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Sunday, December 27, 2009

time flies

 
I can't believe how quickly Christmas came and went this year. Its almost 2010 and it seems like only the other day that I was blogging about 2008.
 
Since I last wrote....
 
On Monday Dec. 6th, Mom got a call from her doctor. He had the pathology results of her D&C. It wasn't what we wanted to hear...malignancy.
 
So, he scheduled her surgery for that Friday, Dec. 11th. Mom was admitted on Thursday morning. That was the last time she had food or water for 5 days! They took her in for the surgery at around 8:15 on Friday morning. Dad and I were there along with Pastor Jim. He said a prayer for her and we kissed her goodbye. We spent the next few hours talking in Mom's hospital room on the 3rd floor.
 
They called for us to come down to the 2nd floor at around 1:30. After a few more minutes of waiting, Dr. Schiano came out to talk to us. Dad, Pastor Jim, and my aunt Jo were there with me. Dr. Schiano said that they removed a very large malignant tumor from Mom's ovary. She had a complete hysterectomy. They also took her appendix and her omentum. Dr. Schiano said that they cut open her uterus and found a small amount of cancerous tissue there too. Then he mentioned something strange...at least it was to me.... He said that he believed Mom had 2 simultaneously occuring malignancies. He thought that she had developed uterine cancer AND ovarian cancer at the same time! This meant that it could be possible for Mom to be in Stage 1 of both cancers.
 
On Friday, after they brought Mom back from the recovery room she was soooo thirsty. It was really tough not to give her some water. We could only swab out her mouth every once in awhile. Why could she not have water? Well the problem is this; when they manipulate your intestines (and they looked at every inch of hers) they go into "shock" and won't work. So if she ate something, even an ice cube, she would have thrown up. Not exactly something that you want to do with 200 staples in your stomach and an NG tube down your nose!
 
When she got back to her "step-down" room, she had an oxygen/heartrate monitor, a port in her chest, an epidural, a drainage tube, an NG tube and a urinary cathiter. She rested the first night.
 
While she was laying there, I started talking to Dad. My heart started pounding and I knew I was supposed to talk to him about salvation. So, I said, "Dad, you believe what the Bible says is true, right?" and he said yes. This led to a short conversation....that ended up with me praying with him!! I looked up and Mom's heartrate had rose 20 beats per minute and she said, "I want to shout, but I can't!" She had Dad call Pastor Jim to tell him. Praise God! God works all things to good for them that love Him!
 
The next morning when Dad and I got to the hospital, Mom was sitting up in a rocking chair in her room! She looked pretty bad and I could tell that she was in a lot of pain. She got up and walked 4 times that day! The next day she walked down the whole hallway 4 times! They don't let you lay around after a surgery anymore. After a few days Mom started to look better and feel better. By Tuesday she was planning shopping trips! haha... Then they took the epidural out. She didn't realize how much that thing was helping! So, her pain was pretty bad after that, but she finally got to eat and then the next day, Thursday, they let her come home!
 
                                                                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last Monday, Mom had an appointment to remove half of her staples on her incision. She asked them how many staples they used and they said, "too many to count!" Her incision looks around 2 feet long! Its huge! Her tumor was around the size of a football, maybe bigger.
 
Mom has been doing really well now. She says that she feels a little better every day. Tomorrow she has another appointment to remove the remaining staples, and we are fairly certain that Dr. Schiano will be telling us the results of her pathology. We imagine that he will know more about her plan of treatment as well. He already told us that Mom will have to undergo chemotherapy. We are dreading this, but we are willing to do anything he feels that she should do. I will post more after I know it tomorrow.
 
It is amazing to me the amount of peace that I have had throughout this entire ordeal. I praise God for peace that passes all understanding. I have really felt God's presence. He keeps sending me messages that I'm not alone and that He is wirth me. The one scripture that I keep hearing over and over is Isaiah 43:1-2 Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you."
 
It makes me think of the Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were thrown into the fire but were not burned....and the Angel of the Lord was with them!! The Christmas season also reminds me that Jesus is with me. Emmanuel means God With Us!
Jesse and I went to church at Faith Christian Fellowship with my Mom and Dad this morning. I haven't been to church there in YEARS. There was a visiting minister there, Mike Manuel. At the end of his message, he began walking around the church, giving words of knowledge. He walked up to ME! (scary! haha) I cant remember his exact words, but he basically told me to have PEACE during my storm. He said that Jesus spoke and said "Peace, be still" I have to admit, it was a very amazing experience. God has always been so good to me!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

so much has happened....

I haven't posted on my blog for a long time, but I have been very busy.

School has been really good lately. I'm feeling more comfortable and getting more and more into a ruitine. I'm looking forward to next semester because I may not have to share my classroom AND I only will have one class of Art 1 instead of 2. Less freshmen is always a good thing!! :)

About a month ago, my mom told me that she had been feeling strange lately. We were sitting at the kitchen table. I was eating some chocolate chip cookies. She told me her symptoms. She said she had been feeling kinda bloated. She said that she hadn't been able to eat much. Normally, my mom would be all about some chocolate chip cookies. She didn't even take a bite. We had eaten steaks for dinner. She didn't finish hers. This was very unusual behavior.

She told me that she had been losing weight...but she felt like she had gained! She had been feeling tired and actually having some back and pelvic pain! I was concerned, but honestly, I thought that it might just be that she was going through menopause. I don't know much about that topic. I think she thought the same but she decided to make an appointment with her gynocologist. The soonest appointment she could get was for Dec. 1st.

I absolutely LOVE Dr. Oz and I record it on my DVR everyday. I always have at least 7 episodes saved on my DVR. So, I don't usually watch it on the day that it airs. However...on Veteran's Day...for some reason... I did. The first 15 minutes was about the early signs of ovarian cancer. I tried to find the video online, but couldn't. However, here is a video from the lady doctor that was the guest on the show that day...




Here is a link to Doctor Oz's website on the topic. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/ovarian-cancer-secret-killer

After I watched this show.... I was scared! My mom had ALL of these!! As soon as I watched it.. I called her.

Heres about how our convo went....
Me: "Did you watch....." (she didn't even let me finish!)
Mom: "YES!.... I taped it because I thought that it was going to be about Alzhiemer's.
Me: "I'm scared!"
Mom: "I have ALL of those symptoms, but I have an appointment. Its going to be ok, but it is weird how compelled I felt to watch the show today." (Mom never watches Dr. Oz)

So, that was on a Wednesday. Mom decided to talk to her Pastor about it that night at church. He encouraged her to make a trip to her general practice doctor to see what was going on. So, she did.

The next week, she went to her doctor. They took some blood and told her that they needed her to have a CT scan. She did this on Wednesday the 18th. They told her that she had a mass in her pelvic area that was between the size of a grapefruit and an orange.

She was given some pain meds and told that she should just wait until her gyn. appointment. Cysts, etc. on the ovaries are very common and more than 90sih percent are benign. So, I guess they weren't very concerned.

So, thats what Mom did. Until the following day, Thursday the 19th..... she was at school in the afternoon, teaching about 60 6th graders. When she started having severe pain. She had to call someone in to watch her students. Her principal had to drive her home! But she DIDNT go to the hospital then. She went through the whole night, in pain, until the morning. She called my Aunt Jo, who is a nurse, and she (and my cousin Danielle, who is also a nurse) told her to go to her gyn. right now!

I was in my classroom, when my Dad walked in and said, "Your mom is in a lot of pain and I have to take her to the hospital." But, I decided to stay at school and just go to the hospital at the end of the day.

I called them a few times to check on them. They took her to her gyn. office (which is at Womens and Childrens) first and they did a sonagram. They admitted her immediately.

She called me during my last class of the day. She said, "Its a lot bigger than they thought and we're probably facing a little bit of a fight. They referred me to an oncologist." Then she asked me to bring her some chapstick and her pillow.

After school, I grabbed her stuff she wanted and headed right to the hospital.


She was in there from Friday through Wednesday. They took a ton of photos...CT scans, barium stuff, etc. On Tuesday she had a D&C. Then on Wednesday they sent her home. We asked Dr. Schiano what the mass was...and he said that he had no way of knowing until surgery. He told me that she would probably have the surgery some time in the first 2 weeks of Decemeber.

Since then shes been doing ok. She's still losing weight and her stomach is actually getting larger.

We are now just waiting on her doctor to call us back about the results of the D&C. We are looking forward (reluctantly) to the date of her surgery. We want that junk OUTTA THERE! The surgery is pretty rough. Dr. Schiano is supposed to be EXCELLENT though. He takes out pretty much everything and looks for cancer. Because of that, its very hard after the surgery. Mom will not be able to eat or drink for about 4 days.

If you have made it through reading this whole story, you have shown that you care. So, I want to ask that you pray for my mom. I'll be posting when we find out the date of the surgery. Also, pray for my dad. He needs some peace. He is realizing how much he depends on my mom for just about everything. Mom also needs to rest and let him take care of her. She is not used to that!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Happy Art Teacher Moment!!

In my Art 1 classes I decided to squeeze in a quick lesson on proportion....so we've been talking about correct human facial and body proportions.  I went back into my past and pulled out an old Mr. Pahl assignment...the 1/2 face portrait.  My students are supposed to find a forward-facing magazine photo....then they cut the photo right down the bridge of the nose.  They glue one half down on white paper and then they finish the rest of the face.
 
I just thought that this would be some little, quick exercise and that they really wouldn't do that well... (I was vaguely remembering what mine looked like when I was in Mr. Pahl's class) But... I really stressed that I wanted them to look at the shapes of shadows and highlights...instead of drawing lines for the nose, lips, etc.  I REALLY stressed that I wanted them to look look look and look at the photo.
 
and....guess what they did?????
 
THEY LISTENED!  and then THEY DID IT!!      I'm so proud of them!
 
It made me remember when I taught adults watercolor painting last winter.... and they didn't listen to what I said AT ALL!  (of course they weren't getting graded, either)
 
I actually heard one kid say that this was his best artwork from this class.  Another girl said, "This is an assignment where even people with no artistic talent can do good!"
 
Needless to say....it made my day.
 
 
 

Monday, November 16, 2009

What Teachers Make

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."

To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
 
"I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor....
 
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental...

You want to know what I make?"
 
(She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)

"I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America .

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life."

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what I make?"

"I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?"

His jaw dropped, he went silent.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

going organic

So I've been reading the new Jillian Michael's book called Mastering Your Metabolism.  Its a lot about eating less hormones and chemicals.  She talks A LOT about eating organic food.  If it was up to me, I'd be all for the organic and healthy stuff.  However, Jesse... won't let me spend the money on it.  I guess I'll just have to make little changes over time.  Plus, it is really hard to find a lot of the organic foods that she says to eat around here in po-dunk WV.    We need a WholeFoods or a Trader Joes.
 
I'm going to try to take her advice and see if it makes any difference.  I actually have been doing a lot of the things she says to do already. 
 
I can't wait until next Sunday! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> NEW MOON!  New Moon! new moon!!!!!!!!!
 
I really hope this week at school goes by quickly.  The weeks usually do go by fast for me.  This week I have to go on a field trip on Thursday.  We are just going over to the Eleanor Army Reserve to do something.  I don't even know...its some kind of career conference.  I hope it turns out ok!!  I hate getting stuff ready for a sub though! booooooo.
 
 

Friday, November 13, 2009

Good week @ school

This week has been a really good week at school.  I think having Wednesday off for Veteran's Day really helped! haha.  Today (Friday) we had the annual PowderPuff Football game.  It was an easy day for me because I have first period planning ...so I only taught one class all day long!   The Seniors won.  One of my students made all but 2 of the points for the Seniors.  She was named MVP, of course. 
 
I really should be working on some of my grad school homework....but I just can't get myself to focus on it right now.  Again, I have to write up a stupid lesson plan.   BLAH.
 
Tomorrow is Saturday and I'm really glad that I get to sleep in!  Maybe I'll get to sleep more than I did on Wednesday morning.  Jesse's cell phone alarm went off downstairs at 6:45.  THEN, he got in the shower, turned on the vent and blasted music.   He is rude.
 
I really really miss reading! I've only read one book since Catching Fire...It's Swimsuit by James Patterson.  I bet I've been trying to read it for 2 months.   I really miss my free time.  Can't wait til summer!
 
Last night I stopped by the theatre and bought my New Moon ticket for this weekend! YAY! I'm so excited about that! My sister-in-law Bekah is going with me!!
 
 
 

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

no time to blog.

I wish I had the time I used to have while I was subbing!  I used to blog almost every single day! I really love keeping a blog.  Its really interesting to go back and look at old posts...like a diary.  :)
 
So at least I'm going to try to write a little from time to time. 
 
Lately school has been going pretty well.  I don't feel quite as stressed out.  My classes are going well.  I like my students a lot.  I think that I'll be glad to see a few of them go at 2nd semester...but there will be a few that I miss.  I haven't been bringing ANY work home.  None at all.  I like it that way.  I don't need to grade papers here.  If it takes me 3 weeks to get an assignment graded then it takes 3 weeks.  I don't care.  I can't seem to get things graded while I have kids in the room.  And planning period isn't long enough!
 
Some days I get so sick of hearing "MRS CROUCH!"  AHHHH!  It makes me crazy. 
 
And grad school has been making me crazy lately too.  I'm so sick of writing stupid lesson plans and all the other garbage I've been doing lately.  It kills me.  It ruins my weekends.  This week I'm trying to get all of my grad school work done during the week so that I can have the whole weekend to do whatever my little heart desires~!
 
Jesse is in Columbus this week. :(  I was really bummed about it.  This is supposed to be the last time that he has to go, except for maybe one more day.  I spent the night at Jessica's house last night.  I could hear Dax wheezing while I was trying to sleep.  hahaha.  It was nice getting to WHS in about 5 minutes this morning. 
 
Tomorrow she may be staying with me.. :)  Tonight I'll be snuggling with Kitsy.
 
 

Sunday, October 25, 2009

so much school work!

Wow.  I went for a run with Amy at the Wave Pool park after school on Friday... We are both taking grad classes and working full time.  We talked about how we almost dread the weekend more than the week...just because we save our school work for the weekends.  I spent all day yesterday working on an excel spreadsheet thingie for one of classes.  I'm going to try to attach it, but I'm not sure if it will work.  After I figured out how to do it, it was actually pretty cool.  I may actually use something like this sometime. 
 
Yesterday I just couldn't get motivated to do anything.  Jesse and I laid on the couch and napped.  It was very cozy, a little chilly and dreary outside.  I spent so much time on my school work that I didn't even work out.
 
Today we went to church...and we were going to go see my parents, like usual.  But I got a message from my Mom saying to call her.. ..so I did, and she sounded terrible!  She's sick...so we decided not to go over there.   Instead we came home and I made homemade pizza.  Then, I had some extra time to clean the house.  I hadn't cleaned the bathroom upstairs in way too long.   I have to say that my house is usually pretty clean and always neat....but, lately...cleaning just hasn't been at the top of my priority list. 
 
This week Jesse is going to be out of town in Columbus one evening.  Just one, thankfully!  Brian is out of town, too...so Jessica is going to spend the night with me! I'm excited about it.  We are going to go to the mall and get something to eat! :) 
 
Also, this week marks halfway through the semester!!  Nine weeks down... Twenty Seven weeks to go!  WahooO!  I can smell the suntan lotion and summer breezes already!!   I'm looking forward to this summer because, hopefully, Jesse and I will get to buy a house.
 
I'm looking forward to a lot of things in the next few weeks.. One- NEW MOON comes out on Nov. 20th. Two-THANKSGIVING.  Three-My birthday!   Four-Christmas break!  It'll all be here so soon!!
 
 

Thursday, October 22, 2009

is liking my job more and more

Well... I am still struggling at staying ahead at school.   Its tough...but I can see where it will be a lot easier next semester...and especially next year.  I was frustrated the other day because I gave my Art 1 students a complicated assignment. It has a lot of steps and a lot of requirements..but it got better the next day and today was even better.  I'm very happy with the way the assignment is coming along. 
 
They are doing a radial balance assignment using black sharpies on white paper. They have to cut them out and glue 'em to black paper. They look like snowflakes. I really like them. 
 
Art 2, on the other hand... I am still frustrated with.  They are painting...and I'm not kidding, their paintings look like 3rd graders did them.  Its a shame that Putnam Co. doesn't have Art taught by Art specialists in the elementary schools, because it most definately shows.  My students in Elementary school in Cabell county were better at art then some of my Art 2 students.  Very sad.
 
I love that the weeks are just seeming to fly by.  One nine weeks is just able over!! That means we are 1/4 of the way done w/ the school year! YAY!   Plus, the holidays will be here before we know it.  I can't wait til my grad classes are over.  At least I get a decent break w/ college classes.  They end during the first week of December.  It would be nice to get that long of a break from work!
 
 
 

Saturday, October 10, 2009

I'm breathing a little easier....

oh my goodness... I've been really stressed out lately and really busy. I've been staying up too toooo late this week. I was so tired last night! Thank God for fridays because I needed some rest. I slept until after 10 am this morning and I don't think its ever felt so good.

This week was Spirit Week at WHS. I had a lot of fun dressing up. I wore a tie-dyed t shirt on Tie-Dye Day. I wore a Redskins shirt for Jersey day (No it wasn't a Jersey, but so what?) I wore leg warmers, hoop earrings, blue eyeshadow and bangle bracelets for Decades day. (of course, I picked the 80's) and I wore a green sweater for green and white day.

We've had a lot of students absent for the flu, swine flu, and other sicknesses this week. It's SO hard to keep up with. Plus, I picked this week to do my hardest lesson, Perspective! :(

Today is Saturday....and I have been sitting all day behind this computer. Literally over 12 hours. My back is killing me! I have a paper due this week in my human development class...and I've been working on that and on another assignment for my CIEC 534 class. I can't wait until this stupid 20 page paper and the 50 pages of articles that I have to send with it is mailed to my professor and submitted to turnitin.com. My life will really improve.

I'm almost finished though! :) Meanwhile, my house is filthy.

Tomorrow, church...mom and dads for lunch...walmart...workout...and hopefully finishing up the paper. Wish me luck!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

back in Columbus

I've been having a good time here in Columbus! Jesse had another business trip but this time I decided to come along. I took off 2 personal days from work.

This morning I slept in til 9. Then I went downstairs for breakfast. The hotel has a nice hot breakfast buffet.. and it is expensive! Jesse's company gave him 2 complementary tickets for breakfast...and since he's not a breakfast eater, he gave them to me! I had a fresh waffle, fresh pineapple, grapes, chocolate soy milk, and coffee. Tomorrow I'm planning on eating an omelet.

I spent the whole day shopping. I bought a really cool Toulouse Lautrec tshirt. I spent a long time shopping in a huge forever21. I bought a few things in there. I went to just about every shop in the Polaris Mall.

I may have ran out of things to do for tomorrow!

Tonight Jesse and I ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I ordered a fettuccine with chicken and sun dried tomatoes in Parmesan sauce. Sounded like it would be something that I LOVE.....but it was nasty! I never send stuff back...but this was bad. I didn't want to eat all those calories when it was bland and kinda burnt tasting. yuck. So, I sent it back and I got a Four Cheese Pasta and it was AWESOME. It had a scoop of ricotta cheese in the middle...and it was loaded with cheese and a yummy marinara sauce. I loved it!!

Jesse order Chicken Belaggio. It may have been the best fried chicken breast that I've ever had. Then it had a yummy spaghetti pasta with oil and basil plus it had prosciutto and arugula on top.

Can't wait til I get up and eat some yummy breakfast! goodnight!

Friday, September 25, 2009

no time to breathe.

Oh my goodness... I haven't blogged in forever! I think this may have been my longest hiatus ever!

I'm really really busy....especially at school. I wish I had another hour of planning a day. I feel like I'll never get the stuff done that I want/need to get done. I'm always having to work on stuff at home. Its a pain. I don't get paid for that time and Jesse gets upset with me working at home, too.

I've been really stressed lately. Mostly about my grad school classes.... Mostly my Edf 616 class because the Professor isn't very clear...and we have to write this big paper. We have to find 6 research articles and I was having a really hard time finding what I needed... I think I've finally got my articles now. Its due on Oct. 16th so I should probably get started.

This week, I had my principal come in and do an observation of me teaching this week, too. I had to send a student out of my room. I had to give a student after-school detention. I also broke up a verbal girl fight where the girls were so angry that they were shaking. Its been a crazy week.

Jesse was out of town again this week. Just from Monday to Thursday this time. Next week I took off 2 personal days so I can go to Columbus with him! I'm really excited about that! We are trying to figure out where to eat out while we're there. I kinda wanna go to Macaroni Grill or the Cheesecake Factory. I'm really glad that I'm going to get a couple of days to chill and relax. I hope the weather is nice!!

With all this stress...it was bad timing for the health screening that we had at school today. I signed up for it because if you have good numbers PEIA will pay me 50 bucks! However, I've never given blood for ANYTHING before and I was seriously nervous. I had to squeeze the hand of a large, old, male nurse. But...there was absolutely no reason to be nervous. It was easy! It barely hurt at all.

BUT......when I looked at the tube of blood...it sorta freaked me out. Physically I was fine, but seeing my blood kinda messed me up. I can't stop thinking about it. Is that normal??????? Seeing that much of my own blood made me feel real...like mortal....like someone could squish me and I would bleed and die. It's not like I didn't know this before, but seeing the blood just made me seem more real somehow.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

feeling...better

I was totally sick yesterday. BLAH. Felt horrible!! Last night I started feeling sooo much better. I took some Tylenol Cold medicine and it helped but it makes me feel all yucky and disconnected. It makes me feel like my brain doesn't work properly and my reflexes feel slowed. I hate that feeling! I slept much better last night. This morning I'm still feeling pretty good. I'm not back 100% yet, but I'm here at school. I'm making it through.

My sub seemed to do a good job, she complimented me for being very organized and said she would come back to sub for me any time!! :) Thats always a good thing! I know as a sub, that if you don't really mean that, you don't say it. You never want to go back to a bad place.

So, thats good ...since I'm going to be out of town for 2 days the week after next. I'm going to need a sub!! I'm going with Jesse to Columbus for his business meetings. I'm excited! :) We haven't been to Columbus since we left in Dec. 2003. I'd like to go to church on Wednesday night, but... we'll be headed home. We both have to work on Thursday morning.

I'm in the Art office right now and I just woke up. hahaha. I decided to take a little nap. It was nice.

Its almost time for 2nd...gotta go

Monday, September 14, 2009

way too busy to blog!

Oh my goodness. I'm so busy lately that I have to write a post-it note to myself to remember to brush my teeth.

At school I'm always trying to keep my head above water. I feel like I'm always behind and running to catch up. I don't ever have a minute to spare!

My classes have been going pretty well. I'm learning as I go. I still have to find better ways to manage my materials. Eventually I'll find a system that works.

I'm also taking grad classes right now so that has kept me busy while I'm home. Of course, I've still been trying to work out every day....which I'll admit is a challenge!

This past weekend Jesse got his new 47" tv. So, I had planned on having a big football party. I made a TON of finger food. I made pepperoni rolls, sausage balls, cocktail meatballs, cheese ball, cinnamon pretzels, fiesta pinwheels, honeybun cake and homemade vanilla ice cream! It was a little crazy over here being that there were 25+ people and at least 10 kids. The kids didn't really have a place to play so it was a little rowdy.

Last night I started feeling crappy...with a sore throat and sore back. Jesse had been sick all weekend. He gave it to me. I. feel. awful.

So, I got plans ready for a sub. and I'm taking the day off tomorrow. I can't wait to get in the bed and sleep alllllllllllllllllll day tomorrow. I'm beat.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

much better day!

Today was a better day... I felt really good about how my classroom worked today. I had to take one of my trouble makers in 4th block out in the hall and have a little conversation. It helped a lot. :)


After school I stayed a little while and fixed all my crazy cords from my projector, computer, ethernet cord, printer, etc. that were all over the place. I got my printer hooked up finally (since I finally found the right cords in the Art Office! :) I even have some ink for it YAY! Tomorrow I just need to stick in cartridges in there and I should be set. I had to download the drivers from http://www.hp.com/.


I was sleepy when I got home, so I just didn't feel like working out. Instead I decided Jesse and I would have an early dinner and then go for a walk. So, thats what we did. It was such a beautiful evening! I miss our really long walks we used to take when we were both unemployeed. :( Tonight's walk was probably only 2 miles or so.


Jesse has to go out of town soon for about 3 nights. He's gotta go to Middletown, Ohio for training for his job. :( I'm upset about this, but I'll make it through.


at school

Right now I'm at school. I'm sitting in the Art office trying to get myself prepared (instructionally & mentally) and ready to face the day. I'm liking my 2nd block a lot, even though its my biggest class. I LOVE my Art II class, which is right after lunch....but 4th block is tough. Today I'm going to be mean. They aren't bad...there are just a few who are trying to push my boundaries and today is the day that I'm going to set them straight.

Last night I stayed up far too late reading The Time Traveler's Wife. I'm getting down to the end and its making me nervous....its one of those books where you kinda know whats going to happen (or at least you think you do) and it adds a lot of suspense because you don't want it to happen. Its been a really strange but really good book.

Yesterday was the first day that the Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy book came out. Its called Catching Fire. I was going to buy it because I couldn't wait....but I reserved it at the library and I'm number 1 on the list!! So, I'm happy about that. I should get it pretty sooN! YAY! My library fine for The Time Traveler's Wife is up to about a dollar now. All in all, a bargain! Plus, I feel like I'm donating to the library. ;) I should finish it up tonight.

Today my students are beginning their first real art assignment. They are going to create a work of art using LINE (the first element of art) that is inspired by the Op-Art movement. We are going to talk about the expressive qualities of line and how a simple line can show emotions. Sound interesting? I hope it keeps them involved for a few days at least.

More about that later....gotta go!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

blogs on the backburner

Thanks for all the concerned people responding to my overcrowded classroom situation. It hasn't been completely fixed, but for now the problem is under control. On Monday afternoon they created a new English 9 class. It took 5 kids out of my 4th block, leaving me with around 30. They also took 3 out of my 2nd block, leaving me with 33. It would be nice to get 2nd block down to 30, but its not that bad. There are a bunch of seniors in that class, so they are pretty well behaved and calm.

I have a kid in my 4th block that is driving me crazy and telling me that he loves me. He's one of the biggest smart-you-know-whats I've ever seen. There are a couple of crazies in there. Plus not very many of them can draw so it takes a lot of my attention to give independant help.

well...I gotta go bake a pizza now, but I'm sure I'll blog again soon. I miss it!!

blogs on the backburner

Saturday, August 29, 2009

wow...where to begin?

I'm not sure what to even say about school so far. I can say that I love my 3rd block class, which is Art II. I have about 18 kids in there.

On Tuesday, our prep day, I got my class lists and they said that I had 29 and 31 students in my 2 Art I classes. Crowded, but not that bad. On the first day of school, however, I got my code to log onto Edline. I pulled up my class lists on there...and it said that I had 36 in both of those classes. Yes, 36!!!!!!

How is that even possible? I don't have near enough room for 36. My room would be cozy with about 26. So, I ran down to the office to tell the administration. They promised me that it would be fixed. 3 days later, though, I still have 36 kids. Hopefully, by Monday or Tuesday they will get some of those guys outta there for me.

I have had to pull in chairs from the science office and from Mrs. Johnson's room to have enough places for everyone to sit. Its been a nightmare. Kids don't even have a place to write, let alone work on some art.

Needless to say, those seating charts I spent my time on went in the trash. I have rearranged my room three time in three days just trying to make it work a teensy bit better.


And, of course, my lesson plans have totally changed, too. Now I'm just trying to come up with stuff for that many students to do in that small of a space. Its difficult because I cannot have them up and moving around. I cannot have them getting materials out. I don't really want to waste the materials that I have on kids that will be removed from the class.

So, I think starting Monday they will be doing some lovely book work. They'll love that. Maybe that'll get some of 'em to drop.

ok... I'm going to get on with my busy saturday now. Off to Wal-Mart!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Monday wasn't that bad...

This morning I had to go back to the CE at PCTC. It was even worse this time because I had to sit with people that I didn't know. Although, somehow it went by pretty quickly. I had an extra 3 hours of CE so I decided that I wasn't going to hang out for the afternoon. So I skipped out at lunchtime and came back home.

After all that talk about hair cuts yesterday, I never got around to calling my hair dresser to make an appointment. I'm going to try to remember to do that tomorrow.

When I got home I read my newest Better Homes and Gardens magazine and a little of The Time Traveler's Wife. Gosh that book is huge. It was actually due back to the library today, so I'll be racking up a fine soon. Its only a dime a day. I figure its the least I can do to support the library system, right?

My sister-in-law and brother-in law, Sarah and Jay are having their second baby tomorrow. If they don't have her tonight, then she is going to be induced tomorrow around 8 am. I'll be writing more about that tomorrow for sure.

Tomorrow is my first day of work at Winfield High School!! I'm really excited!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

should I do it????

I've been getting really sick of my hair lately. Its just so b.l.a.h. I'm going to call my hair lady (I go to Bev at Unique Designs in Eleanor) on Monday and set up an appointment. I'm considering doing something slightly drastic...ok, its really drastic for me since I've not really changed my hairstyle since 4th grade (and trust me, that was a mistake! haha I wish I had a photo of my 4th grade bowl cut to post!)



What I want is something similar to a pob. A pob is what they call Victoria Beckham's hairstyle a.k.a. a posh bob...shortened to just pob. Some websites call it an "inverted bob," too. These photos look really good, but I don't know if I'm brave enough to go this short. So what I was thinking was more like a longer version of the pob.


More like in this photo of Kelly Clarkson. I really like this one. I like this next photo of Hayden Panettiere, too. Except I do not want bangs. I don't want to deal with bangs. And this one is a little short too.



I don't know!!! The more I look at these photos, the more I think cutting my hair short could be a big mistake. Although, its not the end of the world. Hair grows back. It might be worth a try....but its so scary!!

Maybe I'll think of something else...a different hairstyle thats not so drastic.
Maybe...more like this.



<---I like this one!! :) hmm...I wonder if this one is long enough to still get in a pony tail? I think it probably is. :) This one may be a winner.

Friday, August 21, 2009

worst book I've read in as long as I remember.

I finished reading Evermore today, and I'm not really sure why I did. I should have put it down a lot sooner. It was pretty terrible. The writing was atrocious.

Now I'm about to start reading The Time Travelers Wife.

I went to a CE training for all high school teachers at Putnam Career and Tech. Center today. It was pretty dang boring. They had one lady talk to us for the whole freakin' day about assessments. A few things she said resonated with me...but most was just AWFUL. I think I'm going to try to bring something to work on for Monday. I don't know if I can take that again. A lot of people were being very rude and talking while she was trying to teach.

I just got on Marshalls online website about my grad classes. I was upset to find out that I need 2 books that are going to cost a collective 180 bucks. Blah.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

I love (getting paid for) art!

Summer is over. But...today was a good day! I had a CE training at the Huntington Museum of Art this morning. Mrs. Cole and I carpooled. When we got there, they had a little table with tons of fresh fruit (FRESH pineapple, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, etc) hot teas, coffee, pecan tarts, water bottles, fruit juices...I mean, it was really really nice. I had already eaten oatmeal, but trust me, that didn't stop me from eating my weight in grapes and drinking a bottle of 100% cranberry juice. YUM!

Then we had a presentation on a new critique type strategy called Visual Thinking Strategy or VTS for short. It was really interesting and I think I will use it in my classroom. Then we went to an art studio and made some paper! It was fun. I had never done papermaking before and it was actually really easy and fun. I mixed purple glitter and purple string into mine. :)

Lunch was good, but I ate way too much. They ordered us a lunch from Heavenly Ham. I had a zesty roast beef, which was good...but the ciabatta bread that it was on was HUGE! It had a delicious horseradish mayo on it that provided the ZESTY. ;) I also had a diet coke, tropical fruit cup, a cookie, and a mint. It all came in a cute little box. If you want a catered lunch, Heavenly Ham is top notch.

After lunch we headed back to the studios and made some clay bowls on a potter's wheel! It was hard, but fun. I've never used a wheel before, so it was interesting to say the least. My first attempt turned out really really well. It must have been beginners luck because the 2nd try was a disaster!

At the end the museum gave us some free gifts. I got a NICE tin of 12 prismacolor pencils, a large kit of Sargent chalk pastels, and some natural sun print paper.

On the way home, Susie and I stoppped at the Goodwill in Milton. She is looking for something to use as a lecturn. I looked around and saw a fitness step. My videos use those sometimes, but I don't have one, so sometimes I have to improvize. NOT ANY MOOOOORE! I got it for 3 bucks! I've looked at them in the store for around $40. Pretty good deal! I didn't take this photo, but it looks just like this. After some research on the internet, I found out that its a Jane Fonda Fitness Quest Stepper w/3 Risers. :)

I'm going to go read now. Tomorrow I have a boring day of CE ahead of me.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

stinky bleach hands

I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned today. I started in the kitchen and I pretty much cleaned everything in the house. I cleaned the stove top thingies. I completely cleaned out the fridge....

I cleaned under the microwave. I even cleaned out my lazy susan. The only thing that I didn't get to was running the vacuum cleaner.... I guess I'll do that later.


I did make time to read a little bit. So far I'm not that impressed with Evermore. Its a little teenie-bopperish. But.... I'm still kinda into the story even if the writing isn't that good.

I ran for about 15 minutes and then did one of my old Jillian Michaels DVDs. For dinner I made my homemade whole grain veggie pizza. I've got it down to a science now and its actually one of the easiest dinners that I make regularly.


Tomorrow I have a lot of stuff that I want to get done. ITS MY LAST DAY OF SUMMERTIME FREEDOM!! AHHHH! I can't believe it! The summer is over. On Thursday I have to go to a special CE for Art teachers. It lasts all day and they are buying us lunch from Heavenly Ham. :) I'm getting a zesty roast beef sandwich. I'm lookin' forward to that! YUM!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Newest New Moon Trailer

can't wait til November!!

Today I had some yummy steel cut oats for breakfast while I worked on the menu for the week and a grocery list. Then I headed out to the library, Elder Beerman, Big Lots, WV Craft & Hobby, and then to Wal-Mart. I didn't make it back home until around 3:30.

After I got home and put the groceries away, I worked out. Today I ran for about 20 minutes and then I did a Jari Love DVD. I even added a little Kathy Smith stretch video at the end. I <3 that video!

Then it was time to cook dinner. I tried a new baked chicken breast recipe tonight. I thought it was awesome, but Jesse declared it was, "pretty good." It was called Curried Honey Mustard Chicken from www.allrecipes.com. I love curry! Its tasty and makes your house smell so good. It does stick on your clothes and hair though. I probably smell like a Indian Restaurant right now.

Then I got on facebook and saw the new Twilight Trailer. OH MA GOODNESS!! I cannot wait until this movie comes out. It really looks like its gonna be great! You can call me a dork if you want, but.... everytime I watch this trailer I get chill bumps!! I LOVE JACOB! I'm really looking forward to seeing him sans shirt for pretty much the entire movie. hahaha! I'm posting the trailer in the next post.

I'm so glad that I made it to the library today. Now I have five books to read. Tonight I'm gonna start reading Evermore by Alyson Noel. I hope its good!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

open house day

After church this morning I went to my mom and dads like always. My mom made lasagna and we had chocolate chip cheesecake for dessert.

At 2 Dad and I had to leave to go to school for the Open House. There were quite a few freshman and parents there, but I didn't really get too many visitors. For some reason the air conditioning in my hallway was off...or hadn't been on very long...or was having problems...or something. It. Was. Hot.


I was wearing a really cute dress that Mom just bought for me and I was sweating like a pig. I put on facebook that I sweated like a fat kid at summer camp. I had to continually fan myself to be able to stand it. Then, I walked out into the main hallway and a teacher said her classroom was so cold that her ears hurt! So I guess it was just my hallway! :( My hair went flat and yucky and my face was all shiny...NASTY!

Tomorrow I'm gonna go to the library and to Elder Beerman to get some Clinique face soap for Jesse.... I've gotta work out...and I have some things to work on for school. Over the next three days, I'm going to try to clean my house from top to bottom. I may not get the chance to clean it really well for awhile.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

out of books!!

Today has been a good day. I think I'll make it my typical Saturday ruitine! Except when school starts I may have to start doing a little housework on Saturdays, bleh!

Today I made myself a pancake...then I read a bit while drinking coffee. Kitsy came and stretched out on my lap...and it was very cozy. :)

Then I worked out. Today I did one of my old old videos (self;sculpt sexy legs fast) Then I changed into my swimsuit and layed on the back deck for over 2 hours. It was HOT and I was sweaty, but I love it. I LOVE the sun.

While I was out there I finished reading The Lucky One. It was pretty good. I think it will be a movie eventually. It would make a great movie actually. Now I don't have any more books to read!!!! I think the delivery guy at the library has been on vacation or soemthing because none of my new books on hold have arrived at the Putnam Library for a LOOOONG time. Then, all the sudden a few days ago three arrived on the same day.

I kinda don't know what to do without a book to read. I feel lost. I can't get to the library until monday. I think I'll go early!

I cooked dinner (taco salad) and then Jesse and I went for one of our long walks. All in all a great day!


Tomorrow, I'm going to church, of course...but after that I have to go to an Open House at WHS. I'm kinda nervous about starting teaching!! AHHH!! I'm excited, but nervous too! The other day my dad helped me carry in my mini fridge and my microwave to my classroom...and while we were there he saw one of the vice principals and she told him that he has a CLASSROOM this year! YAY!!! He has been traveling from classroom to classroom for the past 2 years. This will be SO much better for him. I'm so happy that he finally got a room!

I'll write about the Open House tomorrow!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

3 dollar deal

Today I had to wake up and go to a Ob/Gyn appointment...after that ickyness I had to drive to Winfield to get a form from the Assessor's office at the Courthouse. Since I was over there...I went over to the high school. I continued to try to get my last century computer to do what I want it to do...with no luck. Blah.

I emailed the principal to see how I could get a newer computer. I can't do ANYTHING on that one. :(

Afterwards I decided to run in the Goodwill store and just look around to see if they have anything good. I go in there from time to time and usually, I don't buy anything. Today, I'm really glad that I went in there. My mom has been looking for a stool to use in her classroom. I walked to the back of the store and they had a tall wood stool marked for 3 dollars! It was filthy!!! I mean FILTHY! It looked like it was covered in muddy water and cob webs....but it still had good bones. So, I called her...and she was actually in Walmart with a large 40 dollar stool in her cart! She put it back and told me to biy the 3 dollar one...and then they met me at Big Lots to get it. I think she liked it! :) Not bad for 3 bucks.

Then I went to Big Lots and bought a laptop sleeve.. I figured if I can't get my school computer to work, then, HECK, I'll just bring my own. So now I have a cute little bag to my computer in.

When I got home, I layed out on my back deck and read a little of my newest book, The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks. I used to be a huge Nicholas Sparks fan, but I just can't really get into this one. It seems like everytime I start reading it I get really sleepy. We'll see if I finish.

For dinner tonight I made the Cabbage Sloppy Joe's again. They were so good the other day...and Jesse ate all the leftovers which made me really want them again.

Tomorrow I'm supposed to make a baked whole chicken...and I still gotta find a recipe for it. I guess I'll be doing that in the morning. For now, goodnight!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

pizza & a movie!

Today was a really great day! It started out nice...I slept in. Then I made myself some of my favorite pancakes! (yes, with peanut butter!!) Then I sat in a oversized green chair that is in our family room with a cup of coffee and a blanket and I read....and read...and read. I'm not sure how long I read, but now I'm almost finished with The Good Thief. I really love it so far!! Its almost like reading an old classic novel. Its a lot like Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and Tom Sawyer. I can't wait to finish!

After that, Jesse's sister, Mary stopped by with her 3 kids. Jaiden, her youngest and only son, needed a hair cut and Jesse has been buzzing it lately with his clippers. So, they did that...and I sat on my bed with Braylan and Amiya and read some books to them.

After they left we went to Walmart to get a few things and a DVD from the redbox. When we got home I worked out. I did another Jari Love video, this time it was Ripped: To The Core.


I really gave my shoulders a GOOD workout today. I'll probably be sore tomorrow.

After working out I cooked dinner. Jesse said he wanted one of my homemade pizzas again, so I made that. We just had one on Tuesday night, but.... hey, they are tasty!!

After dinner we watched the DVD we got earlier. It was Obsessed. It was a pretty decent movie. I can't say that Beyonce was the best actress I've ever seen, but she wasn't terrible and she got to kick a little booty...which I think Jesse enjoyed. hahaha.



Tomorrow...church and then heading to my Mom and Dad's house as always :)

Thursday, August 6, 2009

a busy day of errands!

I knew last night that I had a lot to get done today.... I even took the time to sit down and make a to-do list. Usually when I do that... I get to about a half of the list. Today I got 'em all!



This morning I woke up and worked out... I did a Jari Love DVD called Get Ripped & Chiseled. Heres a video of here for you all to see what I sweat through every other day. :)




Then I made myself a vanilla protein pancake. I got ready and went to the Board Office to drop off my forms. I actually had to go in THREE different departments to drop off various paperwork. I practically gave myself a tour of the building!


I called Ms. Cole and found out where the longer cord that connects my PC to the projector was....and so I went to the high school to get the projector hooked up. I think I've got it now, but the longer cord is WAY too long and I've got cords going everywhere! :( I hate cords. I can't wait until the entire world is wireless!!







After that I went to the library, dropped off all my completed books, and got one new one. Nicholas Spark's book The Lucky One. Although, today I started reading another book...one I had never heard of, called The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti. So far its been pretty interesting, but I've only read like 3 chapters. I finished Peeps and it was a great book, except I thought the end seemed rushed...and not as well thought out as the rest of the book.

After the library I made myself a blackberry smoothie and spent about a half hour sitting and reading on the back deck. There wasn't much sun, though!

Then I cooked dinner...which I thought was AWESOME!! I made sloppy joe's...but these weren't your typical sloppy joe's..and there were no cans involved. I found the recipe on www.allrecipes.com and it was called Cabbage Sloppy Joes.

Mine were a little different though because I didn't use celery (Jesse hates the stuff) and I used ground turkey instead of beef to make them even healthier! I think I added some hot sauce and extra green pepper and seasonings, too. Oh, and I used Nature's Own White Wheat Buns. They are fairly healthy and very tasty. :) I whipped up a little homemade coleslaw to go with it too.

I normally am not that into sloppy joes, but these were GOOD! and I like that I can hide the cabbage in there and Jesse doesn't know how much veggies he's getting!!! hehehehe.

After dinner I vacuumed the whole couch (which is huge) I vacuumed the stairs and I vacuumed the entire upper floor. I even did the baseboards! haha... Then I did a load of laundry....OOPs...that just reminded me that I forgot to put them in the dryer!

I started watched So You Think You Can Dance and got distracted, I guess. I was glad that Jeanine won! YAY! Now, I just have a few weeks to wait before Season 6 begins!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

sooo much paperwork...



Today I had to wake up early and go to WHS to a CE training on Substance Abuse. It wasn't that boring..haha. It actually was better than I had anticipated because I got to chat with Amanda and Kim, two of the teachers I worked with last winter at Poca Middle!




That was over around 11:30 and then I went upstairs to work in my classroom for a bit. I tried to hook up the projector to my computer. I got that to work, even though I need a longer cord to get it set up right. Then I tried to open the Powerpoint presentation on my computer from my USB stick....well, I was out of luck because my stinkin' computer is SO OLD that it won't install my drivers from the USB!! AHHHHH! I need neeed neeeeeed a new computer ASAP!




After that I stopped by my mom and dad's house for a few minutes. My dad is looking at maybe getting a new job.... which would mean that I wouldn't be working with him at WHS, but I think he would be happier. Putnam Co. might be making a new new full-time positions for Athletic Trainers (because they can't keep people as it is because they pay diddly-squat) So, if they do that he is going to try to get the job at Buffalo High School. We shall see.




Then I had to stop by the Board Office to pick up my benefits package. I had to fill out a billion forms....but pretty soon I'm going to have life insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, and vision insurance. I had to fill out a bunch of other stuff too. I even got a Heavenly Ham menu order form that I had to fill out for my CE training day on August 20th. :) I'm gonna get a Zesty Roast Beef Sandwich, an Apple, Double Chocolate Carmel Cookie, and a Diet Coke. :) I'm looking forward to that!






I watched the So You Think You Can Dance finale show tonight, of course. I have to say that, like Nigel, I was most impressed with Brandon and Jeanine. I can't really say who's going to win...I'm tempted to say Brandon, but..... a black muscly guy won last year and it would be good for a girl to win this year!! We'll see tomorrow!






Which one will it be??

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Jesse's last weekend of unemployment (at least for awhile...hopefully!)

Poor Jesse. His last weekend of unemployment and he spends all Friday and most of Saturday feeling like poo. I don't know what was wrong with him, but he threw up on Friday at least 4 or 5 times (One was a "good one," he said! hahaha) He slept a lot.

On Friday morning, I stayed in bed and read ALL day. From the time I woke up until 1 pm I only left the bed to pee. Then I got up, made me a protein shake, and got back into bed...and read until 4:30!! Can you believe that? It was awesome. hahaha..... My book was really good and I just couldn't stop until I was done! I was reading Paper Towns by John Green. Which in typical John Green fashion..was hilarious! I laughed until I had tears flowing down at one point...Jesse asked me what happened that was so funny and when I told him..he even laughed a little. There was a lot of suspense in this book and thats why I spent all day reading it!! I couldn't stop.

Friday night, we were supposed to go over to Brian & Jessica's house for pizza and a movie...but, of course, that would have been awkward what with Jesse sleeping and running to their bathroom every couple hours. haha. So, we stayed home.

I was really bored while Jesse was snoozing so..I went to Kroger. They had chicken breasts on sale for $1.79 a pound. So I bought about 6 packages. I also had to go to the post office. That was the extent of my Friday evening.
On Saturday morning we went to April Dawn Park in Milton for Amiya's 5th birthday party. Normally I'd have pictures to post, but when I got there I realized that the memory card was still at home. booooooo! This pic is a random shot of the park that I found on the internet.



The kids (not the ones in the photo, but my nephews and neices) had a lot of fun. They have water fountains there that come up from the concrete. Mary brought water balloons too...and Braylan tossed one at some other child standing behind me. Of course, she missed....and who do you think she hit? Why ME, of course! haha. It wasn't bad, I just got drenched on one side of my tank top and shorts. The sun was so hot that it dried really quick. Braylan walked over to me (after Jesse said something to her) with a towel for me to dry off with. :) She looked really sorry.

After that Jesse and I went to Sheetz in Milton. His sister, Sarah, gave us some coupons for free stuff! So I got me a free coffee drink! It was tasty, too. It was supposed to be almost 5 bucks, but....no, mine was free! I got soymilk this time and you can't tell the difference. Later, at home, I looked up Sheetz' nutrition info. online and found out that its aLoT less calories if you get the soymilk because they don't put in this stuff called CREAM BASE in the drinks made with soy. The skim, 2%, and whole milk drinks have CREAM BASE added...which adds 180 calories!! YIKES! Here's a link to their nutrition stats. http://www.sheetz.com/main/food/nutrition.cfm
When I got home I layed out on my back deck and read my newest book, Peeps by Scott Westerfeld. Its really really good so far. I find it incredibly interesting.



Heres a little review I found at a website called TheBookBind...
Cal works for the Night Watch. They track down modern vampires...but they call them..."...parasite positive (hence, peeps). They have a disease – so they are not magical, they don’t fly, they don’t become bats, and are not dark, brooding, and romantic. They are, however, hungry all the time, and can become crazed zombies, dangerous to all around them. And Westerfeld even gives us reasons why these vampires shy away from a cross or hide from the light making it all seem so verybelievable. And then there is Cal, a carrier (so he doesn’t have many symptoms),who has the unfortunate task of tracking his ex-girlfriends, who he turned into peeps, for the Night Watch.

Every other chapter is about parasites — tapeworms, guinea worms, mealworms, parasitic wasps, wolbachia — and you leave the book knowing far more than you ever wanted to know about them. And why you shouldn’t ever pee in tropical rivers — ever. Haunting.

This totally disturbing book should not be missed as Cal tracks down his ex-girlfriends, finds out about the unusual cats in the area, meets a girl called Lace, and realizes how much he has been kept in the dark about the changes to himself."

Sounds good, right? :) I'll write more when I finish it.
After reading I did a Jillian Michaels DVD and then got ready for my cousin Danielle's wedding. It was at 8 pm in her parents back yard. It was really pretty!! They had bright pink lanterns hanging from the trees and their backyard was full of flowers and all decorated so nicely. The food was good and the cake was beautiful and tasty too (mine was cinnamon toast cake! YUM!) We didn't really talk to many people..just my mom and dad mostly. I'm sure a lot of people stayed and partied all night, but we left around 10.
More about Jesse's new job...tomorrow! :)

Thursday, July 30, 2009

so bored today!




I don't know why I feel so bored. I just don't feel like doing anything. Nothing sounds appealing.

This morning I had a late breakfast...and then Jesse went to play tennis with his ex-boss, Tommy. So I decided to get out the iron, ironing board, sewing machine, and the fabric I bought to make curtains for my classroom. I ironed one panel and hemmed one edge of the panel (130 inches!) and after that I was sick of that. So I put all that away.


Then I thought that I might want to paint....so I got out a little blank wooden sign and painted it white. But then I had to wait for it to dry and I was bored again.

I wanted to go lay outside in the sun and maybe read a bit....but theres no sun. blah.

I thought about running...sounded excruciating.

I need to work out...and I will later, but right now I just can't get motivated to do anything.

So finally I got on Netflix and watched the first episode of Harper's Island. It was pretty good, but I don't want to sit through another episode right now. Maybe later...





In a little bit I'm going to start cooking dinner. We are going to skip eating lunch (after the early breakfast) and eat early since Jesse is going to Maranatha (our church) tonight to play volleyball with Roop and Amanda. I don't do volleyball so I'll probably stay home and do a Jillian Michael's workout DVD. I'm cooking homemade (from scratch) Chicken Alfredo tonight. I'd love to make it with heavy cream and butter.....but tonight's version is going to be a little lighter and use milk and chicken broth. Its still good and still unhealthy with all the parmesan cheese. At least I use whole wheat pasta.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

gaining depression

So, I've been really depressed the past few days because I had gained 3 pounds! I know it was to be expected because I was eating like a hog and I went on 2 vacations, but still. I work out a lot and I don't want to gain 3 lbs. I don't want to gain ANY pounds!!

So, I've started counting calories again. I'm going to try to keep it around 1500 calories a day. I did pretty good yesterday...heres what I ate (sort of) By sort of I just mean that I had to put in Cheeseburger Casserole but really what I ate was probably quite a bit healthier than that. I made some lean ground beef and vegetable casserole topped with whole wheat biscuits...but of course, I just put in what I could find easily on my-calorie-counter website.



Free http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/">Food Journal
my-calorie-counter.com
CalFatSatChlSodCrbFibSugPro
Breakfast
4cookie (2-5/8" dia)Cookies, oatmeal, prepared from recipe, without raisins2681122235940004
2681122235940004
Lunch
1servingBiscuit Cheeseburger Casserole47027128514602811229
4fl ozLemon juice, canned or bottled26000268030
11 cupyoplait light vanilla nonfat yogurt140005115270227
1cup, wholeStrawberries, raw46000111371
68227129016027444437
Dinner
1potato small (1-3/4" to 2-1/2" dia)Potatoes, white, flesh and skin, baked1300001029323
0.251/2 cup chopped (2.5 oz)green bell pepper, raw500001000
0.25tbspVegetable oil, canola3140000000
21 tbspShedd's Spread Country Crock12014302200000
0.25medium (2-1/2" dia)Onions, raw1100013010
0.75serving 3 filletstilapia fish fillets9411564100021
0.5cup slicesSquash, summer, zucchini, includes skin, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt140002154121
2tbspCheese, parmesan, shredded423271700004
0.25tbspHoney1600004040
0.25medium whole (2-3/5" dia)Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average600021010
0.51 tbspKraft Mayo with Olive Oil23203481000
2mushroomMushrooms, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt7000571101
499246667644451030
Snack
1cupBlackberries, raw62100114872
62100114872
Water Tracker
Totals
Target
Balance
1511
1500
11
63
55
8
20
20
0
178
250
72
2726
2400
326
172
200
28
17
25
8
61
50
11
73
80
7
CalFatSatChlSodCrbFibSugPro
Activity
Totals0



After eating that...I woke up 3 times last night to pee. Then when I weighed myself this morning I weighed considerably less! So maybe I just had way too much sodium over the past couple days and I was retaining some water. Maybe thats why I thought I had gained 3 lbs.

oh well.... enough on that. I'm still gonna keep counting calories for a little while at least.

I got up pretty earlier this morning and went for a run. I got out to the backside of Woodclyffe Chase and my foot was hurting so I decided to walk the rest of the way. (btw, I got a blister) So, then...it started raining!! Nothing like a little rain to motivate you to run...and run fast! When I got home I was pretty much soaked. People kept honking at me on the road. I guess they thought I was crazy. I don't care, it felt great! :)