you a bone. Probably no one will read this though since they won't expect it and won't check to see if I posted and then when I post on Monday (my regularly scheduled post), it will get lost. Oh well. 

I only have a few minutes because I'm leaving here to drive down to the Y that Susan belongs to in KY to do a water aerobics class with her. It starts at 8:00 which means I need to leave here by 7:00 at the absolute latest to get there in time to sign a waver (as a guest) and then join the class. Afterwards, she reserved swim lanes so we can swim some laps. Should be fun. 

My tooth is giving me fits and I realize I've put off calling my dentist too long and need to get this taken care of. It's the tooth that had a root canal a few years back and before that had a crown. It doesn't hurt so much as it's uncomfortable. It just feels like the bite isn't right and my crown is going to pop off any minute. I woke in the middle of the night last night and it wasn't throbbing but I could feel my heartbeat from it, which was, again, annoying and uncomfortable. Ibuprofen helps a bit but I think this tooth is going to have to be pulled and an implant put it. Fuck!

Another reason to say "Fuck"? I didn't win the Megamillions. Such horse shit! I could have really used those billions of dollars. Oh well. 

Jim's working today because he had to leave work yesterday because there was a guy there who was causing trouble. 

And that's all I've got. I'll update about Christmas later. Happy Saturday and you're welcome. Later!

Merry Christmas Eve

I'm really struggling this morning. I feel better than I did yesterday but my head is pounding and my shoulder is killing me. I'm hoping the 3 ibuprofen that I popped will kick in soon and take away this pain which in turn will hopefully allow me to choose a better attitude. It didn't help that I got up at 4:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. And then after I did yoga, I came downstairs to some sort of stupid music that Jim had put on the Alexa. I finally told him to "Shut that stupid shit off!" It was awful. He said it was King Crimson and it was fucking annoying. I don't ever want to hear that noise again. Not the way I wanted to ease into this day that's going to be filled with me running around like a chicken with my head cut off. 

The problem is that I was feeling so terrible yesterday that aside from going to the grocery and somehow getting the Brunswick made, I could do little else. This means that I have a lot to do today and Jim's working a 1/2 day. He said he'd be home by noon but I'll believe that when I see it. After I get off here, I'll start cleaning. I need to make the brownies and I don't know...figure shit out. Actually, sitting here thinking about stuff, I really don't have that much to do. Most of it can't be done until near to the time everyone will arrive. Maybe I'll get a nap it. I just hope this stiffness in my shoulder and neck goes away. 

I heard from Maggie yesterday through text. She said she's having a harder time adjusting to the time difference than when they went to Australia. They went to the Dachau concentration camp yesterday and she said it was really emotional. I can only imagine. Such a sad place that must be (along with all the other places with that history) but a place that everyone should probably experience. Scary to think that a history like that could ever happen again. 

And that's about all I've got. I'm not sure that I'll post tomorrow. We'll see. If not Merry Christmas to all! Be safe. Later!

Busy Busy Busy

I have so much to do today and Jim's working so it's all left to me. Why didn't I take care of some of this shit over the weekend!? I'm so dumb. I can actually save some of my jobs for tomorrow when Jim can help but I still have a lot of running around to do. I take that back. I really only need to go to Aldi and Kroger but I have a lot to do around here. 

First thing is to get the broth going, which I've just put into the Instant Pot. I've done my yoga and once it gets light out I'll walk the dogs. I need to make my lists too...ugh! I haven't even made my lists! What a slacker I am. Oh well. Once I'm done with my shopping I'll only need to make the Brunswick stew and brownies. I need to clean but I'll save that for tomorrow when Jim can help. 

The weekend was good. We went out Saturday with Doug and Lauren, first to Fretboard brewing for a couple beers and then dinner. They came over afterward and we played cards. Yesterday Jim and I went to Shooters and then just hung out with the pups, played games and watched football. 

I have no idea what's for dinner. I'll probably just pull something from the freezer or maybe I'll make a cobb salad. That sounds good. 

And that's all I've got. I need to get my lists going. Happy Christmas Eve Eve. Later!

I Did It!!!

We're finally here, on the eve of Winter break and I can't tell you how much I look forward to sleeping in. It won't feel like a real break until this time Monday when I'm hopefully still sleeping. I really hope I'm able to truly relax and decompress. It shouldn't be too hard since there are no real plans on my plate except hosting Christmas Eva and then heading to Columbus the day after Christmas to spend some time with Mom. I'll go up Thursday and come home Friday. That should break up her time while the Egberts are away. 

Weekend plans: I'll do my shop for Christmas Eve but it should be pretty easy since it will be a much tamer get together than usual. I think we'll only have 10 people. I'll do my usual Brunswick stew, brownies and Graeters but I'll probably do a little veggie/cheese tray too. Just something to nibble on before dinner. At some point we'll get together with the Nunns (haven't spent time with them in weeks) to play some cards. I'm kind of hoping this happens on Saturday and maybe we can go to dinner beforehand. They're heading to Louisville for the day Sunday so Jim and I will be watching their dogs. Beyond all that, no plans. 

I didn't sleep great last night. I did at first after putting down my book at 8:30 (reading a really good one...more on that in a minute) but then I woke up at 2:30 and never really went back to sleep. I probably dozed here and there but nothing solid. Every so often (and these last two days), I've woken up in the middle of the night with just aches all over my body. Not flu-like aches but just aches. My head aches, my teeth ache, my shoulders and hips; my back. I don't know why but it's somewhat painful. I need to remember to take something before bed but I don't want to do that every night. Ugh! And this doesn't bode well for the boring day that's ahead of me. 

Speaking of which, I have my 7th period exam today at 7:25. The kids will be done and out of there at 9:10. I'll be keeping an eye on a student for about 15 minutes until my colleague finishes with a meeting but then after that, I think I'm going to run an errand or two. I mean, I'm supposed to be at school until 2:30 but that's not going to happen. Maybe I'll try to scoot out a little early. We'll see. 

Dinner tonight will be either leftovers or I bought this Pad Thai kit from Aldi last time there. We'll see what Jim wants. 

Safe travels to the Egberts today! 

Okay well, I guess it's time to head out. Happy weekend. Later!

One More Sleep

After today, there's one more sleep + 1 exam and I'll be done with kids until January. I can't tell you how much I look forward to this vacation. It's been a long time coming. 

Yesterday although I wasn't very productive, I did get a haircut and I got a bit more of an IEP written. Today I'll be at my desk during the first part of the morning for the 1st exam (my 6th bell ELA class). The 2nd exam is my Guided Intervention so I'm not giving an exam but I will have at least one kid in there. This means I'll have to sit in my room and so I might as well get some work done. Or maybe I'll just knit. I still need to finish Birdie's sweater. 

Bonus, today we're being fed Bravo which is usually pretty good. They aren't going to be ready until around noon though and that's later than I normally eat. I'll have to have a little snack to get through. 

You'll be happy to hear that I was not awakened this morning by an Amber alert. Good thing too because if I had, someone was going to hear about it! And that someone was going to be Jim because who else could I yell at? (BTW - I hate ending that sentence with a preposition but it was going to take too much erasing and rearranging for me to change it. BTW again, instead of preposition, I first typed proposition. I love ending sentences with propositions.) 

So there's a section in the library where a gaming area was set up for a club that no longer meets. There are all these gaming chairs which no one is using. Yesterday while I was chit chatting with my Lunch Ladies, I pulled one over and sat in it. It was awesome. First of all, it has a pullout thingy to rest and elevate your feet. It reclines really nicely and it has a head rest. Needless to say, I stole one. I looked, and these chairs cost $120! What a waste that they've been sitting there for months or possibly years with no one sitting in them. 

Dinner tonight: I'll probably do a one sheet meal with keilbasa, Brussel sprouts and potatoes. Something easy but not too heavy since I'm having pasta for lunch. 

Okay, that's all I've got. I'm running late so I'd better motor. Later!

WTF!? Again!?

This morning, at 4:25, the same fucking Amber alert went off on my phone!? Same kid, same exact message. What the holy hell!? The crazy thing is I was dreaming about an Amber alert when it went off. Scared the shit out of me and I woke up cussing. Not a great way to start the day. Especially when I saw that the fellow who stole the kid yesterday is in jail so someone fucked up. Who can I call to give a piece of my mind? 

And now for episode 234 of "Jim's a dummy". I think I mentioned that I put together a list of items Jim could get me through the Giftful app. This app takes you straight to the website where things can be purchased which means, I made it as easy as possible for Jim. Well, I realized I started getting a bunch of emails about purchases on Amazon. Fine. What I didn't realize was that I needed to instruct Jim that he needed to put his name on the shipping so that we wouldn't mix up gifts. So now gifts are being delivered with my name only on them and I'm not sure whose is whose. Arg! Thankfully I only ordered a couple more things for Jim from Amazon and I knew right away the package delivered last night was mine. 

I think this week is the slowest week in history. I woke up this morning getting ready to do my yoga thinking, "last day of yoga for the week" (I usually only do yoga Monday - Thursday) before realizing that "Fuck! It's only Wednesday!" Oh well...at it'll be an easy day. I have my 3rd bell exam during the first exam block and then it's my planning period. I'm going to go get my haircut...don't tell anyone. I did this in the spring and it was perfect. This means it's been 6 months since I had my hair trimmed. Ugh. I'll probably just get a couple inches taken off...enough to take off the dead ends. 

Dinner tonight will be leftovers I think. We have a ton. Easy. 

My neighbors dad is still hanging on. He's been pretty much unconscious and morphined up for the last couple days so it's just a matter of time. Talking to Katie about her dad yesterday felt very deja vu-y. I feel so much for her. It's so hard to watch the end and then harder still when you find yourself wishing they'd just go. I hope there's peace for all of them soon. ALS is a fucking horrible disease. 

It's raining cats and dogs out there. I hate driving to school in this. People are stupid and annoying. Slow and steady wins the race. 

Okay well, time to get a move on. Later. 

T-Minus 4

Today starts exams and the two exams are during my Guided Intervention. Since I don't give an exam for that (it's essentially a study hall) none of those kids will be at school. However, I should have at least one student taking their exams in my room each period. The 2nd period kid isn't even on an IEP but rather a 504. Fine with me. 

I was rudely awakened 5 minutes before my alarm went off with the Amber alert that went off for a 3-year old in Cincinnati. Since I didn't sleep great last night (I jinxed myself when I was talking to Maggie yesterday and mentioned that I'd been sleeping great lately) this rude awakening was not welcome. Is a rude awakening ever welcome? I was then forced to get out of bed because the puppies thought it was my regular alarm so they were jumping all over the place. Oh well, it gave me 5 extra minutes to sip my coffee before yoga. 

I have to say, I was in a mood yesterday. Maybe it was the Monday blues but it lingered all day. Thankfully today is a new day and I'm feeling more myself. 

One thing that really helped my mood yesterday was one of my Lunch Ladies got us all a gift (seen left). We each got a honey badger that her sister crocheted for us!? I mean, how awesome is that? It's so cute. She was going to write on the board, "Honey badger don't give a shit" but she figured we'd be keeping it on our desk. I love it. It makes me so happy! 

Jim recently found a channel on our lineup called Naturscapes. It shows things like "Crackling Fireplace" and "Cozy Fireplace" or actual nature scenes like a babbling brook or the Thailand seascape. Anyway, it's very relaxing and lovely. If you've got Fioptics, it's channel 102. Seems that for the next week or so, though all they're showing is a fireplace. Jim's a bit pissed. He just yelled out (after looking ahead on the guide), "When the hell are they going to New Zealand again!?" 

Dinner tonight: Well, I have a ton of leftovers in the fridge and I really don't want to make anything that's going to make more but the only thing on my menu right now that I haven't made is a Spicy Chicken Rigatoni. I might just go ahead and do that and just have leftover tomorrow. We'll see. 

I'm going to try and continue/finish my crochet project. I haven't been able to pick it up again since Saturday because of one reason or another but today, with time on my hands, I'll be able to get 'er done! 

And that's all she - me - wrote. Time to head out. Later!

 

Uno Mas

This time next week, I hope I'm still sleeping. But even if I'm not, even if I get up early, even if those sweet puppies pounce on me for their breakfast, who cares? I can always take a nap later. I'm so excited to have a solid 2 weeks off. I know last year I was off for the month of December due to Jim's surgery but  thinking back to the year before, I can't remember being this burnt out midway through the year. And it isn't just me. Everyone I talk to at school is beyond ready for this break. But first I need to get through the week and that shouldn't be hard. 

So yeah, today is a normal day. I'll review with the kids in ELA and do some last minute stuff in history. All of my exams are ready and scheduled to post on Classroom. There really isn't much for me to do this week except to complete the IEPs for January and put in my grades. 

The weekend was good. Relaxing and we didn't do much. I went to Aldi while Jim helped distribute the luminaries. He got roped in because my next door neighbor, Katie, had to bow out. Her father, who has ALS, was put in hospice and they don't expect him to live through the week. So sad. I haven't heard anything since Friday but the family has been gathered around him. 

We went to lunch on Saturday but came home after and just chilled out. Sunday we had a big breakfast and I tried to walk Scout but it was raining. We went to At Home where I found a bunch of candles for a really good price and then Michael's but they didn't have anything I was hoping to get. It was kind of a shit show there. I'll try Hobby Lobby some time soon. After that we went to Shooters for a couple beers and an app. I made chicken rice soup which was yummy and Jim and I just watched football and hung out. 

Dinner tonight will be easy ranch pork chops, mashers and broccoli. Easy and delicious. 

And with that, I'll sign off. I'm feeling in a bit of a funk today. I don't know why. Maybe just he Monday blues. I'm sure it will pass. K - later!

Who's He Talking To?

'Cause I know Jim isn't talking to me. Jim hopefully finally learned that he shouldn't talk to me while I'm posting and he's just talking to Stevie (the TV). I'm trying to ignore him but he just keeps prattling on. He a kook. 

This time next week, I'll be looking Winter Break directly in the eye! I'll have one more exam to get the kids through and then it's party time! Until then, I'll muddle through today and it should be an easy day. My ELA kids will get their study guide for the book we finished yesterday and my history class gets a movie day. I will do my best NOT to fall asleep at my desk and instead try and get some shit done. I do have two IEPs after break so I can work on those...I just need to remember to leave something for the work day in January. 

Maybe I'll work on the Wooble that Maggie got me and teach myself to crochet. She got me the chick seen at left and if I can master that, maybe I'll get the Christmas related ones. They really are cute and I really would like to know how to crochet. 

Speaking of hobbies, we were talking about the Woobles kit that Maggie got me and other crafts yesterday and my school psyche mentioned that the only hobby she has is making candles. I was like, "WHAT!? Is that a thing!?" She said she picked it up during Covid and got hooked. She said it's so easy and SOOOOO much cheaper than buying jarred candles. So of course I looked at the kits on Amazon and put it on my list for Jimmy. I hope he gets it for me. If he doesn't I guess I'll just have to get it for myself. 

Dinner tonight: I pulled some chili from the freezer and I'll serve that up tonight with some grilled cheese. Yummy! 

And that's it. Time to move on. Enjoy your weekend! Later!

Running Late...Again

I tried out a different yoga person today and the "class" was 35 minutes and now I'm running late. Ugh! Of course I say that but I'll still get to work before 7:00 so really...it's fine. 

Have I mentioned that I hate exams? They're so stupid. First of all, you've got half the teachers in the building giving a test this week. I mean, really!? Why can't the test you're giving just be the actual exam next week. Why does an exam have to be (for so many) a cumulative test on the whole semester? Dumb. Setting most of our kids up for failure...and stress. Not to mention the stress it puts me under. Yesterday the Bio teacher finally posted the exam study guide...15 pages long. Fuck! And of course there was no answer key. So my whole morning was spent riddling out the answers. Thank god for Gauth! This is an app where you can take a picture of any question(s) on a test and it pumps out the answer. Even math of every level with the steps on how to solve. It's amazing. Understood that kids are using it to cheat but for a teacher or parents trying to help out their kids? So helpful.

I cannot wait for Friday!? I can't wait to have NOTHING to do beyond cleaning the house and going to Aldi! So ready for hunkering down at home. 

Oh, get this. And let me preface this by reminding everyone that I'm an asshole. Did you need that reminder? Shut up. Anyway, if you know my neighborhood on Christmas Eve, you know we do luminaries. It's lovely and I love it. The woman who used to organize all this said last year that it would be her last year. Well, my next door neighbor (Cari) and another up the street (Andi) decided to take over. (And part of the reason they did this is because they wanted to see where all the "HOA" money was going. BTW - we don't have an HOA so the collection of money is very suspect.) Anyway, a message went out on FB a few weeks ago about the luminaries (from my neighbors) and they requested A) a couple people to allow sand to be put in their driveway and B) volunteers to help distribute the bags and candles. Apparently it as crickets. and no one volunteered. Fast forward to about a week ago. Cari sends out a text to all the neighbors she knows asking for help. Many responded agreeing to help (she wanted about 10) but me...naw. I didn't respond. I know I'm an asshole but I don't want to do it. One of my neighbors actually, jokingly responded with "Hi Cari. Yeah, we just don't want to do it." He was kidding and agreed to help. However, before he put it out there that he was kidding, I almost texted in response and said, "Yeah, me neither." Oh well...like I said, I'm an asshole but I didn't volunteer to do this. Suck it. God, I really am an asshole. But hey, I work 5 days a week rather than 1 or 2 days. You've got the time. Oh and honey badger don’t care. 

Dinner: I made the pork tenderloin last night so I'll do the chicken/Brussel sprout stir fry tonight. One of my faves. 

Okay, best mosey. Later!

Isn't It Weird?

It's so weird how the body is so regimented. Every night (for the most part), no matter what time I close my eyes, I wake up at the same times: 10:47, 12:40 and then usually I wake up at 4:25 (5 minutes before my alarm goes off). Lately, thank the baby Jesus, I've been able to fall back to sleep without issue. It's no wonder the boys are also dictated by the clock. Boo always knows when it's 4:15 (dinner time) and I'm pretty sure he understands Sanskrit or at least Savasana because every morning while I'm doing yoga, he knows that when he hears that word, it's time for him to climb on top of me and stick his tongue up my nose (both nostrils get even time). So annoying/cute and funny. 

Uh oh! I may need to get myself to a Mexican restaurant soon so I can order some margaritas and steal their straws. This morning I've had to throw 2 away because they had splits in them. God forbid I buy my own. 

Boo just went outside and returned snow covered. We're getting a little band through the tri-state area but thankfully the pavement is too warm for it to stick. This evening, however, that will probably be a different story. Temps and wind chills are about to plummet! 

I'm wearing my favorite holiday shirt today (shown left). I love it and I have to say, I love squirrels. 

Dinner tonight: Well, I was going to grill a pork tenderloin but with the weather, I might put that off. However, I could grill it on my Ninja. Anyway, if I don't make that, I'll do the air fryer chicken stir fry with Brussel sprouts and sweet chili sauce. Both options are delicious. 

I had a woman at work yesterday email me begging for the French cake recipe. I readily gave it to her but told her that she'd need a special iron for them. Although, I did say she could try to use a waffle maker. She told me she'd let me know how she fared. I'll be interested. No way will they be as good regardless of the recipe. 

Nothing going on at school today. I'm going to make my list of things to do for our work day in January. That will free up a lot of my time for next week so that I can basically dick around. No sense getting everything done before break so that I'm bored out of my mind on the work day. But we'll see. Knowing me, I'll end up doing it all. 

And that's all. Time to move on. Later! 

Confused

I woke up at 2:30 last night because Boo kept shaking and shaking (his body not because he was cold or scared) which, in turn, rattled his collar. I could tell he was standing by my side of the bed and so I thought he was trying to get under the covers of the pillow that lays right there. This kept up for several minutes so I decided to get up to try and help him out. Turns out that he wasn't trying to get under the covers. Nope, he was trying to convince his brother to move. See, Scout was already snug as a bug in a rug on that pillow but Boo wanted it. (It's everyone's favorite.) I tried to convince Boo to snuggle into the other pillow that sits to the right of the TV but he wasn't having it. I then asked Scout if he'd do his brother a solid but he wasn't budging. In the end I said, "You're on your own...figure it out," and I went to bed. Not sure how it fared. 

After all that, I was laying in bed working to get back to sleep and I was thinking, Ugh...I only have two hours to sleep. However, I can do this...it's Wednesday so we're half way there. And then I got up (with the alarm...obviously I fell back to sleep) and I was going through my routine and realized, FUCK!!! It's not Wednesday! It's only Tuesday! But...I can still do this. When I'm staring exam week in the face it's doable. 

Jim didn't get home until late last night (after 6:00 because he saw his therapist) and so was able to get his presents wrapped. I don't think he's noticed yet. I still need to get him a couple more things but I'll work on that over the next week or so. 

Work is fine. Thank the baby Jesus today is movie day in history. Normally it would be Friday but since I was out Friday for history class, the kids didn't get to watch a video and since we finished our chapter yesterday, I thought I'd give them a little reward before we delve into the study guide for the exam. We're going to watch the new Christmas movie on Netflix, That Christmas. It's a British animated movie from the creators of Love, Actually. I mean how can it be bad, right? 

Jim's already up and at 'em and about to leave. I asked him why he had to leave so early and as he told me, I remembered that I really didn't care so I stopped listening. Hee hee. 

Dinner tonight will be a pork tenderloin with some rice and broccoli. 

I think it's "Plaid" day at school (it's Christmas dress up week) so I'm wearing the red plaid tunic I have that I only really wear during the holiday season. 

Oh, yeah. Bad news. My wonky tooth that periodically gives me fits is acting up again. This is the tooth that I had a root canal on several years ago. The time before last at my dental appointment, I had the partner of my regular dentist look at it (my regular dentist wasn't working that day) and he adjusted my bite which worked...for a while. He stated then that it could just be the bite but if it happened again, it was most likely something else that we didn't want to talk about because it's going to be an expensive fix. (Implant) Looks like that might be the issue. I'm going to call the office today and see if they can fit me in to take a looksee. It isn't painful, so-to-speak, rather annoying and uncomfortable. Makes eating on that side weird. Ugh. 

Okay - time to get a move on. Gotta get the boys out again and since they're cozy under covers in bed, that's going to take some doing. Later! 

Looking Forward

Two weeks from today, I'm hoping I'm still asleep. I'm SOOOOOO looking forward to having a solid two weeks (plus) off. 

The weekend was really good. I went to Columbus, if you'll recall to hang with Trip and Eva while Charlie and Maggie were in Austin. I arrived around 11:15. From there, Trip and I hung out for a bit before heading out to pick up Mom for lunch. Anne met us there since she was at a conference. From there, I dropped Mom and Trip off and went to Kroger or dinner stuff. Trip and I made chicken bowtie pasta and a salad and then settled in to watch all kinds of sports. 

Over the weekend I think I watched a bit of everything sportswise: high school football, lots of college football, college women's volleyball, college wrestling...and then of course when I got back home, I watched a bit of the Browns v. Steelers game. 

Anyway, Saturday Trip and I just hung at home. Eva had a sleepover and Trip took her there around 6:00. At 2:00 AM, I got a facetime call from Eva because in girls are crazy. Apparently, they were effing around and Eva ended up splitting her head open. It wasn't deep enough for stiches but it bled. Worried about it, Eva's friend's dad drove her home. She was fine. Again, girls are crazy. 

I was on the road yesterday around 9:30 and after walking Scout, I hunkered down to make French cakes and dinner (sausage and potato soup). I'll have to make more French cakes since most of what I made yesterday are going to friends. 

Dinner tonight: Chicken Marsala and broccoli. 

Nothing happening at school this week...no meetings but I am going to try and get all my IEPs written. I have 1 next Monday and then 3 right when we come back from break (although one of those is a scholarship so I won't do the majority of writing). 

It's a rainy and dreary day today. I hope it clears enough to get Scoutie out there later. We'll see.

OOOHHHH! I forgot! I bought a set of Hexclad! I'm so excited. They had a huge deal at Costco but online only so it was something I had to buy on my own (Jim went to Costco Saturday but couldn't find what I wanted and then I realized it was online only.) It's a 7-piece set (see pic) for $379. It would normally retail for about $530. and I can't wait to get it. Should be here by next Tuesday. 

K - I'm out. Later!

Short & Sweet

Because I'm having to get all my shit together to head north today, I'm running short on time. This means that today's post will be an abbreviation of the norm. Here are the high points of what's going on:

I'm headed to Columbus today. I took a half day so I could get to my "appointment". A half day means I can leave after my 4th period class, however, 4th period is my plan. So, I'll be headed out after 3rd...don't tell. I expect to get to Maggie's around 11:30. 

I don't know what the plans are for today. Maybe lunch? Hopefully lunch because by 11:30 Muwee is going to be ravenous! I don't know what the plans are for tonight either. Dinner? In or out? I don't know. We'll see what Trip's got on the agenda. I'm sure I'll go see Mom at some point...maybe we'll take her out to lunch. 

Saturday will probably be packed with football. Again...I have no plans but we'll see what Trip's got in his mind. 

I'll head home at my normal time on Sunday to get home before noon. I told Jim to think about what he wants for dinner but of course he's come up with nothing. Typical.

School is fine. We were supposed to have a staff meeting after school yesterday (stupid) but just as we were headed to the auditorium to suffer those fools, the fire alarm went off. We had to evacuate and as a result, the meeting got cancelled. Interestingly, an email was sent out later giving us all the info we would have had to sit through. Hmm...I'm thinking we need to pull the alarm every time there's a staff meeting. I will say that it started in the Junior High so not our fault but next time. 

It's still bitterly cold. Currently 14 degrees here with wind chills in the single digits. Brr! 

K - I'm out. Safe travels to me. Later!

Brain Fart

Not my brain but that's all I could find

I haven't given up but Wordle had me stumped when I got up this morning. Here's my routine in the morning (because I know you're all dying to know what I'm doing every second of the day): After I roll out of bed, feed the dogs, take my fiber and vitamins, and brew my coffee (sometimes I poop) I sit on the couch to watch the last part of Early Today and the first part of the local news. While doing that, I work on Wordle and Connections. Wordle, on average, takes about 5 minutes to riddle out. Yesterday I got it in record time. Today, however, I'm stumped. I have 4 of the 5 letters but none in the right spots. I tried for a bit to get it but the decided to put it down and try again later. Hopefully I won't forget. I also sucked at Connections but that isn't unusual. 

It's cold as a witch's boobie and the temps are only going down from here. In PIB, they shut the ferries down yesterday and most likely will have to stay down today. There's supposed to be a sieche in the forecast today (like a large wave that will carry all the water to the west which means PIB will lose about 4 feet of water). Brr! 

Tonight I think I'm going to make chicken bowtie pasta (without the bowties). That will allow Jim to have some leftovers for the weekend although I say that and he probably won't eat it. Oh well...I can have it for lunch. 

There are a ton of shows out there or about to be released that I'm excited to watch. I might have to spend the majority of my Winter Break camped out in front of the TV. Fine with me. 

Did I mention that I need a new Christmas tree? The majority of my lights are out on the one I've got and I think after this season, it's time to toss it. I looked on my blog and saw that I bought this one 10 years ago and it only cost $168. That's a pretty good run. When I purchase my next one, I'll get a taller one. This one is a little shorter than I'd like. I also need a new angel. The one I have sort of sucks. You can't see it very well and it's really heavy. I'll have to search around. 

I slept like a little baby rock last night. I went up after The Wheel, read for a bit and closed my eyes just before 9:00. Next time I saw the clock it was 1:43. Normally I wake up at 10:47 so that was pretty good. I also didn't have to get up to pee plus I fell right back to sleep. I woke up at 4:09 but again fell back to sleep and woke up at 4:30 ready to go. 

Poor Boo. He left a duck outside last night and when he tried to bring it back in this morning, it was stuck to the deck. He had to bat it a bit and yank and pull before it finally released. Now, he keeps trying to go outside but walks out (with duck in mouth) and turns right back around to come inside.

Safe travels to Maggie and Charlie today who are going to Austin. Safe travels today to Trippy and Anne (I think) who are headed to Columbus. 

And that's it. Time to mosey. Later!

You Do You Jim

Jim told me last night that he was going to work Sunday. I reminded him that I was going to be out of town and coming home Sunday around noon. He replied that he'd be sure to be home by noon and that it wasn't a big job, a small exterior wall. I was all like, "Dude, exterior? It's going to be cold." He said, "Well, as long as it's above 35." I said, "It isn't going to get to 35 until after noon." I asked him why he couldn't do it Saturday but again, seems like temps are only going to get to 41 then but he could go paint anytime and not be hampered by trying to get home by noon. In the end, he said he was just going to tell his boss that he was going to Cbus with me. Dude, I don't care what you do. I just thought you'd like to spend a little time with me on Sunday. Truthfully I only care about him walking the dogs when I get home. He can do what he wants though. 

My IEP meeting yesterday was fine. No issues. I got all the paperwork completed and sent off to the people who need it and got a reply from the provider school that said, "Wow! That's the fastest I've ever received completed paperwork after a meeting. Thanks!" I replied to that and said, "Obviously I'm a type A and can't stand to have stuff on my desk that needs to be handled." True story.

Because I know you're curious, my paint-by-numbers painting is really coming along. I'd say I'm 1/3 to 1/2 way through with it. It's very meticulous work but very relaxing and takes my mind off shit that otherwise occupies my brain. I highly recommend. 

Dinner tonight: I'm going to do a fish and chips type thing. I have some cabbage I need to use so I'll shred that for coleslaw. 

Tonight's temps are going to crash uncomfortably low. I like winter but I'm not a fan of frigid cold. It also freaks me out because we're supposed to get rain which will turn to snow overnight and that will possibly cause issues on the roads. I don't do ice so will keep an eye on what's what tomorrow morning. Certainly wouldn't mind a little delay. 

Did I mention I'm listening a to a good book? it's called The Better Sister by Alafair Burke. I decided to read it because I saw Jessica Biel posted something on Instagram showing the script which obviously means she's going to star in it (along with Elizabeth Banks I just found out). It's good. I like the women who read it and the story is pretty gripping. Check it out. 

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

When You're Right, You're Right

So far that Farmer's Almanac is right. It said that December was going to bring in colder than normal temps and here we are. Wednesday overnight it's supposed to get FRIGID with near record temps and wind chills at -5! Brrr! A) How am I supposed to get out of bed for that? and B) How am I supposed to go to school in that!? 

I managed to get a lot done yesterday but of course my "To-do" list got longer as I added a couple IEPs to my schedule. Additionally, kids (and teachers) are stupid and slackers. I came back to school finding that teachers who hadn't input grades yet this quarter, finally did over break and of course that meant students who hadn't done or turned in work were failing several classes. This meant that I spent the majority of my time chasing down kids' assignments or getting them to complete said assignments, half-assed. So annoyed. I'll be repeating that today since for most of the kids, there was more than one missing item from more than one class. ARG! I hate the end of the quarter and worse the end of the semester. 

I've been trying to organize my Christmas list this year for Jim so he isn't having to run around on Christmas Eve trying to find me something I'd like. I always end up with new Tupperware or oven mitts or acrylic glasses. All good stuff but you know, I'd like to get something surprising or that I really want. So, last night I downloaded the app "Giftful", shared with Jim and started uploading things I'd want. It's pretty awesome because it links directly to the website where items can be purchased. Now we just need Jim to use it. 

Last night we did indeed have leftovers for dinner. When I asked Jim what he wanted, he said, "I think I'll have your leftovers from Primavista." I said, "That isn't an option for you because that is mine." Jerk. Sorry you wolfed down all your ravioli but that doesn't me you get mine. He ended up having some of the turkey Tettrazini and was quite thrilled with it. 

Dinner tonight will be the Costco stuffed peppers. I really like these and they're perfect for us because it comes in a tin of 6 which I freeze. Then when I want to use them, I pull out three (1 to have for my lunch the next day), thaw them overnight and add a bit to them for extra taste (sauce, Italian seasoning and a little garlic powder). Yummy.

I have an IEP meeting today at 1:00 for a scholarship student. I hate these but they're pretty painless since I don't have to run the meeting. 

And that's about all I've got. Guess I should finish getting ready. Later. 

Countdown Is On

Our last day before break is December 20th!!! That means I have 11 days of class until exams! I think I can do that! Plus I'm taking a 1/2 day on Friday for an appointment so that should make things a little easier. Of course there's a lot to do before then but I do believe my ELA exam is done and maybe my history? I can't remember. I started on it before Thanksgiving but can't remember if I finished. Guess we'll see today. 

The weekend was good. I was in a bit of a mood on Friday so once Jim got home from work, we just hung out and played games. I made pizza and we watched movies. Saturday we got the tree up and inside decorations and then went to Primavista for dinner. It was, as usual, delicious. We shared some calamari and a Caesar salad then I got the spaghetti and meatballs (hadn't had it before) and Jim got the ravioli. Everything was amazing. We were home by 8:30 so watched Shrinking then headed to bed. 

Sunday we did our usual of a breakfast, games, walking the boys and then just hanging out until game time (no Shooters). It was certainly disappointing but for me, not surprising. I'll be interested to see what happens with Zac Taylor and if he keeps his job after the season. I'm sure he will (I like him, don't get me wrong) considering that the Brown family tends to hold onto their coaches way beyond when they should. But we'll see. 

Dinner last night was turkey Tettrazini with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving and it was scrumptious. It made a ton and we'll be having leftovers for a while and I froze half of it. So yeah, leftovers tonight. 

And that's about all I've got. I have a TON to do when I get to work because I was out last Monday and Tuesday so I need to buckle down and do some grading. But I probably won't. I'll probably end up in the library gabbing with the ladies before the day starts. Best mosey. Later!