The Beach in December

Yes-you got it! I went to the beach yesterday. I got some sun and had some drinks too. It was sooo nice to relax in the sun...in December too! I don't think I have ever been to the beach in December and I've lived here all my life. I was going to go again today but instead went to an outdoor bar and had some drinks with some girlfriends. We let out our frustrations and soaked up the sun. Now I've napped and am headed out to get some sushi. I'm looking forward to it since I haven't had it in a while.

Gotta go finish getting ready! Have a great night!
Tomorrow, I'll be making a side dish to take with us to a friends' house for New Year's Eve. And on Monday I'll be at the Outback Bowl. I hope it doesn't rain too much!
Happy New Year!

Snowmen everywhere...

Well, the story begins a few months back when we went to Mount Dora. I found a cute snowman stained glass snowman and thought-great gift for mom. Then when it was mentioned to her by Robin about how cute it was, she said -I don't do snowmen-I don't have them in the house-I was floored, since she does have snowmen all over-especially in the bathroom. Robin can vouch for me. So I got her a different stained glass-an angel.

So Christmas Eve, our family goes to Bennegin's (sp?) for lunch. And my mom says-Yeah, I got all the snowmen stuff out. I immediately said-I thought you don't do snowmen mom, and then my brothers chimed in with me-not even knowing the Mount Dora story-Yeah-she has them all over the house.

So Christmas Day, sure enough, they aren't just in the bathroom, they are all over, my brothers kept pointing them out-here's a snowman, there's one, etc...

See I do know what I'm talking about-I do pay attention to things!

I think you had to be there to really appreciate this story. As Phil always says-"Great story."

Photos from the Holidays

Here's my family from the our Family Gathering for Christmas. This is the photo I put in the book for my mom on the page that is missing a picture.

Here's another with Phil, Katie-Pat's girlfriend and Lou-Bill's dad.

And then here's Peanut-enjoying the sun that is shining into the living room. Peanut loves being in the sun!

I'm off to go pay my tuition for the class I'm taking in the Spring. Good thing I have a voucher to pay for a huge bulk of it!!! Yippee! Having an intern is paying off!

Merry Belated Christmas!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I did-except for all the rain. Oh well. It was nice when nap time came.
Phil got me a beautiful diamond necklace and matching earrings. Really pretty! And he liked his tickets to the Outback Bowl.

We went to my mom's later and that's when he got the gift he was most excited about-a tacklebox that he wanted-but I couldn't find in the stores, so I had to order it online, but let mom give it to him.

So here's the pictures from the album I made for my mom. She loved it and has taken it to work to show off. She has it proudly displayed in her house too.

I'm off to the after Christmas sales and to return a few things. I hope you have a great day-Stay warm!

Remember me?!

I know-I haven't been on here in a while. So what have I been up to?

Nothing really! But I did finish my mom's album of her favorite song-What a Wonderful World. I will post pictures later. I am soo happy to be finished with that album but will be sad to see it go as I want to show it off more. Maybe mom will let me borrow it...hehe...

So I have a total of one gift purchased for Christmas and many more to go! I better get busy!

I have been officially accepted into USF's Masters in Early Childhood program. I got an email last week from the program, but had to wait until the University notified me of their decision-and I just got it last night, so now I need to call next week and see what classes I can take starting in January.

I only have 4 days of school next week and I can not wait!!!!! I need to take a break from some of my darling 5/6 year olds AND their parents! Anyway...look for pictures of the album maybe tomorrow. I showed it off at school yesterday and had some people in tears. I wonder how my mom will react.

Today is a busy day-Family Christmas party-which I have no gift for yet, Patrick's 19th birthday-again no gift yet, a Graduation party for my intern from last year-once again, no gift, and ohh take pictures of the album. Better go get busy!

It was my BIG BISQUIT day!!

Tonight I went to Whim so Doodle for their holiday event-some make and takes, 20% off, prizes, food, etc...

I put my name in for the drawing-was able to be in 2-one for Quickutz and the other for the store. My number was pulled for the QK and I won some QK paper that has adhesive on the back, and the girl near me said-do you want to trade. She won an alphabet and already had it so so was going to give it to me...OMG!!!! OK-I said-Are you sure??!!! OMG!!! SURE-I offered her something from my purse-I didn't have much but she said no-I already have it and it's ok-you can have it. OMG!!!! So we traded! Then a little while later-they pulled my name from the store drawing and I won 4-count 'em-4 classes from WSD!!! 1, 2, 3, 4!!!! for free!!! So the girl who traded me was right next to me when they called my name and told me what I'd won and I told them that I wanted her to have 2 of my classes. (It was the least I could do-she gave me an alphabet-Frankie for you SBers) So it was definately a BBD for me.

Ohh and the die for this month-it was ok-a moon-better than getting a dinosaur or fossils since I really won't have any layouts with a dinosaur theme. So a moon will do.

Ebay and updates

I bought my first thing on ebay last night. I had been bidding since Saturday and kept getting outbid. Finally I figured it all out and made sure my bid was high enough. Well, some a**hole wanted to have a bidding war with me and kept increasing the bid with only minutes left which made my heart race, my fingers work a little faster and my stress level increase. I was ready to win and I finally did.

2 tickets to the Outback Bowl -pretty good seats-and only one ticket is for me. The other is for Phil for Christmas. SHHHH!!! Don't tell him. He likes Penn State and they are in the game and since it's close-and not too pricey, I figured I could handle it.

UPDATES: My grandma is having an MRI tomorrow night to see how bad the break is. If it's her rotator cuff-then she is looking at surgery. If not, she is looking at just resting her arm. She is trying to move it a little, which the Dr. said she could unless the pain is too much. She just doesn't want it to get too stiff.

My uncle was supposed to go home yesterday and is doing well.

So all is pretty good.

Except for one thing. My sorority. Delta Gamma at UCF will be no longer as of Sunday, Dec. 10. We are having a closing ritual on Sunday and I'm sure there will lots of tears shed. I know I probably will be doing some. DG was a huge part of my college experience and I'll be sad to know that it will no longer be at UCF. Very sad. I got word of the final decision to close the chapter in an email last night and it hit me today at work as many of my sisters were emailing each other letting them know of the details. I made soo many great friends through Delta Gamma...and UCF-just won't seem the same to have UCF without Delta Gamma. What will I do about my email address? I'll keep it-since I will always be a UCFDG!!

Thanks!

Thank you for your thoughts! The latest that I have heard is that my uncle is doing ok. He is in the hospital. The surgery went well-expect that instead of a triple bypass, he had to have a quadrouple (sp?). But he is resting, and recovering.
Today I get a call from my mom that my grandma was down there-Port Charlotte with my uncle, and fell and broke her shoulder. She had a compound fracture. She is back now as my mom and aunt went down to get her and bring her back. So now she is in pain and living with one working arm-not the one she uses most...So I'll be helping her out this week, shopping, making dinner, cleaning up, maybe even take her Christmas shopping. She lives close so it won't be a problem.

I have been just hanging in there. Phil has been sick, so I've been nursing him back to health-men sure are no fun when they are sick. Such babies...

This week I am going to work on my Christmas cards and other holiday items I'm making. Also still working on my mom's album-should be done this week. I'll take pics!

I need to get a tree too. And a new tree stand since I think I threw mine out last year. I think I just didn't want to find a place to store it...why did I do that...wasn't thinking that it'd cost me money to buy a new one...use the noggin Amy!

Thanks again for thinking of me!

Open heart surgery

Kevin is scheduled to have open heart surgery tomorrow-Wednesday at 1:30. Prayers and good thoughts would be greatly appreciated. My mom and grandma are headed down there tomorrow. I just hope the Drs. can work their magic and fix things.

Keep my family in your prayers!

My uncle is having a heart cathiderization tomorrow-Tuesday morning. Just found out a few minutes ago. He lives in Port Charlotte and has 6 kids, and 3 grandkids with one more on the way. My grandma and one of my aunts are headed down there in the morning. Please say a prayer for my family or send us your good thoughts!

Black Friday shopping

I decided to forgo the annual family shopping at Ellenton this year. None of my family was interested in going so we all did our own things this year. I decided to head up to Ruban Rouge for some scrapping supplies. They offered a 50% off on item coupon for those in the store before 10am and 40% off everything until noon. So I slept in, and made it there right at 10am. Yippee for me they still gave me a coupon. So now I just had to decide what my one item would be 50% off and then pick up some other items. So I headed to Quickutz and found so many great alphabets that I had been ohhing and ahhing over for some time. Such a hard decision! Then I wandered the store and picked up some things to start making my Christmas cards and found some other neat projects they had displayed. There was no need to get in line yet as it was all the way into the back room, and with 2 registers, it wasn't going that fast. So I kept looking. Then got all the things I needed/wanted and headed to the line. Once I made it in line, I saw many more things I wanted to make. So there were several of us that kept watch over each others baskets as we took turns to finish shopping the store. After 2 hours in line, I finally made it to the register. I saved over $100! And ended up with some neat project ides and my major puchase...........







I was so excited to only spend half! So now I need to get busy on the projects I saw and work on my Christmas Cards. Hope you enjoyed your Black Friday!

I LOVE being on Vacation!

Sleeping in, doing whatever I want, watching talk shows, taking naps...the list goes on! Yesterday I made chili, ran a few errands and did some laundry. Today I went to lunch at Red Mesa with some girlfriends and took a nap...the margarita's helped with that! That's pretty much been it. I was going to scrap some and still may as I have plenty of time left to do that. This is the life. I need to go to the grocery store today to get some last minute things for what I'm bringing to my aunt's and mom's for Thanksgiving so may do that tonight. I just dread the store right now and the closer we get to Thurs, the worse I know it will be. I should just bite the bullet and do it.

So I'll be headed down to Ellenton to shop on Friday. Maybe I'll go knock on Robin's door while I'm there. My aunt wants to go to the Midnight shopping there but I don't know...I'll think about it tomorrow-I'll add it to my list of things to do tomorrow.
So far we are at 1-Think about going shopping at Midnight.

Well, I'm off to the store to get those things I need. Wish me luck! Maybe they will have that wine tasting, and all the other goodies when Kip went last week.

Enjoy your holidays!

Bunco and more!

Well, Friday night we had our first Bunco night at my house. There were only 8 of us, but it was perfect and had a great time! There was food, drinks and laughs. After explaining the rules of the game we started. I ended up with the most Buncos-here's a shot of me all decked out in the Bunco babe attire.

It was a great time and we have another planned for December and plan to have more people there.
Saturday I went to the Hilltop Memories Crop and worked on the album for my mom of her favorite song-What a Wonderful World. I finally see the end in near! I have been working on this for over a year and a half. I look forward to giving it to her at Christmas. I have a few finishing touches to make, a few more photos to take and plan on doing that this week. I'll take pictures of it and post them as soon as I'm done with the entire book. I am really proud of this project! I know she will love it!

Last weekend was Cari's wedding. She looked beautiful! It was a very beautiful day/night for it too. I don't recall too much from the night as I had a wee bit too much to drink and paid for it for a few days after. Here's a picture of Phil and I and then one of the girls-where all the mayhem began-and my memory began to slip. :)

No Respect these days

I am just frustrated all around! Today was a rough day! Between waking up to a bad dream to dealing with kids that don't listen I just was ready to walk out! And to top it off, I was supposed to have a conference at 3:00...did she show...NO!!!! And this was the 2nd attempt for the conference, and we even spoke on Thursday about her being there and she said she would. No call, no letter, nothing...just didn't bother to show! I cannot begin to tell you how very glad I am that there are only 3 days left this week and then we are off for the week next week.

Go UCF!

I'm headed over to Orlando tomorrow to cheer on my alma mater (sp?) at their Homecoming Game. I am excited and hope I can see some old faces at the game too.


So this week was weird huh?! It was for me at least! We had our Storybook Parade on Tuesday and usually we get many KDG parents with cameras in hand-not this year! I had one family (mom and dad)! I couldn't believe it! ONE! I hope that when I'm a mom I can take off time to be there for those cute fun times! I would think they wouldn't want to miss it.

I dressed up this year for the parade. I was Mrs. Wishy-Washy. She is a character from a story that we read in KDG. I know Robin knows who she is...here's a picture. Aren't I cute?!





I'm off to finish my laundry, and relax tonight. Enjoy your weekend!

I'm a little disappointed

Tonight I went to my monthly Quickutz meeting at WSD (for all of you non scrappers-Quickutz is a personal die cutting tool with lots of cute, different dies and WSD is the local scrapbooking store) and at this meeting we do a make and take and get a free new release die. Well, this month they came out with the cutest dies-holiday, so I go get my free die and what do I get???


A belt loop!


Are you freaking kidding me??????? Who picks these dies??????? How are belt loops holiday related???????????? They must not want us to stay in the Quickutz club any longer than December since their selection of free dies just stink!!!! Last month I got a pear-and why couldn't we have gotten the cat? witches hat? cauldron? witches shoe? cornacopia? I don't get it!!! The one before that was a cherry die....ummmmm-please tell me how I can fit that into the next layout of Peanut! or any other pictures that I or anyone may have for that matter?

Well, I just needed to share my complaints with someone! Thanks for listening/reading!

Oh and by the way...who exactly is reading this?? Robin, Kip, Linda....anyone else??

Do It Herself!

That's what I plan to do!! I'm headed to Home Depot tonight to a Do It Herself workshop. I figure, why not! I need to be able to fix things with out a man...You never know when I won't have one around! I think we will learn simple things...will let you know later!

I had a GREAT weekend! Had a nice Friday happy hour at a local bar with some friends from work, then to Phil's for dinner. He also bought things to make breakfast on Saturday! I was so excited to actually spend time with him...it has been a while since he works on Saturdays but has had the last few off lately so it was nice to spend time with him! Then Saturday I spent some time in the School's dunk tank for the Fall Festival...It was hot and sooo nice to actually get dunked-and the kids, and parents, loved dunking me! Then Saturday night, Phil and I had another nice evening...I wish everyday were a weekend! Well, I need to get going! I'm meeting Kip and some of her friends at El Cap for dinner first and then to HD!

Have a great Monday evening! If you are in FL, it's getting cooler!!!!!! Yippee!!!!! I am excited to open the windows!!

Brothers

I love my brothers soo much and have enjoyed watching them grow up! On Saturday, we loaded in the car and headed to Jax to see Pat at school. Tim and I had our spots in the back with our mp3 players, his hand held video game, pillows, and blankets, while the folks were in the front. It was a long ride, but was fun. I can't believe Tim is almost out of High School.
My mom had another motive for the trip-talk to Tim about college. Well, I'm sure you all recall the shopping trip we had...Tim just doesn't really talk or offer opinions on things. So it was fun hearing my mom over and over say, "So Tim, where do you want to go to college?" And then silence... I think we have him convinced though that he needs to start working on his applications. Even Pat was telling him to start applying now.

So Pat lives in the dorms...with 2 other players on the team...that are very much into girls (if you know what I mean.) Pat hung out with us Saturday night instead of going out which was nice, since I hadn't seen him since August. We met another guy on the team who is very nice and Pat hangs out with him a lot. He told us that Pat is the only good guy in his room. (We already knew that.) Anyway here's a picture of the 3 of us in his room.



We went shopping on Sunday at the nearby mall-it's all outdoors with very high end stores! Of course Pat saw things he wanted and since the folks were there, he got them. Tim and I sat back and just drooled-actually we were ok though-I figured I had already had my college time of buying so now it's his turn and you all remember how Tim feels about clothes and shopping so no problem there. We went to Target and I kept asking Pat if he needed this or that since mom was buying, and he was really good about things. Of course I asked him about toilet paper and he said no, but when we got back to the room, mom needed to go to the bathroom and he had none...boys!!!

Anyway, we had a really good trip-brought him some banana bread, saw the campus, the town, etc but most importantly spent time with my brothers-and the folks too!

Not a King according to them...

But he is still a King to us! His good friend was crowned King. He and his buddies were all very surprised about him-Justin-getting King. They thought it would be another boy. But I am still so excited that Tim was nominated as King! They lost the game too, but Tim played great.

So-Today I am going to the beach to relax! It has been a looooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg week! I can't tell you how glad I was to see Friday come! So, a few of my girl friends and I are headed to the beach to relax and enjoy the day. It is where we had our end of the year party and had a blast that day, and always seem to let loose when we are there. Then I'll come home and watch some movies tonight.

Tomorrow I'm headed to the spa-I got a half day spa from Phil for Christmas and am finally using it. I will be having an aroma wrap, spa massage and spa facial. Then I plan on having lunch, and relaxing at their pool. So I think I will be nice and refreshed for the coming week.

I'll post pictures of Tim later as I have to go up to my mom's and show her how to download them to the computer-she just takes them to get printed. And I'll bring my camera to the beach too.
Enjoy your beautiful day!

Off to crown a King!

Hopefully my brother! He is a senior this year and is on Homecoming court. Tonight they crown the king...don't worry-mom, dad and myself will be there with cowbells, whistles, noisemakers, video cameras, digital cameras, pom poms, megaphones, etc. anxiously awaiting the announcement of King!

Will he be chosen? Did his peers pick him? Keeping all body parts crossed!!! How cool would that be?!!!!

Joking about the cowbells and other items, but we sure will be there with the cameras. My brother tried to tell my mom that tonight isn't really the night that parents are supposed to come-It's kinda like a pep rally. She said "yeah right-there will be tons of moms and families there awaiting the announcement of Queen, so we'll be there too." So I'll talk to you later and hopefully have some happy news!

I sure hope not!

I went to Bonefish Grill last night for dinner with Phil and had a delicious dinner-Coconut Shrimp, Mahi Mahi and garlic mashed potatoes. Was very yummy as usual!

Then I headed up to my brother's football game. On my way, my throat started getting scratchy and close up and it was difficult to breathe-felt like I had just cuddled with a litter of cats-of which I am allergic to and always get scratchy and can't breathe. So what does that mean? Am I now developing an allergy to shellfish and fish? I sure hope not! I LOVE shrimp and am just starting to aquire a taste for fish. I had to use my inhaler 3 times and then took a Benedryl when I came home. I feel better today, but I guess I need to watch and see what happens when I eat seafood again-and bring along some Benedryl all the time. AGH!!

Well, I'm doing laundry right now, but my mom called and asked that I take Tim shopping for something to wear when they announce King-so I'll head up that way soon to take him shopping. He LOVES to shop as much as I do-NOT! It should be fun. Here's how it will go:
Me: Tim do you like that shirt?
T: I don't know.
Me: Well, how about this one?
T: I don't know.
Me: Well, I think this one looks good.
T: I guess.
Me: How about you find one you like.
10 minutes later
Me: Well, what do you think?
T: I don't know.
Me: Ok-I'm just picking some and you go try them on. What size are you?
T: I don't know.

It should be fun! But I am still looking forward to it just the same!

Agh! A Black Cat!

I was driving home from Cari's Bridal Shower this evening and a black cat crossed my path in the alley near my house! AGH!! What does that mean? Bad luck? I sure hope not! I have never believed in that so hope it isn't true.

Anyway, I had my Longaberger Party last on Tuesday night and was able to earn 2 half price items and $60 in credit. Cool! I love their baskets and wish I could have them all! But since I'm a teacher and only make pennies I can't afford to splurge on them but once a year. And having a party is the best way to do it! So I'll be getting new baskets soon! Had a great turnout too! I was surprised that so many came to the party! And everyone ordered! Awesome!

So my little brother-Tim-the senior in high school made Homecoming Court and I am soo excited for him! For a while he was in Pat's shadow-the older brother. So next week is when he will find out if he is King! I am keeping my fingers crossed! I think he deserves it as he is captain of the football team and has really been rallying for the team! He told them he'd shave his head if they won. (He has really long hair) And another player told the team that they need to get their attitude in the game and Tim told him that it was his attitude that needed to change-which the rest of the team agreed with. (PS-the same player has since quit the team-after he dropped a ball in the end zone which would have won the game-he had the ball, but was playing around with it. AGH) So keep your fingers crossed that Tim gets King-he is liked by sooo many and has a lot of friends!

It is Friday tomorrow and I can not tell you how excited I am to see it here! It seems that this year is just creeping by! I need to call USF to see about getting into the Master's program there. Deadline in Oct 15. Gotta get crankin!!! Have a good night!

Friday is here!

Thanks goodness! I couldn't wait to see this day come! Why you ask. Well, I'm just warn out and need some R&R! So right now I'm doing laundry, packing Peanut's stuff and my stuff for the weekend. I'll be dropping her off at the dog sitters in the morning and then I'm off to the beach for a Bachelorette party for a friend. We are all getting together for a lingerie shower lunch. And then we are headed to the beach chairs and soak in the sun! Later in the day we are headed out to party! It should be fun as we have a lot planned! I am not sure what I'll wear out that night so still trying to figure that out!
Then on Sunday, we are going to lay in the sun again before heading home. So that's what I have planned-How about you??

I'm all done

The painting is over! Thank god! I have this huge cabinet in my bathroom that was behind the door-I stored everything in it-toilet paper, tampons, makeup, lotions, soap, medicine, and tons more things. So after painting the walls and ceiling, I decided the cabinet needed to go to a new home as I was not about to paint another crack or crevice! I found a little standing shelf to take it's place-it looks kind of small but for now it'll do-the tags are still on it in case I find something better. So now to get the huge cabinet out-well, I had the energy to finish that room tonight-was going to mop and put the new shower curtain up, but I realize I need someone to help me so I don't scratch my floors. I have to wait til tomorrow, then Phil can help me. I want to do it NOW!

So my next reality TV show is beginning tonight-Amazing Race! I love that show! If I could be on Reality TV, I'd want to be on that one, and Big Brother! I love those 2 shows. I haven't watched Survivor from Thursday yet. I had to tape it as I was bust watching 2 really funny new shows. Til Death and Happy Hour. They are funny-check them out!

OK-enough babling! Amazing Race is on...

Painting a bathroom is NO fun!

I am finally getting around to painting my bathroom. When I first moved in, I painted it a light purple and I liked how it looked. Well, now my tastes are changing and purple just isn't a great color to find towels to match and I don't want purple towels. So for my birthday I asked my mom to buy me a new shower curtain, rug and towels. I of course picked them out and they look more grown up. Now that I have my new furniture I am trying to finish making my house feel more grown up to. So out with the purple and in with the new. The color will be a creamy white and the shower curtain, towels, and rug have blue, green, and cream in them. My shower tiles are a greenish blue-not teal though. So I started painting some of the trim tonight and UGH!!! It sucks to piant a small place! I know I need to be patient and take my time so it will look right, but UGH!! I think I'll finish tomorrow! Off to finish laundry-even more fun!

WOW is about all I can say!

I am still amazed! I went to UCF from 93-97 and when I left they were in the process of building the first parking garage on campus. (Why hadn't they done that earlier? Parking was crazy when I was there!) Well, Thursday evening my brother-who plays soccer for UNF-was having a soccer game against UCF-so since it is only 2 hours away, my folks and I hopped in the car and took the easy ride over to watch the game. Much to my surprise as we pull up, I see they are working on another parking garage-I think it is the 2nd one-but NO! There were at least 7 parking garages now and about 15 more sets of dorms compared to the 3 sets they had when I was there. I was floored-there were even stop lights on campus now and there weren't any when I was there. As my mom drove, I just sat there awestruck! I couldn't believe what I saw! Apartment stlye dorms, new buildings, a brand new gym-better than the Lifestyles I belong to-with a rock climbing wall! And so much more . There used to be one road that went all around the campus and you had to walk into the center of campus, but now there are all these roads that go into the center, and about 5 entrances (that I saw) compared to the 2 or 3 back then. It makes me want to go back just to experience it all again! WOW!!!

The game was ok-but Pat didn't get to play. I'm sure he is disappointed since he is such a good player, better than some of the players that did play. But we got to see him and talk to him and I gave him some banana bread I had made for him. My mom says he is homesick, I think so too. He is getting to know the other players on the team-as he lives with 2 of them, but other than that he really doesn't know many other people there. I want to make a trip up there to visit him and spoil him. Maybe in a few weeks I'll take a road trip. Enjoy your day!

A Survey for ya

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4:
That's where all the girls stand in a circle and pass around a lit candle while we sing. The book-Momories-My Adventures As A Sorority House Mom by Gert Garman-She was our house mom-so the book is has some stories from when I was there...
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch? Peanut-she's sleeping
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? Entertainment Tonight
4. Without looking, guess what time it is? 7:30 PM
5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time? 7:30 PM EXTRA just started that's why I'm right (But now that I'm done with this-it's 8:10)
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? The TV, the ceiling fan, the air conditioner
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing? About 10 minutes ago to change the laundry out
8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at? Linda's blog
9. What are you wearing? shorts, and a tank top
10. Did you dream last night? Well, I don't really remember but I do remember that I was asleep and starting to dream and Phil woke me up to tell me I was snoring, so I roll over and fall back asleep, begin dreaming again, and he does it again. I told him to stop waking me up!!
11. When did you last laugh? Today
12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? 2 Sconces, and a sign over my TV that says Live Laugh Love
13. Seen anything weird lately? Nothing weird-but experienced Culture Shock this weekend in Miami
14. What do you think of this quiz? It's OK-doing this for you Linda :-)
15. What is the last film or video you saw? March of the Penguins
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy? A house on the water, a boat, a new car and some land on a secluded island and in the mountains
17. Tell me something about you that I don’t know. I was the Salutatorian of my High School Magnet Program-Lakewood's CAT program
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do? No more Terrorism and suicide bombers
19. Do you like to dance? When I've been drinking I like to dance, of course then I dance really good!!! HAHA!!!
20. Comment to George Bush: I like Linda's too much so I will use hers!!- Retire!
21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? I'm not really sure-I like a lot of names, like Campbell, Morgan, Maggie, Mackenzie, Lindsay, and Teagan, but nothing really jumps out at me-I kinda feel like if I have a name in mind, then I may jinx it...
22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him? Same as above, but whatever name I choose, I will not have taught a child with that name, boy or girl...gonna be tough! Here's some, Cameron, Quinn and Logan
23. Would you ever consider living abroad? Yes
24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gate? Don't worry Amy, you will still see everyone you care about and love, but there will be no need to fear because, only those that are peaceful are welcome here.
25. 4 people who must also do this quiz on THEIR blog: well, Linda already has, and I doubt Kip will, and noone else has a blog that reads this, sooooo, I'm gonna go with noone. :-)

Long day today!

Oh my! I am tired! In fact I came home from work, and took a 2 hour nap! Felt good though! I'll be headed back to bed in about an hour too.

The kids were very testy today. They didn't listen, and were very whiny! I have 18 kids and 12 of them are boys that just want to talk, talk, talk or whine, whine, whine. And they all get upset when they don't get their way. Now I usually have a few like that every year, but this year, there are twice the amount. I just can't take it. And of course when they do something wrong, they never did it is what they tell their parents. So I have parents that deny the fact that their child is a little Pain in the A##. Frustrating! My mom never denied my behavior and the teacher was always right. I have this one kid who was crawling around under the table and I said to him, get out from under there, you don't do that at home do you? The little SH** said yes I do. So I say you even do that at a resturaunt? His response-Yes. UGH!!!!!!!! But on the flip side, my twins-yes I have a set of identical twins in my class- brought me a flower and some cookies and a brownie. They are the light of my day as are a few of the other girls. This is going to be a long year!

But hey, it's almost Friday! So I only have one more day left this week and I'll be napping a lot this weekend as I think this illness is really taking it out of me. I don't think I have ever felt this bad.

Robin and I are going on another Hilltop cruise (scrapbooking group) in May. This year we are headed to Bahamas. We went to Mexico in April and it was a blast. That was my first cruise and now I think I'm hooked. I may not do much (or any) scrapbooking on this cruise though-it's too much fun on the ship! SHHH! Don't tell Linda! Most of the gang that is going will have suites, but Robin and I figure, not much time will be spent in the room, pretty much just sleeping and changing and that worked for us last time, so we are going to have an inside room that has 2 beds and no view. Need to go tell Linda now and send our deposits. Anyone else want to go???? You don't have to be a scrapbooker! Think about it!

Have a good night!

My couches

Here are some pictures of my couches. As you can see Peanut has made herself at home on the arm rest with a view out the door.








Here's a picture of her today as we were both bums on the couch.
That's her favorite spot. She is such a good dog!
These past few days of being sick, when I was lying in bed or on the couch, she was too. She slept right along with me. During the few times that I would get up, I made sure I took her out to get some exercise and played with her until my energy was used up, then back to the couch.


So today, I worked a little more on the album I am making for my mom. I may do a little more tonight too. I need to get it done as it has been in the works for about a year now. My new goal is Christmas. It was nice to have the time to scrap today! I should get sick more often-NO WAY! This stinks! I felt lousy! Back to work tomorrow for me-but hey, it's Thursday, so only 2 days that I have to work this week. Ok-back to the couch!

Photos!

Here they are! The photos of all the goodies I got on Saturday on the bus trip! These are the things that we got from Whims and the Tampa store. I'll tell you what some of them are: coolie from Whims,
Heidi Swapp album, HS chipboard letters, HS chipboard circles, gluestick, a few idea booklets, a cute nametag, 2 cute clear stamps, some 3d stickers, and a few more little things.
Below are the things I won in for the door prize... EK success stuff...2 wallet albums, ready made album, set of 2 frame cards, accordian album tin, 2 fabric tab ABC stickers, 2 fabric tab stickers, and 4 debossed stickers-one is the alphabet...Wowza!

Here's Robin waiting in line...it was really long and she was the 2nd to last one in line, so she got a prize for waiting so long! She won a cute pinkish album, perfect since she was looking for an album to make for Olivia's birthday.


When we got back on the bus, we had a goodie bag sitting on our seats filled with more stuff. Forgot to mention that when we got off the bus to shop, they handed us a paper holder for us to keep and use while we shop to hold our papers in...you'll see it in the pic under the paper...most of this stuff I may not use, as it's not really my type, but still, goodness.
Now for my purchases: some paper to work on a card holder for a gift-one for each month, a few dog papers, chipboard, cropadile(the Lakeland store gave us a 30% off discount on it, plus 10% off on all our purchases), some rub ons, and some stickers for the chipboard...some of this was purchased at the store in Melbourne so this is all that I bought-Great self control huh!


So there you go! It was a fun, fun time! Now if I could just get into the mood to scrapbook, maybe a little later today, since I'm feeling a little better.

Home Sick

Ugh!! I hate being sick! I woke up Sunday around 3:00 with my throat killing me and fever, body aches and pains. So I spent the day yesterday laying in bed. I decided to call the Dr. yesterday-I pay enough money-so they can help me on the weekends, right?! Anyway, the Dr on call told me that he would prescribe me the Zpack but didn't want me to start it until I've had this 24 hours, in case it is just a virus and not a bacterial infection. So this morning I started it. I think I have tonsilitis as they are huge and gross. I can barely eat-even soft foods. I really want some Kraft Maccaroni and Cheese and some creamed spinach from Boston Market, but I don't know if I can swallow those yet, so giving myself a little more time. I took today off from work and tomorrow too. I may even take Wednesday off too. I just want to be done with this!

On Saturday, Robin and I hopped on the bus that Whims rented and went to other scrapbooking stores. There were about 25 from Whims and then we picked up another 25 from a store in Tampa. We got an awesome goodie bag that was probably worth the price of the trip. The door prizes began and yours truly won the first one. Again probably worth more than what I paid so well worth it! Then we headed to a store in Lakeland and shopped there. Of course we picked up some things-but I only spent $25. Back on the bus as they served us lunch which was included in the price of the trip and then on our way to Melbourne to another shop. Of course, bought some stuff-only spent $30 and then we waited and waited and waited. We were supposed to only be there for 2 hours, but they had to manually enter in any sale items and I think we all found things on sale. We were at that store for 4 hours. I told a friend of mine from college that we were going to be there-Laene, and she stopped by and said hello. So back on the bus and finally on our way home. More door prizes-25 I think and one big prize. The shop in Lakeland also gave away a huge basket of goodies too. Robin won a door prize too so we both scored! We also did a make and take on our way to Melbourne. Then on the way home, we played Bingo. It was a lot of fun! So at least I got to do something fun this weekend and wasn't sick for that! I'll try to post some pictures of the goodie bag stuff and my door prize items. What the heck, I'll show you some things I got too. Hope you all are feeling well and had a good day!

Slacker!

That's me! I have been crazy busy getting back into the groove of teaching...
So here's what I've been up to:

You all know my furniture arrived and I love it!
Next I turned 31...had a good time...
Then school started the next day...don't worry-I partied that weekend of my birthday, not the night before school started.
Then I had to say goodbye to my little brother...he's 18 and left for college the day after my birthday. It was a very sad day. School started and then he left that night.
He's going to the University of North Florida and is on the soccer team. I just sent his first care package, full of goodies! Well, then got word from my mom that the coach had to make some cuts. 10 cuts to be exact. Well he's still on the team, and now the coach has to make 2 more cuts. He is really nervous but said he has been practicing really hard and has been the only one scoring goals during practice...so keep you fingers crossed that he gets to stay on the team.
So that brings us to today. I put my clothes in the car to go to the gym after work...Did I go? No-had to go to the Post office to mail his package and now I'm going to go work on Open House stuff for tomorrow. So that's been my life. Boring.

Still Loving my couch!

It's here!

My couch and loveseat arrived yesterday and I am just loving them! Peanut can't get up on them so I have to help her up and she has found a way to lose her tennis balls under the couch and then scratch at the couch to try to get them...of course I snap at her and tell her NO! So the tennis balls have found a new home on top of the fridge...until I am willing to play with her and reach under the couch to get them every five seconds. I can't totally get rid of them as she loves them, I just need a break from them for now!

But I just luuuuuuvvvvvv my new furniture! It smells soooo good too! And believe it or not, my living room still looks big with them in here, even a little bigger! So now I just need to add some more things to make my living room more complete, like a new entertainment center or new TV stand, maybe a plant-fake of course-my thumbs are nearly black, maybe a bookshelf, some new lamps, and some art for the walls. So that's next on my list to buy. Maybe I'll shoot for one item per paycheck.

On another note: It's back to school time. This is my last week of summer vacation and then back to work on Monday. I stopped by school today to drop off some stuff and try to arrange my furniture in my room...I always hate that part of going back to school. I am getting more and more excited though! I have some new ideas I want to include this year in my teaching and can't wait to start them, plus it's always exciting to meet the new kiddos!

Last weekend I went to the Hilltop Memories crop with my college friend Alissa. She is just getting into the crazy hobby but doing great! We had a good time. We had to leave around 3:30 but plan on staying later next time. It's just Linda doing the HM thing now and she is doing great! I hope she continues to keep the crops and store as we all love going to the crops. And the food is always to die for. I warned Alissa to be hungry since they always feed us well.

Oh and my car got a new clutch yesterday! It was desperately needing one and I think I'll have to keep my car a little longer now since I paid an arm and a leg to get it fixed. Can't afford a new one now.

Well, that's been my life for a few days. Hope all has been well with you! Until next time...

Futon anyone?

That's right! I did it! I finally bought a couch and loveseat! It is natural color, leather Ashley furniture. I bought it on Saturday and it will be in my house on Tuesday. So no more looking cute on the Futon! Now I will look cute on the couch! So, my Futon is up for grabs. I think it can go to someone else that wants to look cute on it. Know anyone??

On another note, PreK is almost over! Only tomorrow and Friday and then I am done! Then I have a week off until I start back to school. And how am I spending that week? Well, I will be taking my car in to get a new clutch-UGH! At least I have the money to take care of it. I wish I could just buy a new car, but the repairs are still cheaper than buying a new car. A few more months of saving and then I'll look at cars!

So, I went to Whim so Doodle tonight-scrapbooking store for all you nonscappers-and, frankly, I just need to spend more time scrapping my pictures, but buying the stuff is just so much fun! This weekend, I'm headed to a Hilltop Memories crop and am hoping to get a lot done. I have my pictures from the cruise that I hope to work on while I'm there and then I'll be working on some cards for my Grandma-she's turning a year younger on Friday and I give her cards for her birthday, Christmas, etc as she has sooooo many kids, in-laws, grandkids and great-grandkids that she always remembers on their birthdays, so I stock her up. She likes it. I try to give her a variety so she can pick something to fit the many of us. So that's my plan.

Speaking of Great grandkids-no I'm not so don't even think it! But my cousin is. She's got a 10 year old that she had when she was 17 and now is due in Feb. Don't get me wrong-I'm happy for her, but, she is again not married and doesn't live with her parents anymore-who pretty much raised her daughter-so I hope she is ready for taking care of that baby-she says the dad is going to be there and that they are committed but, back in June, she had only been with this guy for, maybe 2 weeks. Anyway, I wish her all the best! I hope that the guy is truly committed to her and that baby and her daughter.

So that's been my life for a few days. Couch purchase, finishing up PreK and cousin pregnant. Oh and my mom put me up for adoption, but now I'm back in the family though I think she's still mad-that story later-you'll enjoy it!
Enjoy your night!

My day...

So I was out looking at couches today and found some but, just don't know if I can part with that much money-even though I really do need to get a couch and get rid of my futon-time to become an adult and own a couch right?! Well, like I said I found some, pretty good deals, but since I was just not feeling it, I decided to go to Marshall's instead. So, I head for the housewares section and see some cute clothes along the way. I head back for a cart and figure I'll check out their clothes. I found a cart full and tried them on, several trips into the dressing room with 6 items each time. And since I had money left from not buying a couch, I spent it on clothes. I got 3 pairs of pants, 3 tank tops, and 2 shirts that I can wear to work, and 2 boxes of notecards. All for the grand total of...............$147. I had a Visa gift card with $30 on it so I really only spent $117. Pretty good I think-since usually when I go shopping I leave with maybe 2 pairs of pants and few shirts for much more than that price, of course that's when I shop at Ann Taylor. So that's my shopping for the day! No couch, but clothes instead. So at least I'll look cute on my futon! :)

Good Morning!

I just got back in from taking Peanut for a walk and the weather is soo nice, not too hot with a breaze, if only it would stay just like this all summer! Yeah right!

Well, yesterday's lunch with the girls was very nice. The food was great and it was nice to see everyone after soo long. Most are married with kids so a lot of baby pictures going around. I passed pics of Peanut of course! Then I got home and had a nice dinner with a friend. I was just an eating fool yesterday. On today's agenda: shopping! I need some new shirts, some things for the house and I really need to buy a couch! Let me tell you Friday when I decided to go and look at couches. The saleslady approached me and asked if she could help me and I told her no, I just wanted to look and that I was not going to buy a thing today. So I walk around and sit on some couches and look at the colors and prices, etc. And everytime I turned around-there she was. IT made me not want to buy from them and that I couldn't really take the time to look. That is one thing I don't like-when salespeople follow you around. Like I'm going to steal a couch and walk out the door with it-I know, I know, they work for a commission, and she was there to help me, but I told her that I wasn't buying anything. Next time I go, I'm only bringing my keys and phone into the store, maybe then they will believe me that I am not buying anything. Well, I guess I need to get moving! Hope you enjoy your Sunday!

Happy Friday!

The week is over! I shouldn't complain since I only worked 4 days this week but I am still excited to see Friday here! Now only 10 more work days until PreK is over, but then it's back to REAL work. This program has been great! They have everyday planned out...down to the minute, what to say, what books to read, what activities to do, you name it, they covered it! All we have to do is prep a little and teach the kids. And with 2 teachers in each class, it is really nice to have someone else there to help with discipline issues or anything else that needs to be done.

So there's this one little boy in our class that is just lost...poor thing! His parents have enabled him in every way! Getting dressed, eating, just about everything. It's very frustrating as his mom just doesn't understand that she needs to start letting him do things on his own, and thinks that we are to blame for him using his right hand-as he "always uses his left hand and this summer he's not allowed." Now, we all know-at least those of you reading this that are teachers- that you allow the child to pick up the crayon, pencil, etc with whatever hand they choose and that is the hand you help guide the child with. She also thinks that coming to school 2 hours late is ok, as it is just PreK. I have been helping him cut this week and I don't think I have many hairs left in my head! He just goes numb in his hands and expects you to do it for him. I was very frustrated with him. I know it's not his fault but if mom isn't going to step up, you know the teachers always do! He will definately struggle next year and I wish his Kdg teacher the best of luck-hope she/he has a LOT of patience!

I think I have learned a lot being a teacher, especially teaching this summer, as to what I want to do when I become a mom. See above for further clarification.

So it's Friday and what am I doing this fine day of the week? Well, I have a cold Yuengling in hand, a movie in the DVD player and laundry in the washer and dryer. So, pretty much a wild Friday night! Tomorrow I'm headed to Orlando to have lunch with some college girlfriends. It should be nice as I haven't seen them in a long time! Oh, I dont' think I told any of you! You know I was in a sorority in college, well, our house mom wrote a book about her life as a house mom! She was there for a few years before me and I think a few years while I lived in the house...I need to get the book to see what is mentioned and if I remember any of her stories!
Well, it's time to start the movie! Enjoy your evening!

A Fun Day!

Wow what a day! It started with Peanut having to go to the vet for shots. Then I was off to get my haircut and highlighted. Next, I met Cari for our manicures and pedicures. We tried a new place, they were very quick, did an ok job and it was cheap. Plus while your nails are drying they give you a teaser massage.

So, it was now 4pm and we headed to the beach to meet her family out there-they are staying out there for the 4th. Took in some rays and waves and beers too. Then we decided to head our way down the beach on a "pub crawl". We caught the beach trolley, stopped at our first beach bar, had a few then made our way to the street to catch the trolley. At the stop we met this guy who was in town for a conference. He wanted to sight see-it was 9pm-nothing really to see, so we told him he was welcome to join us, so we showed him some local watering holes, of course had to get a drink at each. All along the way, we would catch the trolley and it took us to our next stops...Finally the night was ending and the trolley did too, so we had to catch a cab for the rest of the night. We of course got the munchies and made our way to a local late nite pizza place on the beach and shared a pie. Then it was time to part ways and we exchanged emails, and hopped in the cabs back to our original spots. It was a very fun day/night and I hope we showed our new friend a great night on St. Pete Beach!

That was my Saturday! Today I am resting and recovering, as it's back to work tomorrow and then off for Tuesday. Enjoy your day!

I'm a Rich Girl!

I got paid today-and it was so nice to look at my account too! If only it would stay like that! It should be gone by, oh.............Friday! Only kidding, maybe only 1/2 of it will be gone, the rest will be gone by the next Friday! :) Well, today is Friday and unlike the rest of the working world, I have a 2 day weekend. I have to go back on Monday, off Tuesday and back on Wednesday. Stinks! But, hey it's Friday so I'll live with that right now. In a few minutes, I'll be heading out to meet a friend for dinner and then drinks at a new tavern near my house in a cute neighborhood. I'm excited as I haven't been there before-well, I take that back, it used to be a Yoga studio and I went one time with Caroline but now it's a bar. I'll let you know how it is, and I'll have some for you! The babysitting went well, I didn't have to call his parents, hehe, or put him to bed early. I think he stayed up and watched TV for a while-I went to bed. Oh and Peanut actually let him pet her without putting her tail under and running away! I was so impressed! She still barked at him but it's progress. She'll be getting shots tomorrow and then I'll be getting my hair done, a manicure and a pedicure, and my eyebrows done. I am sooo excited! It's my spa day! Also planning on going to look for a couch too sometime this weekend. You know I do have $$$ burning a whole in my account so I really should put it to good use. Not sure when I'll go, but that's what I am hoping to do. Ok I gotta take Peanut out and I'm getting thirsty! Have a great Friday and weekend!

Busy Week!

I know I have stepped away from the blog world, but only briefly! I have been crazy busy with teaching again...I take that back, I have been EXHAUSTED from teaching the little ones. I have hit the gym twice this week and the dog park nearly every day-I'm feeling guilty for leaving my girl alone for such a long day again...here's a cute picture of her in bed-her favorite place. I have been wishing that we could stay in bed longer instead of getting up so early for work.


Anyway, I am going to "Babysit" by 17 year old brother tonight. I know what you are thinking, "Why does a 17 year old need a babysitter?" Well, my parents are taking Pat to Orientation for college and need someone to be Tim's guardian for the night. So I'll be heading up to Clearwater to pick him up in a little bit and bring him back to my house for the night. I think we will go get some dinner somewhere and maybe pick up a movie to watch.
Only one more day left this week of teaching and it's pay day too! I can't wait! I think I'll treat myself to a manicure and pedicure this weekend. Also planning on taking Peanut to the Vet for some shots.

2 down...

and 19 more to go! That is days that I have to work. I actually like the kids and the job. It's pretty easy...No stress of a Principal, the parents or any paperwork. But I know that will all change soon enough. So I went to Salsa lessons on Thursday night! I have NO, I repeat, NO rhythm but I went anyway and had a blast...so I think I'll go again. Also spent Friday afternoon at the beach with the girls from work. Didn't stay too long, as we are going back to the beach again today and will be spending more time there today. I need to scrap a bunch of pictures and should have gone to the Hilltop memories crop today but, I just am not up for it yet. Maybe next month I'll be excited about scrapping again. Anyway, getting ready for the beach. I hope you have a great Saturday!

Last Day of Summer Vacation!

Boohoo! I am very sad to say that, but it is time. This is my last day of summer vacation. Tomorrow I start teaching VPK until the end of July. I am a little excited to be busy and for the money, but the days are lonnngggg!!!! So today I am off to the beach with Diane, and the girls. I'm glad I didn't get burnt from yesterday's pool party! Need to go get ready so have a great day! PS-Big Brother is on tonight! Will you be watching??

Goodbye to Laura

Today was a pool party at Kip's house. Laura is moving back to Alabama to be closer to her family so we had one last party before she left. It was in her honor. Lots of food, and decorations and of course some goodbye gifts. Here's a picture that I borrowed from Kip's blog as she had her camera ready of course. (Thanks Kip!)You might be wondering what we are all looking at...well a few minutes earlier, a balloon came untied and flew away so we were all saying that it was Laura leaving us for better things. I will surely miss Laura as she always knew what to say to make me laugh or smile.

It was a fun day to be with all the girls and catch up! I look forward to the next pool party! Thanks Kip for being such a great hostess! You Rock!
Hope you all had a great day!

Father's Day Lobster

For Father's Day, Bill wanted lobster, and he wanted Pat and Tim and I to cook it. We were up for the challenge! So, on Friday, I was out shopping for Angie's first birthday present at Target and what do I see in the $ spot? Lobster everything! Plates, candles, placemats, platters, serving bowls, bibs, aprons, chef hats, pails (for the shells), and so much more. So I of course called my mom and told her of my find. Nearly $40 later, I was ready for the party. Wasn't really sure who was buying the lobster, but I figured after finding all the lobster stuff, I got out of that job.

So Sunday comes and I make my way up to Clearwater. Tim, my mom and I head out to get the lobster. I wasn't to excited about having to stick a poor, helpless lobster into boiling water. So I checked online and it said to freeze the lobster for about 10 minutes first to numb it. So I tell my mom this and she tells the man at the store-he laughed! He told me that they enjoy going to the "Spa" (Not too funny if you ask me!) I still was very leary about it and was hoping that none of them made any shreiking noises (I heard they do this) as I "plunge them head first into the boiling water" (That's what the directions said.) So we get home and the pots are already boiling. My brothers and I get our aprons, and chef hats and my mom gets the camera
(I think I need to teach her how to scrap all the photos she takes-she tells me that's my job, and that she has plenty of them for me) and we each take turns putting a lobster in a pot. I did NOT go first! No sounds yet, so I try it, I reach for a lobster out of the bag and it starts moving, so I decide to leave him and reach into the other bag.

And very gently, I "plunge his/her head first into the boiling water" but make sure tell it sorry while doing so. Then in goes the rest of the body, very gently-as if a slow death is better than a fast one, but at least I cared right? And not a sound was heard for any of them. I was secretly hoping that they would be dead before we made it home. I even asked the guy how long can they live out of water. He just kepy laughing at me. Well, it wasn't too bad, but I may not do it again real soon. You never know when they will shriek!

Here it is!

I have officially entered the blogging world. I thought I'd wait until the Fall, but hey, what else am I doing...Nothing! So here it is! Like the title of it? I think it fits me! I'm not really sure what I'm doing though! I can't figure out how to post a picture. I'll keep trying!