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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! :)