looking forward to 2009

Today I woke up... and Jesse said some guys were gonna come over to check our heater. Its been actin' strange. So... I did that...then I went to the post office, the library and the Goodwill. I got to the library at 11:55 and they closed at noon for the holiday.

When I got home I worked out... it was a killer workout too. I did a 30 minute Jillian Michaels DVD called The Biggest Winner: Shape up-Front. Then I did another 20 minute Jillian Michaels DVD. I was sweatin' like a mamah jamah. (not sure what that means, but my Mom says it all the time)

I took some pictures with Kitsy today. She never likes getting her picture taken with me. I tried to give her a kiss. As you can tell, she wasn't that into it.

Now I gotta go get ready for the evening. We are going to hang out with the Rosenbergs tonight. They are having a thing at their church with lots of activities and such. I don't know what to wear.

o-muh-gah... change of plans :(

ok.... so this morning I had zero plans for the day.

I woke up and made Jesse breakfast before he went to work. I vacuumed the stairs and the couch. I played around on the internet, changed my myspace background, videoed my cat, uploaded it to facebook.....you get the picture. A whole lotta nothin'.

At 1 I started doing a Jillian Michaels workout DVD and around 1:30 I got a phone call. I looked at my phone. "Cracker Barrel? What could they want?" I was curious, so I answered it.

Sandra, one of the managers, says "Hey, you know that shift you picked up 12-7 today?" and I was like, "umm, no...thats tomorrow" and she says "no it was today" Oops.

When I picked up the shift last week I wrote it down in my server book. But when I got home I noticed that I wrote Wed. 12/30 12pm-7pm. I realized that the date couldn't be right since Wed. is the 31st. So I called and talked to another manager, Paul (who is a little spacey and kinda lazy). I told him what I had done and asked if it was Tuesday or Wednesday when I was supposed to be there. He acted like he was checking something....and said, "you're on for Wednesday"

I'm guessin' that he never even checked.

So of course I was all sweaty, hair up, headband on, no makeup..... and now they wanted me at Cracker Barrel ASAP. I finished my workout. (I know, I'm hardcore) I washed up, prettied up, dressed, found something to eat and left the house all in less than a half hour.

It all worked out well for me. I missed 2 and a half hours of my shift. (of course I was supposed to get off at 7 originally, but ended up staying til 9) Tonight was probably gonna have more business then tomorrow, so I probably made more money. And... we are going to Winfield Baptist Church's New Years Eve event tomorrow night with the Rosenberg's so now I don't have to worry about rushing home to get ready for that. Thanks Paul!

Tomorrow I have plans to drop off some junk at the Goodwill and drop off some books at the Library. We'll see if those plans change.

ok...so I didn't write yesterday

Well yesterday I didn't blog, but every other day isn't bad, huh?

Yesterday I went crazy cleaning and organizing. I worked all day...constantly, non-stop. I didn't even get online one time yesterday..well, until I was about to go to bed. I had to change my facebook status. haha. I'm a dork.

Speaking of facebook... I loaded some videos on there today. I videod Kitsy this morning playing with one of her Christmas presents.


I found these little worms...and she LOVES them. She'll play with them forever. She loses them under furniture and then comes and meows at me until I get them out. She also likes to play "fetch" with them. I'll throw it...she chases it...plays with it a bit...then brings it back to me in her mouth..drops it..and meows or makes that cute little cat noise. I can't think of how to describe it...but its cute.

I hope you like the video.

The blog is ressurrected!

In December the blog had almost died....Today I am breathing some life back into it.

I think the problem is that with my long term sub job I feel like I never have anything new, different, or interesting to write about.

So I'm going to try to find more stuff to write about.

So the blog may be getting slightly more random and perhaps more boring...unless you are really into the details of my life.

I have also noticed that I haven't put very many pictures on here lately either. This is mostly because my camera was having technical difficulties. However it is fixed now and Im gonna try to get more photos on here! :)

Christmas was very nice and so far the break from school has been nice and relaxing. Yesterday Jesse and I watched THREE movies. Today I took a long nap.... Then I took down the Christmas tree and decorations.

I didn't do a very good job keeping up with changing this everyday. The day after Christmas I looked at it and it still said 2 days til Christmas. Yesterday when I looked at it I saw that Jesse had added the 3 and the 6. I think he was glad that Christmas was over.

This was Kitsy's stocking. Her Grandma Teresa (Jesse's mom) bought it for her!!

Kitsy was very upset that she doesn't have a plastic tree in her house anymore. She loved to chew on the branches! I'm really glad that its put up and I don't have to yell at her to "Stop eating the tree!" again until next year.

I have a few pictures from Christmas with Jesse's family.




This is our annual visit from Santa Claus.



This is Jesse's sister Mary's youngest. His name is Jaiden.


This is Jesse's brother Mike's youngest (for the moment) Her name is Hannah and she'll be 3 in January. She has a baby sister on the way at the end of January, too!

Here are some of the kids waiting to open their gifts. From left to right...Amiya, Haleigh, Emma, Jaiden, and Braylan.

and this is Jonathan... Jesse's brother Jeremy's youngest. He is dressed in his Storm Trooper costume that he got for Christmas. I have some funny videos of him dancing wearing it. haha





Again from left to right... this is Jonathan, "Mamaw" Teresa, Caylan, Hannah, Alyson, and Abagail.

God willing I'll write more tomorrow!

felt like poo... but feeling better

Yesterday... monday. I went to school feeling pretty yucky but not awful.

After Homeroom and planning I started feeling terrible. Yucky, yucky, yuk! I had been having a cough and some congestion all weekend, but I had felt fine. On monday my nose started running...eyes watering...and all that stuff that goes along with a cold.

I felt terrible at school. I couldn't think straight. It was hard to get anything accomplished. I don't know if it was the cold or the meds I took that made me feel loopy.

As soon as I got home... I got right in the bed. I watched TV, played on the laptop and dozed off a bit.

This morning...thankfully, I felt much better!! My nose is SO sore, but other than that I'm feeling pretty good! :)

I'm really liking teaching Reading. Its making me think about possibly getting my Masters in Reading. :)

snow day! YAY!

Wow...this week went by really quickly!

My students have been reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and most of them seem to really enjoy it. I like it too! :)

This week at Cracker Barrel they were having employee appreciation... giving me an extra 10% on our employee discount. (for a total of 45%) So on Tuesday I went there and bought our 2 "white elephant" gifts. There wasn't a lot there that I wanted....so when I left I still had almost 10 dollars on my 25 dollar gift card.

So on thursday night Jesse and I went there to eat. We both ordered grilled chicken tenders salads with fat free honey mustard, even though I really wanted a Grandma's sampler. Our salads had been in the cooler for awhile...and the lettuce was frozen. The tomatoes were gross. I really wish I would have ordered the breakfast!! oh well.

Friday... I was woke up at 5:41 am with a phone call from Suzy Thomas...one of the teachers I work with....she said that we were on a 2 hour delay. Back to sleep I went!

Then a little bit later my Dad called me to tell me the same....back to sleep again.

And...finally, Suzy called back again to tell me that we were gonna be out for the whole day! I rested....cleaned...did some laundry...wrapped some presents.

We were invited over to Brian and Jessica's house for dinner tonight. I baked an apple cake to take.... got all ready to go. We got in the car with the snow blowing. I was telling Jesse that we were crazy to drive in the bad weather when we didn't have to. He kept on driving....until he saw a car in front of us fishtailing a bit...and then he decided to turn around and head back home. So I was all dressed up with no place to go.

I was really looking forward to giving Jessica her Christmas gift, too!!

Reading Tom Sawyer...

My students are reading...(well they are listening to a Read Aloud CD and following along)...of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I really love Mark Twain.

I had a good weekend. Its just sad thats its over already. On Saturday morning I got my hair done at Bev's in Eleanor.

After that.... I went shopping with my Mom at the Barboursville Mall even though it was pretty snowy. First we went to Bob Evan's. I had their multigrain pancakes and they were DE-LISH-ISH!!

We were in Kohls for like 4 hours, I swear! I ended up getting my dad a christmas present and I think I know what I'm gonna get for my Mom now too.

We had to go to Walmart too and we didn't get home until around 9.

Sunday we had church and then we went to my Mom's church's Christmas dinner at the Eleanor Firehouse.

I cleaned my classroom this morning. ick. The windows had about 5 years of junk on 'em.

I'm excited for dinner tonight. I'm making "deer balls" My Mom gave me some of my dad's venison and I'm making meatballs and mac-n-cheese tonight! YUM!

gotta go now... this class is over!! Actually....Monday is over!! wahoo!

ahh, planning period

Here I am...on my planning period. :) So this won't be long. I have a couple minutes to spare. I just posted my student's grades to edline and sent them in for their Midterms. Most of them did well.

I actually wasn't that cold yesterday. I was thrilled! I dressed warmer so I guess that helped. Our usual custodian cut her hand and has been absent for the past few days. She always turns my heater on in the mornings...but since she wasn't here yesterday it wasn't on! :( I miss her!

I think I'm going to give her a thank you card when she comes back!!

Its a lot warmer today because I left the heater on all night. Yay, Tuesday!

After I blogged on sunday I searched the internet for something that would charge my camera. I ended up buying a Kodak battery charger for 28 bucks.

My mom sent birthday cake home with us on sunday.... I think it was 6 pieces (of a round yellow layer cake with chocolate icing and mini M&Ms on top!) and OMG it is the best cake ever.... Or, I should say that it WAS the best cake ever. I finished it off last night. I can't believe that I ate that much. (Jesse only ate a little bit) Oh well, birthdays are only once a year....and I usually don't eat birthday cake...but this stuff was to die for.

Today I am cooking chicken breasts in my slow cooker...and I'm going to boil some noodles later tonight to make "Chicken & Noodles." Holli made some for us when we lived in Winston and it was really good...so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Jessica is coming over tonight to work out with me!! YAY!

Jesse started his new job yesterday... he's working at a place called "Beneficial Finance" in South Charleston (on Corridor G). So far, so good! :) I'm so glad that he is done selling insurance now.

1st blog as a 27 year old

Yup..so I'm 27 now. yippee. (note the sarcasm there)

Its been a good birthday. I got a lot of stuff.

Thanksgiving was good. I'd normally have lots of pictures to put on here...but, sadly, something is wrong with my digital camera charger. It just won't charge my camera. I need to search online and see if I can find another charger. It was a cool little dock thing.... I'm kinda sad about that. Kodak Easyshare is cheap. If you're gonna buy a camera go for a Sony or at least a more expensive Kodak. I want a Cannon Rebel.

So.. anyway, no Thanksgiving pictures. I've been doing a little Christmas shopping. I got a lot of it done. All I really need to buy now is something for my Mom and Dad...and something for the "White Elephant" gift exchange that Jesse's brothers and sisters do. In case you've never heard of the "White Elephant" (I always used to call it the "Yankee Swap") Wikipedia explains it fairly well.....just click here. Its pretty fun. Last year I forgot about it until the last minute and I brought a bunch of used Christian books from back in my Bible College days. For Jesse's "gift" we brought a huge container of chocolate protein shake mix. This year I might wrap a 24 pack of toliet paper. No one ever does funny stuff though. One year I ended up with a picture frame and I saw it later (the EXACT same one) at Big Lots for 4 dollars. The gifts are supposed to be 15 bucks! I got ripped. Oh well, I guess I made up for it with the protein shake and used books. (Although those were expensive!)


Well I better go work out before it gets too late. I was getting sick of the same old workout videos... and then Jesse reminded me that I can watch fitness videos on demand with our Netflix membership. So I've been doing that lately. There are some Jillian Michael's DVDs on there...and there are some more of the Self DVDs (like my legs DVD that I love so much!) I also found some new ones called 10 minute solutions which have 5 ten minute workouts on each DVD so you can just do one, some, or all...and they are really good!

I'm dreading going to school tomorrow. Not because I don't want to go...just because I'm afraid its going to be FRIGID! I'm wearing long underwear tomorrow. hahaha. Can you teach wearing earmuffs?

at school again...

Today...since there are a lot of students absent...my students are watching The Adventures of Huck Finn. I love that book/movie. :)

Its freezing in here today!! I wish I would have worn something warmer. Almost lunch time now and I'm hungry. I brought Chicken Noodle Soup!! and I'm glad cause I'm freezing. I can't wait to eat it. As I sit here typing I have my big pink peacoat on...and my scarf wrapped around me too. My heater is on full blast...and there are about 25 kids in here with the door closed....and I'm still FREEEEEZING!! My toes are cold and clammy feeling, YUK!

I just found out that I will be here for the month of December! Yippie!!

at school...

I'm at school right now.... at work I should say. My students are watching a video about Mark Twain. There are only 6 kids in this class, but sometimes it feels like 25. :) They've been pretty good since I gave them all violations 10 minutes ago. hahaha. I'm going to have to do that more often.

I'm so glad that its ALMOST the weekend! YAY! Tomorrow my mom and I made plans to go to the Charleston Town Center! I'm excited. Although I really need to go grocery shopping and clean my house too!

I'm almost 27!! Next sunday is my birthday....I just found out that I share a birthday with Mark Twain!

Well I better go!

Photos of "my" classroom

if u wanna die... eat this

Everyone needs to get this stuff OUT of their diet. If we are all picky about not eating this junk then the food makers will be forced to take it out of their foods!!

About Trans Fat

There are four kinds of fats: monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, and trans fat. Monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat are the "good" fats. It is generally accepted that consumption of saturated fat should be kept low, especially for adults. Trans fat (which means trans fatty acids) is the worst kind of fat, far worse than saturated fat.
Partial hydrogenation is an industrial process used to make a perfectly good oil, such as soybean oil, into a perfectly bad oil. The process is used to make an oil more solid; provide longer shelf-life in baked products; provide longer fry-life for cooking oils, and provide a certain kind of texture or "mouthfeel." The big problem is that partially hydrogenated oil is laden with lethal trans fat.

It is only the trans fat created by the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils that we are concerned about and that should be eliminated completely from your diet. We at BanTransFats.com are not concerned with the kind of naturally occurring trans fat found in small amounts in pomegranates, cabbage, peas, or the type found in the meat and milk of cows, sheep and goats.

Partially hydrogenated oils are commonly found in processed foods like commercial baked products such as cookies, cakes and crackers, and even in bread. They are also used as cooking oils (called "liquid shortening") for frying in restaurants.

Top nutritionists at Harvard have concluded that trans fat could be responsible for an many as 30,000 premature coronary deaths per year. See New York Times. See also "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating" at p.73.
30,000 premature deaths each year means 82 each day!

How much trans fat is in the products that we eat?

How much trans fat do we consume in a day? Some of us are consuming virtually none, because we are being extremely selective about what we eat. Some of us are consuming in excess of 15 grams of trans fat per day. If that sounds unbelievable, look at the following figures:
One McDonald's large fries contains 8 grams of trans fat.
A McDonald's apple pie contains 4.5 grams of trans fat.
Four Girl Scout shortbread cookies contain 1.5 grams of trans fat.
A large order of KFC Popcorn Chicken contains 7 grams of trans fat.
KFC's Chicken Pot Pie contains 14 grams of trans fat.
A typical 3-piece KFC Extra Crispy combo meal, with a drumstick, two thighs, potato wedges, and a biscuit contains 15 grams of trans fat.

Incidentally, don't think that the problem is only at McDonald's or other fast-food chains. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many other restaurants, including "quality" restaurants, fry their food in partially hydrogenated oil and served baked goods containing partially hydrogenated fat. Many of them serve larger portions with more trans fat than McDonald's.

How much are you consuming?

What not to eat

Here are six rules to help you avoid consuming partially hydrogenated oils. Don't think for one minute that this is all you need to do for your heart and your health. Eliminating partially hydrogenated oils from your diet is just one piece of the puzzle. This is not the place to educate you about heart health and other medical issues. But if you don't understand heart health, then learn about it - please - for your own and your family's well-being. And if you are avoiding squarely facing up to the issue, and possibly kidding yourself, then go to a cardiologist for a checkup if you haven't already done so. That applies to women too. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States.

1. Don't eat any product which has the words "partially hydrogenated" or "shortening" in the ingredients list.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises:
Consumers can know if a food contains trans fat by looking at the ingredient list on the food label. If the ingredient list includes the words “shortening,” “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” or “hydrogenated vegetable oil,” the food contains trans fat. Because ingredients are listed in descending order of predominance, smaller amounts are present when the ingredient is close to the end of the list.

2. If the label says zero trans fats, don't believe it. If the words "partially hydrogenated" or "shortening" are in the ingredients list, it DOES contain trans fat.
Under FDA regulations in effect in the United States, "if the serving contains less than 0.5 gram [of trans fat], the content, when declared, shall be expressed as zero." Suppose a product contains 0.4 grams per serving and you eat four servings (which is not uncommon). You have just consumed 1.6 grams of trans fat, despite the fact that the package claims that the product contains zero grams of trans fat per serving. Changing this rule is a high priority for BanTransFats.com. We are working on it.

(In Canada, the situation is not as bad. If the serving contains less than 0.2 grams of trans fat, the content may expressed as zero. Click here for the Canadian rules.)

3. Be careful when consuming products with labels from outside the United States. Sometimes they contain partially hydrogenated oil but it's not on the label.

4. In restaurants, bakeries, and other eateries, ask whether they use partially hydrogenated oil for frying or baking or in salad dressings. If they say they use vegetable oil, ask whether it is partially hydrogenated. Don't be shy about asking. Assume that all unlabeled baked and fried goods contain partially hydrogenated oil, unless you know otherwise.
Ask about that fried food. Ask about the oil in the salad dressing. Ask about that donut. Ask about that pie crust. Ask about that bread. When you ask, you are sending a message to the seller of the food that you don't want trans fats.

5. Keep saturated fat intake low too. This is very important.

6. Remember that polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fats are good fats.

One more thing. Cholesterol that affects our arteries comes from two sources: (i) animal products and (ii) bad fats. If a product is "cholesterol fee," that doesn't mean that it won't raise your bad cholesterol. If the product itself contains no cholesterol but it does contain trans fat or saturated fat, it will raise your bad cholesterol.

To learn more about good and bad fats, click here.

i'm lovin' life right now!!

Things are going really well with my sub job...and everything else. I'm just feeling so good. I'm back home in WV... I'm here with my family... physically, I feel better than I ever have.... I have the best husband ever....I have the best cat ever....I like where I'm working... I love my students...and I'm actually making a little money.....and life is just good all around!









This weekend was good. On friday Jesse and I hung out after work.... I made Balsamic Salmon, fresh green beans, and roasted red pototoes for dinner. We got some ice cream from McDonalds. Then we watched some netflix movie that was crappy.









On Saturday we stayed around the house at first...and worked out and I did laundry and a little house work (not enough, ha!) Then Jesse went to Ty's house and I went to the mall. I had to return one of those polo shirts that I bought for Jesse last week with Jessica. The only thing I bought was a pair of new black dress pants for Jesse...since he's gonna be starting his new job next week and they have to dress up...he's gotta do a tie, everyday. :(









Jesse and I have been scouring the internet, looking at tons of house plans. We are dreaming about maybe someday building a house in a new development that we love. His friend owns the land and is a contractor. So.... I'm going to post the one we've been looking at most seriously.

• http://www.eplans.com/country_house-plans/HWEPL08169.hwx

Here are a couple that I love...but are probably a little too big for our budget.

http://www.eplans.com/country_house-plans/HWEPL10912.hwx#floorplan

http://www.eplans.com/country_house-plans/HWEPL07919.hwx

http://www.eplans.com/country_house-plans/HWEPL08286.hwx

just a day

I'm sleepy. Today was a longish day. It was pretty much just an ordinary day in my substitute teaching life. I woke up...went to school...had homeroom...planning... taught 2 classes, had lunch..and then 3 more. I found a tiny scrap of paper on the floor of my classroom today that said, "Mrs. Crouch is hot" hahahaha. Funny stuff.

After school I was really tired....and I rested a bit and ate some graham crackers w/ skippy natural peanut butter on 'em. YUM!

Then I did my Jillian Michael's DVD...level 3. Then I had to unload the dishwasher... load the dirty dishes back in, etc. I also had to clean up 3 piles of cat puke today. I think Kitsy may have ate some pieces of plastic off of the Christmas tree and it may have made her sick. I'm trying to find a way to keep her out of the tree. I found a site that gives you ideas...one guy hooked up his vacuum cleaner (a cats worst enemy) to a motion senser near the tree. hahaha. Smart guy.

I didn't have to cook tonight because I made a huge pot of dinner last night. I made another one of my mom's recipes... italian turkey sausage cooked with green peppers, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes and onions.... in a tomato vodka sauce with feta cheese over penne pasta. Its so good!! So tonight I just made a salad and we had leftovers. And I'm taking it for lunch tomorrow too! :)

I watched quite a bit of TV tonight... Survivor, CSI and now I'm watched that new show, Eleventh Hour. I like it. CSI has been freakin' boring lately! I'm about to be over it!! Since it was boring I flipped over to Kitchen Nightmares and watched some of that too. I hate Hell's Kitchen but I like Kitchen Nightmares.

nothing new going on

Well I've thought about writing on this blog a few times in the last week....but nothing new has been going on. I even started to write one day...and I just didn't have anything to write about.

This weekend was good. I didn't do much of anything. On friday Jesse and I had a movie night. Then on Saturday I did housework, did some crafty stuff, did a TON of laundry, and relaxed. In the evening I did my Self;Sculpt Sexy Legs Fast DVD...which I hadn't done in a looong time. About halfway through I thought I was going to throw up. I had to go lay in the floor in the bathroom. I managed to finish it though.

Sunday...my parents were out of town visiting friends in Tennessee. So, we didn't get to go over there and eat. Ty (Jesse's friend from back in the day) went to church with us...and then we came back home, ate leftovers (miss you Mom!) and Jesse went to Ty's brothers house to watch his nephew wrestle. He's supposed to be really good and I think he's 11. I stayed home and did my Jillian video, level 3.

I made pumpkin bread, but I put too much spices in it...and its not that good :( Last time I made it I didn't put enough!! I just cant get it right.

Today I went to school and had a good day. I found out that the teacher I'm subbing for will probably be out until at least Feb. 1st! So...that means I could be there for all of November, December, and January, too!! Thats good news!

After school I did a work out video...and played around on the computer. I had a lot of fun giving myself a virtual makeover. I found a really good site for it. Go to http://www.marieclaire.com/hair/hairstyles/virtual-salon/ when you have a couple of free minutes. I thought it was fun.

I cooked one of my mom's old recipes tonight. I call it Biscuit Topped Casserole. It was good...can't wait to eat some for lunch tomorrow!!

Perhaps I'll share the recipe....or maybe I won't. :)

wahooo!! I got the job!

OK...so I found out today that they won't be posting this long-term sub job up for bid...there was some reason but I don't know why....but anyway!! They asked me to stay! So... I'm on as of right now for the rest of this month...after that, its not set in stone. But...basically I was told that as long as their teacher is out... I'll be there!!!

Yay! I'm so happy!

Yesterday was election day. I'm so glad its over! I had a good day off. I cleaned up the house a bit. I cleaned out my car...and it was a long time coming. I even vacuumed it out. Its like a whole new car. When I got in it yesterday, for a second, I thought I was getting into the wrong car!

Yesterday evening I went down to the Barboursville Mall w/ Jessica. Kelli was supposed to come too, but she backed out at the last minute. (poo on her) I went to Michael's and AC Moore before I met Jessica. Then we went to Linens N Things...they are going out of business and everything is on sale. Although they need to drop their prices a lot more to get me to buy anything in there!! After that...we went over to the mall.

After a dinner of a Spicy Chicken Crunchwrap Supreme, I looked w/ envy at the purses in Macy's. Then we went to Aerie, Old Navy, NY & C, American Eagle, Aero, and the new Doggie Store (so cute!) I bought Kitsy a toy in there...and she likes it. Not as much as her twisty-ties, but she still likes it.

I bought Jesse 4 polo shirts from Old Navy and I got a Liz Claiborne teal leather tote bag that was on clearance at Macy's. Here are some pics of it...but these are green and gold. Mine is teal. I'd like to have the gold one too!! :)

After school today I ran outside. Its been so nice lately... I have to take advantage of the weather while its around. While I was running I ran into my great-aunt, Linda! She was walking and we talked for a little while. Ironic.

well...time for bed. I'm beat and I have a headache. Blah.

ok, I'm hooked....

I wasn't going to get my hopes up. I wasn't even really wanting this job. But... now, in my second week of teaching Reading to 6th graders....I really, really want this long term job!! Yeah a few of the students drive me crazy...and yes, 2 of the classes make me want to pull my hair out at times....but I really like this job!! And for the most part I REALLY like these kids!

So now I'm in trouble. I have to bid on the job...and I really want it. (The VP told me today that he wants me to get the job.) But... now, I'm going to be upset if I don't get it. :( So please pray that I get it!!

Well... this weekend was really good, but too short. I can barely remember it! Saturday I don't think I did much of anything.

Sunday was church, lunch at my parents', shopping with my mom (she bought me a new purple purse!), baked pumpkin bread, and then Jesse and I went to Brian & Jessica's house and had a late dinner.

After school today I went to the valley park and ran...by myself. No Amy. I guess shes never gonna run with me again. :( She said she was too busy. But I enjoyed my run nevertheless.

After that I cooked some turkey taco salad.... and then we went to McDonald's. Jesse got a ice cream cone and I got a non-fat, sugar-free vanilla latte.




oh yeah, in case you ever have read this blog and wondered to yourself, "What in the world is Jillian?" Heres a small taste. I started out with workout 1...now I'm up to workout 3.







I really need a new hairdo and I'm struggling to figure out what I want to do. I don't really want bangs...and I don't want to go too short (cause it makes me look 12!!) but...here are a few ideas.

halloween party w/ 6th graders pooped me out

Well, my first week of teaching in the same place went very well! I really like the kids. The teachers are ok. The days just seem to fly by!





I had to plan a Halloween party on Friday afternoon with my homeroom. I don't really do Halloween, but.... it was really just a stuff-your-face party. Only one kid spilled his Mountain Dew so I thought it was a success. They had rootbeer, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, candy, chocolate & white cupcakes, chips, dip, and 2 kinds of Doritos. I even let myself eat a cupcake and some chips and dip.





Last night I did Level 3 of my Jillian video,which I hadn't done in a while. After that (and a shower of course) Jesse and I watched Fools Gold. It was pretty good..unbelievable, but cute.




Today Jesse and I went to Walmart early. We double teamed it and got outta there in about 30 minutes! I wish he'd go with me all the time!



When we got home I tried a new recipe for lunch. It was pretty darn good.... I used tilapia to make fish tacos with a spicy chipotle lime sauce. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was delicious! I used this recipe from allrecipes.com but I changed it a little. Jesse hates cilantro so I didn't use that..and I used lettuce instead of cabbage. Also I cooked the fish in a saute pan with the marinade. I've got a ton of the sauce left though, so.....you know what that means. I'll have to make it again soon! :)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Fish-Tacos-with-Chipotle-Lime-Dressing/Detail.aspx

Just a little bit ago, I went for a short jog around Hurricane...only about 4 miles today. I think I'm going to make a pumpkin dessert tonight, maybe do a little crafty-stuff and just relax.

Mom's Sweet & Sour Meatball Recipe

Ingredients

meat mixture
2 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 c. crushed cornflakes or grapenuts
3 eggs
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 c. tomato ketchup
2 tbsp. minced onion

sauce
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
1 12 oz. bottle chili sauce
3 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all meat mixture ingredients. Form into 2 inch balls and place into a 9" x 13" baking dish. Place into oven.

While meatballs are baking, add all sauce ingredients to a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occaissionally until smooth. Remove meatballs from oven, pour sauce over the meatballs. Place meatballs back into oven for the remaining cooktime. Meatballs should cook for a combined amount of 30 minutes. (larger meatballs may require additional cook time and smaller meatballs require less time)

mini-long-term sub job!

Yesterday was such a beautiful, nice day. I was able to go outside and run for the first time since Tuesday of last week! I did a longer run out and about around Hurricane, about 6 miles or so.





I didn't get a sub call, not one. So... I went to bed not knowing where I would be working...if anywhere.





Early in the morning, I got 2 calls to sub at elementary schools, one for MMI and one for LD. I turned those down, hoping that I'd get something better. At around 7 am I got a call for a Reading teacher at a middle school....and when I listened to it again (remember, I was half-asleep) I realized that it was a multiple day assignment for the next 2 weeks!





I went to school this morning and everything worked out pretty well. I had to make plans, but I managed to get those done for the next 2 weeks already. I have homeroom, exploratory, planning, 2 basic classes, lunch, then the remaining 3 basic classes. Tomorrow the students are taking a test. Their regular teacher has to have bypass heart surgery on Wednesday and shes gonna be out for at least 8 weeks, probably more. So it will be put up for bid for a long-term sub after my 2 weeks. I'll bid on it, but since I'm not certified in reading I'm sure I won't be getting it.

After school today it was so dang cold.. I didn't want to run outside. (especially since I am getting over a cold) So I actually ran on the treadmill today...only about 4.5 miles while I watched Oprah.

Then I cooked dinner. We had sweet and sour turkey meatballs, roasted red potatoes, and a salad. I have the best recipe for sweet and sour meatballs...(and I will share it on here eventually. I'd do it now, but Jesse is wanting the computer.) My mom used to make it all the time when I was a kid and it was my FAVORITE meal. I even wrote a poem about how much I loved her meatballs. hahaha.

Just in case anyone reading this feels like they should buy me a birthday present (~november 30th!!~), I am taking collections so that I can afford to buy a new bag. I love this one called Medium Slouch from Lucky Brand. This one is Parrot Blue.. and I love it..and I also love the one in Mulberry (purple). Why do they have to cost so much???

OMG, I'm Slackin'!!

Wow... the blog has seriously been neglected lately. I'm sure all of you are tragically hurt...and I sincerely apologize! :)

I'm gonna try to do better.

This week has been good... and bad.

I got to do a lot of subbing for Art teachers this week!!

On Monday I subbed for a 6th grade math teacher at GWMS. That was a really good day!

On Tuesday I subbed at Poca High for their Art teacher. It was the 3rd time I have subbed for him. It was a much better day than the last time. On tuesday night I ran with Jesse (on a bike)all over the town of Hurricane. It was a good evening to run. Later that night I started feeling like crap and sneezing a lot.

On Wednesday I subbed at Winfield High for a math teacher. She teaches PreCalc and AP Calc. The kids were so well behaved that I could read a book. I felt like total crap all day though. My nose was running and I had to hold a tissue constantly. I was really looking forward to my planning period during 3rd. Another teacher uses that classroom during that block, so I thought I could go out to my car and take a nap! But...right before 3rd I got paged by the office.

Of course they wanted me to stay in that classroom and sub for the traveling teacher's class. So I was teaching Applied Geometry, if you can call it that. It seemed a whole lot more like herding cats. (as my mom would say)

They would not behave...they were loud and obnoxious. Two boys in particular. I separated them because they were being annoying. Then they started argueing; something about a girls panties that one of them brought to school. One boy started to get really angry. The other students looked and me and said, "this happens every single day" and "they always fight." Well, the angry kid finally snaps and screams across the classroom, "YOU DON'T KNOW $%*#! YOU DON'T KNOW $%*#! SHUT THE *^#% UP!" Then he started breathing heavy and I got scared that he was gonna jump over the desks and blast the other guy. But he just grabbed his stuff and walked out the door. He never came back...and I wrote him up and gave the form to the VP. I'm sure he got in pretty big trouble for that one.

On Wednesday night I had to work at Cracker Barrel which stunk since I was sick. But actually it couldn't have went better. I was busy...and made good money...and still made it out of their pretty early. I made almost 60 bucks in the 3 hours I was on the floor.

On Thursday I subbed at Hurricane High for one of their Art teachers. It was a great day!! I felt a little better and I slept in til 8:30. At 8:30 my phone rang and it was a job offer for a whole day position, even though it was already started. So I called HHS and told them that I would be there in about an hour. When I got there at 9:30, first block was almost over! So I missed that! YAY! It was a rambunctious Art I class. Second block was AP Studio Art...and it was kinda fun. Third block was another Art I, but it wasn't too bad and then 4th Block was his planning! So I got to go home at 2:15!! You couldn't ask for better than that!

On Thursday night I literally layed in bed from 3 pm til I went to bed at around 11.

On Friday I subbed for the Art teacher at Winfield Middle School, which is where my Mom works. I got to spend some time with her...we had leftover Husson's pizza for lunch! :) It was a good day. I love Middle School!!

Today...Mom and I went shopping out at Southridge. I bought some stuff at Michael's to fix up a Autumn wreath for my front door (and it looks AWESOME! I <3 it!!) and I bought a pair of jeans. We went to Walmart on the way home. We didn't get back until around 9:30.

Tomorrow....is a normal sunday...church and then mom and dads. I really need to work out!!!Since I have been sick I haven't ran or worked out at all!! :(

quick update

I haven't blogged for awhile so...heres a quick update

Thursday... I didn't get a job. I didn't even get a call until almost 10 am and it was for a 7 am to 3 pm job, so what the heck?? On Thursday night we went over to Brian and Jessica's house in Winfield. We had dinner with them...and sorta helped them with a yard sale they were having this weekend.

Friday.... I subbed at Buffalo High School for their Art teacher. It was a good day...The only crazy class was her 4th block. After school I ran and then Jesse and I went with Brian and Jessica to the Hurricane/ So. Charleston football game. That was fun :) even though it was kinda cold.

Saturday... I layed around and was lethargic for most the day. Then I went to the Goodwill and bought some crafty stuff...went to the Craft Store...and then to Kroger and Walmart. After that I exercised (w/ Jillian) and cleaned the upstairs bathroom.

Today... We went to church...to my parents...then to Ty's. When I got home I ran about 5 miles and just a little bit ago I got a job offer to sub at a middle school for their home ec. teacher. I'm really glad cause I love middle school!

gotta go.... Kitsy just threw up.

back to WMS today

I was so happy last night when I got a call early in the evening for my Mom's school!! I subbed for a 6th grade science teacher today. It was a great day. They had shortened classes because there was an assembly in the afternoon. There were 3 members of the Power Team there today, which was pretty interesting.

The day went very well...and again, I can't wait to go back. I am really loving middle school.

After school I was so sleepy! I took a short nap on the couch.

Then Jesse and I went for a long walk around Hurricane...bought us a Little Caesar's Pizza (I only ate 2.5 pieces)...and since then I've been relaxing around the house...doing a little cleaning and laundry.

I've been patiently waiting on a job offer for tomorrow, but I haven't got one...and now its after 10 so I guess I'll have to wait til tomorrow. I just pray that I get a good one!!!

as I get older...the weeks go by faster

This week flew by.



I subbed every day but Monday (due to the eye situation)



I already posted about Tuesday and subbing for the Band teacher at Buffalo. On Wednesday night I was waiting and waiting to get a call. At around 9:30 I was fairly sure that I wouldn't get a job (because they stop calling at 10pm)



But...at 9:45 the phone rang. It was a job offer for a PE teacher...He taught 2 Intro to the Majors classes which went by really well.



Then, during 4th Block he had a gym class. But...there was on hitch. They were having a Blood Drive that day...so the gym was full of tables, nurses, orange juice and raisins. So, they couldn't have Gym class in there. It was raining outside. So, I found the principal walking in the Commons Area. He said to have them sit on the tables in the Commons and have a "study hall" period. Ok.


This turned into a babysitting period of me watching them listen to their MP3 players. Which is no big deal.....if they could just behave.



One kid was really getting on my nerves. I had to say something to him 3 or 4 times. He kept screaming across the Commons, etc. Finally I had had it...and I told him to get his things and move to a table by himself. He immediately reacts defensively saying, "What?! I didn't do anything!!" and crap like that.



I told him to move again. He refused. Just then, the principal walked through the Commons again. I said, "Do you want me to get Mr. Donalson to have you move?" He said "Yeah!" Mr. Donalson looked at the kid and said, "My office NOW!"



So later I had to go to his office and talk to the kids mom. Mr. Donalson said that he "rung him out" hahaha...

That wasn't all the went wrong with the class either. There is a kid with MI in there and one second he was sitting there...I turned around...and then he was GONE! I was kinda freaking out, but luckily he came back about 20 minutes later.

Oh, and that wasn't all...a kid rubbed a handfull of crushed deodorant all down another boys face. It was all over the floor. By the end of that class I felt like pulling out all of my hair.

Luckily the rest of the week I spent at Winfield Middle School with my Mom. I subbed for the Spanish teacher. The kids were great, smart, well behaved, funny, and very friendly. I can't wait to come back! And of course it was nice to be so close to my Mom.

On Friday night after school I went to the Mall with my friend, Cassie! I left my house at 4:30 to meet her there at 5. As soon as I got on the Interstate at Hurricane I saw BRAKE LIGHTS! AhhhH! I was in traffic from Hurricane to Milton... It took me 1 hour and 35 minutes to get from my house to the Mall, which is less than 20 miles.

I had a good time hanging out with Cassie though... Didn't buy anything though. Well, except for a tube of hairball medicine for Kitsy from Complete Petmart. Cassie and I had dinner at Bob Evan's. I had their Country Spinach Salad and I swear it was huge. It was really good, but I bet it was a whole bag of Spinach. (hmmm, that explains a lot about my poo this afternoon.)

This morning I cooked pancakes for breakfast and then went to Elder Beerman and Walmart (where I saw Brian & Jessica)

I told my mom that I would make a dessert for tomorrow so I made a layered chocolate pie. It looks so good!! Its a shame that I had to lick 4 mixing bowls all by myself...hehehe!

now...its time for a shower! Goodnight!

Is that your eye or an egg mcmuffin?

Sunday night... I was sitting on the coach, playing on the computer.....and my Kitsy came and slept on my lap for awhile. Shortly after that my eye started itching....and I shouldn't have. But I scratched it.

Shortly after that, it started to burn..and itch more...and then it started to swell.

It got so swollen that it was almost swollen shut.. I made Jesse go to Kroger and buy me some Benadryl. I took 2 of those...which may have helped, but I'm not really sure because 30 minutes later I was snoring in my bed.

When I woke up it was still swollen. I got a couple of sub calls but they were all crappy ones that I woudn't want to do on a normal day, let alone with a red, itchy, swollen eye.

Later that morning I took another Benadryl....and then slept from noon to 2:30. The pills seriously made me feel woosey and drunk. They are great sleeping pills though.

At 4 I was supposed to run with Amy....but I was feeling rather sluggish. Plus she called and said she needed to go be with her mom for awhile, so we didn't run.

I attempted to run around here, but it didn't work....so Jesse and I went for about a 2 mile walk instead.



While I was in the shower on Monday night I got my 1st and only sub call...it was for Mr. Hopkins, the Band teacher at Buffalo High School.

So, thats where I was today.... It was basically a babysitting day of me watching long-haired boys play hackeysack. But... I got to leave early at 2 pm. :)

After school Jesse and Brian went to play tennis at the park...and I went with them and ran around 5 miles. Then I cooked a new recipe, baked salmon with a honey mustard pecan glaze. It was pretty good.

Just a few minutes ago I got a sub call for tomorrow.... I'll be teaching 2 classes of Intro to the Majors and 1 PE class. I'll be reporting about how that goes soon.

I'm looking forward to the end of this week... Thursday and Friday I'll be teaching Spanish at the middle school where my mom works...and then on Friday night my friend Cassie and I are making plans to spend some time together!!

happy bday Jay

I spent the day at Buffalo High School for their Spanish teacher. It was a good day...except for a "mad teacher moment" I think it only my 2nd mad teacher moment ever.

We were watching a video in 1st block. I didn't know there were remotes, I never saw them. I just used the TV and the DVD player. Well, a few minutes into the video it turns off. I turn it back on. It mutes, etc. You get the picture. It was cute at first, but it got old real quick. I never found out who had the remotes.

Second block comes in. Still no remotes had surfaced. And again... the TV magically turned off, etc. This time the culprit wasn't as smooth. A bunch of them started giggling. I said, "I'm not doing this all day! Do I need to get the principals and do a pocket search?" A few minutes later the remotes surfaced on a kids desk. He says, "I didn't have them!!" I knew he didn't have them. He was just the patsy.

The rest of the day went well.

After school Jesse rode his bike around while I ran about 4 miles. Then we went to Jay's suprise 30th birthday party. It was at Frankie J's Italian Chophouse in Pullman Square. The food wasn't that good, I don't think I'll be going back there. But the party was nice.

BOOOM! Is this a drill?

Oh what a crazy day!

I went to Winfield Middle School today. It was gonna be a pretty easy day... just 2 classes and planning.

I was teaching science to 6th graders...well sort of. I was watching them while they did worksheets. We were in there for maybe 30 minutes when a kid came running back into our classroom from the bathroom, screaming, "Its another BOMB THREAT! They wouldn't let me go to the bathroom!"

Great. So I said, "Ok we'll just stay calm until they tell us what to do."


A few minutes later they rang the fire alarm...and we were all headed out to the football field. That was around 12:30, I think.... We couldn't go back to the building until 2:40!! We sat out on the football field with all those 6th graders for that long. They had to bring in a bomb-sniffing dog. It was insane.

The kids ask, "is this a drill?" haha.... They think its only real if there really IS a bomb in the school. There are no bomb threat drills.

I was glad to run with Amy after that.... relieve some stress.

no makeup day.

Today was a no makeup day. I basically only left the house to run. It was a dreary kinda day.

I never got a sub call...so I cleaned the house in the morning. Later Jesse and I tried to go running (he rode Jeremy's bike) but we had to book-it back home when a thunderstorm rolled in. I got about 3 miles in. Then I did Level 3 of Jillian when I got home.

a funny thing happened.... in an otherwise terrible school day

Tuesday... I worked for the Art teacher at a High School today. I thought I was lucky because this teacher had 4th period planning...but I was wrong! As soon as I walked in the door the principal called for me to come into the office. They told me they needed me for 4th block in another classroom because they were short a sub. GREAT! So I had to stay all day.

When I got up to the Art classroom I saw that the teacher left plans for us to have a Gesture Drawing session, with students posing up on the tables for other students to draw. I thought it sounded kinda fun! So... 1st block went very well and I saw a few fairly decent drawings. This is when the funny thing happened.

I had a student sitting in a chair up on the table. He volunteered (which in this class, no one really wanted to pose) so he was sitting there...with these huge, funky white super-star looking sunglasses on. When he climbed up on the table I noticed that he had a ankle braclet on from where he's under house arrest. I found this interesting, but he had never given me any trouble.
Anyway.... he's sitting on a chair on the table. Posing. Looking really serious...and trying not to move with big white sunglasses on and a kind of defiant look on his face.

In the Art classroom there are windows that look out onto the back hallway.

The ISS teacher walked in the room and was looking for the regular Art teacher. (Who, by the way, is a 6 foot tall man with grayish hair and a beard) When she looked around she didn't see any teacher but she did see this student sitting ina chair, up on the table. I never noticed her, because I was walking around the room looking at their drawings.

A couple minutes later I see her talking to another male teacher in the hallway. They are looking in the classroom at my Gesture drawing model. I think you might be able to see where this is going....

The male teacher is getting angry. I can see it all over his face. But at this point, I'm not really sure why.

They start to walk over to the hallway where the door to my classroom is located. They walk in and before I can get their attention....and the guy says, "Where's Coach Nelson? Get down offa that table."

I waved at them (with my SUB name badge on) and told them that I asked this student to sit on the table. I explained that the other students were drawing him.

The ISS teacher apologizes and says that she came in looking for their teacher, but she didn't see a teacher cause I "blended in."

HAHAHA......

That was the only thing amusing (to me) that happened all day...

The 2nd block class was horrible. I had to move one kids to another seat because he couldn't stay seated and he pulled the metal piece out of a ruler and was swinging it around. One boy threw another kids hat across the room. So, the other kid grabbed him around the neck in a choke-hold. It was a terrible hour and a half of dealing with immature brats.

3rd block was MUCH better. There are only 10 or 11 students in there.

4th block was actually fun, because there were only 4 students in that class....and I couldn't find any plans. So we sat and talked for the whole class....which made it go by really fast.

half days are great days!

I worked a half day today at Poca Middle. I got a bunch of calls but I kept turning them down because they were all TERRIBLE! So, I had basically decided at 9 am that I wasn't going to work today. But then I got a call to do Social Studies at Poca Middle from 11:30 to 3:15. So I took that one...and I'm glad I did. It was an easy day. The kids were excellent. They just sat there quietly and did their work! Can you believe that? CRAZY! We even had a fire drill and they were good!

So... I got home around 3:35 and then I went to Valley Park to run with Amy. Which was lotsa fun. We ran around 4 to 4.25 miles today.

On the way there I got a phone call from the secretary at Poca High School...She said that the teacher I'm working for tomorrow in the morning needed to take the whole day off now...and she wanted to know if I could work. I told her that I would gladly cancel the other assignment that I had. So I did! Which I'm SO happy about because it was going to be crazy hard (not to mention stressful) trying to drive from Poca High to Winfield Middle in 5 minutes...hahaha!

So now I'm just doing the whole day at Poca! And I really like working at Poca. And even better than that...is that the teacher I'm subbing for has 4th block planning! It doesn't get any better than that!

Especially because I have to be at Cracker Barrel at 5....Thankfully, this will be my last week there until the last week in October. I still enjoy working there (on occasion) but I just HATE driving all the way down there in the evenings. I underestimated the sucky-ness when I signed up for it.

After running, I cooked a really good (if I may say so myself) dinner. It was spicy blackened tilapia with lime juice, roasted cajun potatoes, and pan-fried fresh green beans w/pecans. YUM! I loved it, I don't know if Jesse was extremely crazy about it.

After I cleaned up my very messy kitchen...Jesse and I went for a long walk. We walked from our place all the way to Hurricane City Park and back, of course. Then we watched a NEW episode of my favorite show, How I Met Your Mother....

Now I can't believe its 10:15!! It feels much later to me, I guess I'm going to bed pretty early tonight!

sUgaR buZz!!!

Church this morning was really good. God ministered to my heart...and I really needed it.

After church we went to my parents house... my honey bun cake made the trip with us.

We hung out there for awhile...then went to Jesse's sister Sarah's house in Hurricane for Jesse's Mom's birthday. She got a digital camera and she loved it! :)

We layed around and watched a little football...Jesse was so happy that his Redskin's won!

After that we came home....and I ate a ton of those pretzels I made...and a bunch of peanut/candy corn mix (which I <3, it tastes like a Payday bar) until I felt sick.

I did my leg workout DVD...and worked on updating and adding to my playlist at www.playlist.com which I can only hope you are enjoying as you read this blog! I know I enjoy it!!! But of course I am the one picking it out.

I haven't got a sub job call yet...which is strange because its a Monday....OK, thats a lie. I did get one call...but it was for an MI (Mentally Impaired for those of you who don't speak teacher) class at Buffalo Elementary and it was only for half a day starting at 7:15 am!....so I decided to reject that one!! We'll see if I get another call!! I may end up with the day off tomorrow.

On tuesday I have 2 half-day jobs at 2 different schools...so thats gonna be crazy. PLUS, I gotta work at the stupid barrel. blah.

the grocery game...

Today I slept in!!! I really miss sleeping past 6:30 am!

Then Jesse and I sat around and watched some tv on the laptop.

Jesse went over to his friend Ty's house at 2... to watch the Coal Bowl Game.

I stayed home...then went to Big Lots, Kroger, and Walmart...then back to Kroger! (cause they had some stuff for cheaper than Walmart)

I bought stuff to make a honey bun cake. I was gonna bring it to Sarah & Jay's house tomorrow (since we were getting together for Teresa's birthday) But.. I found out while the cake was baking that they are all going to go out to eat...probably to the WaffleHouse, which Teresa LOVES!

So I'm gonna bring the cake to my Mom's house and we are gonna have it for dessert there. She's makign Coq a vin tomorrow....a fancy way to say Chicken in Wine. :)

I also made some REALLY good pretzels. I'm going to share the recipe with you....

Sweet Cinnamon Pretzel Nuggets

1 lb bag of Sourdough Pretzel Nuggets (Snyder's of Hanover is what I used)
2/3 cup Canola Oil
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Mix oil, sugar, and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
2. Open the bag of pretzels and place in a large microwavable bowl
3. Pour sugar mixture over pretzels.
4. Microwave on High (Medium-High for higher watt microwaves. Mine is 1100 watts and I used 70% power) for 1 minute and stir. Keep microwaving for 1 minute intervals, stirring each time, until oil is absorbed.
5. Allow pretzels to come to room temperature. (try them warm!!


OMG, they are so good! Next time I may use a little more cinnamon. I think I'm going to try to come up with a recipe for Honey Mustard & Onion pretzels. I love the ones that Snyder's make..but they are expensive. Plus, its healthier to use canola oil and not use all those added chemicals like MSG that they use.


I'm going to bring them to my Mom's house too! If Jesse doesn't eat 'em all! :)

I didn't work out today.. I'm sore from yesterday!

another easy day!

Today I subbed for a social studies teacher at Buffalo High School. They did the West Test again in the morning, so it was another day of sitting and reading. This time the other teacher in the room with me was a man that goes to my Mom's church....and I went to school with his son. So we chatted a little.

After the West Test they had lunch....and then each block was shortened after lunch. I taught 1st, 2nd, and then 3rd Blocks and then went home.

I was tired when I got home....and I felt fat. I wanted to work out but I couldn't muster up the energy! I finally did a little later on...I did the Sculpt Sexy Legs Fast DVD and then Level 3 of Jillian on top of that!!

After I showered and got ready... Jesse and I went over to Brian and Jessica's house where we ate PIZZA!!!!!!!!!!! (I told myself I was only gonna eat 2 pieces, but I ate 3) Brian made some Brownies though...and I didn't eat ANY of those! Yay for me!

We watched "Baby Momma" with them. It was pretty funny! :)

drivers ed...was CAKE

Today was the easiest day ever!! The state is doing the "West Test" right now...and I haven't taken the required class to be able to admininster the test....so I sat in a classroom and read my latest James Patterson book. (3rd Degree)

That lasted until 11 am...then the students had lunch until 12. At 12 I had first block which was a driver's ed class. It only lasted about 40 minutes. After that I had planning period from 2:50 til 1:35. I sat in his office and read my book. His 3rd block class he goes driving with students but I didn't have to do that...so again, I sat in his office and read. Fourth period was Health, and it lasted from 2:40 until 3:30.

After school I ran with Amy. It was so much better running today! Yesterday was terrible! I felt like I could have ran 2 more laps! We ended up running around 5 miles....and not stopping very much.

Tomorrow I'm going to be a Social Studies teacher...and again I have to put up with West Test stuff....so, we'll see how that goes.

hangin in...

I didn't get a job on Tuesday, but I had a really good day! I got up and ran at the park with Jesse (ok, so he sat at a picnic shelter)...then Jesse finally got my car inspected. It had been expired since Sept. began! Then we went to Walmart and got my oil changed while I was shopping. I had a full day! Then at 5 I went to work at Cracker Barrel. I was there from 5 to 8 and I made 36 dollars. I'm done with that place.

I took a job for today at an Elementary School. I didn't like that so much! I taught music to 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, two 1st grades and Kindergarten! The teacher was WAY anal and left crazy detailed plans. Her room was SO cute, but everything was SO perfect it was kinda creepy.

It was the fastest time has ever past while I was subbing, thats for sure! But it wore me out! I tried to run when I got home but it felt like my legs weighed 100 lbs each! I still ran some but I power walked mostly..about 5 miles. After dinner, Jesse and I went for another walk too. I think it was about 2 miles, so I think I did ok for today even if I didn't run!

Just a few minutes ago I finally got a phone call for tomorrow! I'm doing DRIVERS ED!! AHH!! At first I was like....NO!... I can't drive with kids! But then Jesse reminded me that I would probably be teaching in the classroom..and I was like, "oh yeah, I forgot they did that" Duh! I'm hoping that he has planning period for 4th block and I get to come home early!!!

So, I'll let you know how that goes tomorrow! (pray for me)

last day of 4 day job

nothing exciting happened today at school....but after school I met my friend Amy at the park and we ran together. I hadn't really seen her since high school so it was great to chat even if we were out of breath! We are gonna do it like once a week or so. YAY!!!

After that Jesse and I cooked grilled chicken for dinner. Then we watched some TV (even though there was nothing good on but Dancing with the Stars and I don't like that show) and then we went to get gas (cause Jesse said the price was gonna go up tomorrow) Then we got ice cream cones from McDonald's and stopped by his mom's house.

I haven't got a phone call for tomorrow yet...and I'm hoping that I don't!!!! hahaha... cause I have to work at the Barrel tomorrow night. Hopefully it will be my last night there for awhile..... maybe ever. Plus tomorrow I REALLY need to get my car inspected and my oil changed...AND I need to go to the grocery store!!

Now...time for bed!

ahh, sunday

Today was a good day at church.... we went to my mom's house after church like always and we had Chinese food. Yum!

Then I came home.. ran... did laundry... and changed my blog background. Do you like it?

3 day job...turned into 4 with a bonus~!

So I got a 3 day sub job on Wed, Thurs, and Fri for a traveling teacher that goes between Winfield and Buffalo High. So I've been doing that for the past 3 days. I found out that the reason I'm there is because the former teacher resigned after just 8 days of teaching. It was his first year ever teaching. He was an engineer and I'm sure he was very good at Math. He was superbly (to the point of being ANAL) organized. But... he was a terrible teacher (according to the students and other teachers) and he could not control the students.

So.... he quit.

But thanks to him I made some money. I was asked to come back on Monday (Monday night there is a board meeting and they will be voting on the new teacher) So my 3 day job turned into 4....plus another teacher while I was at Buffalo asked me to sub for her next friday! YIPPERS!

I have been emailing back and forth with the doctor lady who wants me to teach her son private art lessons. It looks like that will be happening as of next week...and there may be two other students added in....which will make me mucho dinero.

I have to work at Cracker Barrel this week....but I'm thinking that this may be my last time. I've waited A LONG time to be able to say that!

busy bee

monday -- subbed at Hurricane High for a Science teacher. Ran 6.3 miles
tuesday -- subbed at Buffalo High for a math teacher. I really liked it. Ran 5.3 miles.

I'm tired.

weekends over already

Friday I thought FOR SURE I'd get a job. But I didn't!! I know teachers take Mondays and Fridays off more often than any other day....but I didn't get a call on Friday and so far I haven't got a job for tomorrow. (well, take that back,... I got offered a job for tomorrow to teach Elementary School BD (Behavior Disorder) kids and I turned it down..oh, no...thats just not for me!)

So.. I might not work tomorrow.

But the good news is that I did get a phone call about a three day job on Wed, Thurs, and Friday this week! YAY! And I got two jobs for the same Art teacher that I subbed for last Wednesday...but they are for later in September and one in October. YAY! Things are looking much better now!

Now I'm feeling bad for calling Putnam Co. sub system a "redneck" system. But at least I got to use all those photos. :)

I got an email tonight from a Family Practice Doctor in Ashland or Huntington that asked me if I could teach private art lessons to her kid. Thats exciting, huh?

We'll see what becomes of that!

1st & 2nd Sub Jobs in Putnam Co.

On Wednesday I went to Poca High School and subbed for the Art teacher there. It was a really good experience. Everyone there was super nice and sweet. The VP herself walked me up to my classroom and unlocked the door. I had a good day. 1st & 2nd blocks had about 23-25 students but 3rd block only had 11. After 3rd block I assumed that I would be able to leave since 4th block was the teacher's planning period.

So I walked down to the office with all of my things. I went to the secretary and told her that I was finished for the day, handed her my sub-folder, and asked if there was anywhere else that they needed me. She wasn't sure but she went to go ask the VP. The VP told her that they might need me and asked me to go sit in the teachers lounge next door. So I did that...and then I chatted with another teacher who I happened to go to school with back in the day.

15 or 20 minutes later.... I'm still sitting in there waiting...and thinking, "Gee, if they really NEED me, why am I sitting here?"

So I walked back in to the office....and the secretary says that the VP must have forgot about me. So we walked to her office but the door was closed.... bad news. She was in a meeting with some troublemaker and what appeared to be his grandmother. Great... So now I didn't want to just bail....but I was contemplating it. When I finally got to talk to her, she said that they didn't need me after all. So I left. My last class was over at 1:55 pm. I sat down in my car at 2:50pm. Almost an hour.....sheeeeesh.

I had a terrible headache when I got home...but I went for a jog anyway. I had a feeling it would make me feel better...and I was absolutely right! I only ran about 4 or 4.5 miles.

I got another call at around 6:40 last night. Jesse answered it and wouldn't let me hear what it was. He accepted it and didn't tell me what it was!!

I had to call back to hear where and what I'd be doing. The recording said, "Hurricane High School, 7:45 - 11:32 am," Then it said the teachers name and she said what she teaches... which sounded like a huge mumble. Jesse knew the teacher and knew what she taught the whole time cause he went to school at Hurricane. I'm still not sure what she said on that recording, but she teaches Language Arts to students who are BD or LD and maybe MI.

I was scared to go at first....but it wasn't too bad. I was hoping that she'd be a traveling co-teacher (cause those jobs are cake since theres another teacher in the room!) But...she had her own classroom. There was an aide in the room for the 2nd block....but he slept the whole time!!!
And then when he did wake up he went and got a lunch and ate. Then he took his tray out of the class and never came back.

Luckily the students were very well behaved, especially the 2nd block. After 2nd block, I got to leave! What a short day!

I went over to the valley park and attempted to run after that. It was too hot! Plus, I never run very well over there because of the soft gravel trails and of course the massive hills.

When I got home...I ate some lunch and then did my Jillian DVD again. I'm getting much better at Level 2. My arms used to shake and I used to follow the "beginner" chick. But now, I'm following the "advanced" chick and I'm doing GOOD! So.. I think it may be time to move on to the dreaded Level 3!!!

Now... I am just waiting on the phone to ring and tell me where I'm going to teach tomorrow. I'm pretty sure that I'll get a job for tomorrow since it is Friday! So far though....no calls.

3rd days the charm!

So today... I didn't substitute but I did work at Cracker Barrel from 5 to 8. It was a pretty decent night even though I rolled 2 pans of silver, was on middle Delfield and the "front round," as we like to call it. I made close to 40 dollars. (I rolled 2 pans as opposed to the typical 1 pan, because another girl's fake fingernail ripped off taking with it her real fingernail...which made it very hard for her to roll silver. So I was nice and made a deal with her, she racked it all...and I rolled it all)

While I was there I had my phone calls forwarded to Jesse's phone in case I got called for a sub job for tomorrow.

So... when I got out of Cracker Barrel I had a text message from Jesse that said "Got you a job for tomorrow" So I called him and I will be subbing for an Art teacher tomorrow! Yippee!! It made me sing, "Goodie Goodie Gumdrops, My heart is doing flip flops!"

So... tomorrow night I'm sure you will get the pleasure of learning about my first day subbing the great state of WV.

until then...

day 2

Day 2 of substitute teaching.... still no calls.

I'm gonna have to try Cabell County too cause this is ridiculous. I was actually really depressed about it this morning.....so much so that I couldn't bring myself to run. I got dressed in my running clothes...went outside...tried a little, but I just couldn't do it. So I power walked it through Hurricane.... over 3 miles.

Then I read my book on my rocking chair for awhile... and was still kinda bummed

Then I got over it mostly...and cleaned up my kitchen, did my Jillian DVD (level 2...and I KICKED ITS BUTT!)

Now... I'm chillin' and getting mentally ready to go to Cracker Barrel for the first time in over 2 weeks.

sigh... someday I will have a big girl job.

still .... ear - ah- tate- ed

So, last night I never got another phone call from Putnam Co.

So I got all my stuff together and ready for the morning....and went to sleep kinda early

I woke up this morning at 6 am... looked at my alarm clock and thought, "hmm, still no phone call." Then I couldn't go back to sleep. I kept waking up every 10 or 15 minutes because I was expecting a phone call.

Needless to say... I NEVER got a phone call.

Today I was very bored... I ran this morning (6.3 miles according to my pedometer) Then I got bored of sitting around and daytime television...so I went to the Goodwill and to Big Lots (I'm poor now cause I can't make no money!)

Then I came home and sat on the back deck and read my newest James Patterson book, Judge & Jury. After this one I'm gonna read 3rd Degree.

When Jesse came home from work I made dinner, Grilled Chicken Breasts, Sun-dried Tomato Whole Grain Rice with Mushrooms, and a salad. It was goooood.

Now... I'm still waiting on the phone to ring. This is gonna drive me nutso.

I think I'm going to go make Jesse (yeah, Jesse.....hehehe) some cookies.

Hypocrite Oprah Refuses to Interview Gov. Sarah Palin

Hypocrite Oprah Refuses To Interview Governor Sarah Palin After She Endorses Obama Sound Off! Tell Oprah What You Think The popular television talk show queen Oprah Winfrey said she will not interview hockey mom and Vice Presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin because she does not want her show to be used "as a platform for any of the candidates." She made that decision after Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il) appeared on her show and received her endorsement. It doesn't take Dr. Phil to figure out this is wrong. I've been concerned about the new age stuff on her show, but I didn't think she would be so obvious about her bias. Her actions prove she is just another liberal hypocrite. Oprah's television show, her magazine and entire media empire have been built on the illusion that she supports honoring the accomplishments of all women, and that she believes in fairness and impartiality. Now, the world knows she is not the advocate she claims to be. Her decision to exclude Gov. Palin from appearing on her show demonstrates that she operates by a lower standard than she espouses in her various business outlets. Oprah's refusal to interview the first woman to be chosen by the Republican Party as its Vice Presidential candidate can mean only one thing – she puts Obama's interests ahead of the interests of her viewers. The liberal media are doing everything within their power to embarrass Gov. Palin and her beautiful family. Oprah should not be a part of that lynch mob. Oprah needs to hear from you immediately. Contact Oprah and encourage her to 'change' her wrong decision and invite Gov. Palin to appear on her show. TAKE ACTION: Write a letter to Oprah asking that she have Gov. Palin on her program.