Awesome giveaway

Not that I want you to compete against me..haha, but there is an awesome giveaway at brown paper packages.

YAY!

Christmas 2010

I had a great Christmas! I hope you did too. Mark got me a Keurig! YAY! I'm now officially a coffee junkie ;)

Christmas was pretty low-key. Nana came home for a few days. She behaved fairly well. I cooked Christmas breakfast and lunch/dinner. We all ate like hawgs! :)

My mom is coming down tomorrow to visit for a little while and see my grandmother. I know she will bring presents (ie. money). YAY!

I got tons of other stuff for Christmas as well. For the first time, I don't think I got any jewelry or clothes. I think I will have to remedy that...heehee.

Sick...so sick...

I have been so sick. Oh my gosh, I missed two days of school. Plus, I missed my fourth period last week. I've had two sinus infections. Joy. I was on one round of antibiotics before I left for Atlanta. I'm on my second round now. Plus, I have "the magic" cough syrup.

I went to Atlanta to work on GHSGT stuff. I spent three days looking at test questions and data. It was interesting. I always like to see what is on the test. Of course, I can't tell anyone. Daggumit! :)

Becky went with me. She just took three personal days and crashed. She needed some days off from her own teenagers. She's got 90 a day and 2 at home. I would looooooooose my mind! We had another teacher, Kelly, who went with us as well. She teaches math so she was looking at all the math test data.

We all went shopping. YAY. I love shopping in Atlanta. There is so much more to select from up there. I found a bunch of sale stuff at Macy's that I made mine. I didn't find a whole bunch of fall stuff though. Hmmm :/ I'm just finding too much that I like. Finding pants was IMPOSSIBLE. Every single petite I tried on was WAY too long. I guess I'm stuck with Lee pants...period. They are the only ones I do not have to hem...ever. I got some beautiful flower pins from H&M. I got some Crocs boots.

I've had a fairly lazy weekend. I did some laundry yesterday and today. I need to grade some papers and make dinner, but I don't see the paper grading thing happening. Er.

I made a huge pot of crockpot chili yesterday. It was SO good. I had a serving. Mark and Kerry ate all the rest of it. Gracious, I can't believe it is already gone. Ha.

I need to make something for supper...I guess I should get on that.

Good bye horrible week....

Last week was the most horrible week I have had in some years...Let's recap shall we...
Monday...I work afterschool in a remediation program. Someone in that program decided it was a good idea to steal my Blackberry. Steal. UGH! Mark and I drove to Valdosta got everything switched over. About 10:30PM, the night janitor at my school called. Apparently whoever had taken the phone didn't want to get caught with it. They threw it down in the common area. (Well, at least Mark got a new blackberry).

Tuesday...I had someone (UNANNOUNCED) observe my class all day. OMG. I was so stressed out and tired. My students acted like animals! ANIMALS!

Wednesday...I'm sitting at my desk. My students are debriefing and attempting to chillllll from the writing test when a young woman comes in at ask if another student can work on a door decoration for homecoming (yeah...Homecoming on the SAME week as our state mandated writing test....awesome!). I said no because we were busy. The child looked at me...turned around...and said "F**k you". What?!? First, I don't even know this child...she isn't one of my students. Second, are you kidding me?!? I tracked her down and got her written up. She jumped all over our academic coach and the assistant principal as well.

Thursday...one of my seniors got very upset because he is frustrated because he is not doing well. He slammed his book shut (DURING AN OPEN BOOK TEST) and said that he was not "taking this s**t any more" and got up and walked out. Good gosh! We had a major blowout in the office. The principal made him cry. I was in tears because this is usually a good kid. We got it all straightened out, but good grief!

Friday...pep rally day. Let me just say that if _I_ were in charge the juniors would never get to go to another pep rally, assembly, etc. ever. Rude, rude, rude. There were a couple of us who got pelted with peanut M&Ms. Lovely.

I am so very much hating school this semster. I keep telling myself that I only have about 10 more weeks with these...ahem, darlings. It HAS to get better second semester....has to!

Giveaway Alert

Go here to enter Courtney's awesome CSN giveaway.

I should be back to blog later.

Yeah, I'm home sick today. *coughcoughcough* Sigh!

Oh my gosh...

Okay, it has been forever since I've written here. It has been one of those ummm months.

School started back, and I have been overwhelmed. My classes are jam-packed. I have 31 seniors. Thirty-one! UGH! It is difficult to get all of them to focus and on the same page. I've tried to teach them MLA and it has been so hard. However, I think that most of them have gotten it, finally. I'm still grading thier working bibliographies...*eye roll* I don't have a clue how in the world I'm going to get all the papers graded for my three classes. Oh well, whine, whine, whine....it will get done because it has to get done. That's all there is to that.

My juniors are a whole other story. I had heard for two years how "bad" and immature this class was. OH MY GOSH, the other teachers were right. I just get all grouchy thinking about them. I am already counting the days until next semester. Seriously.

We had today off. It was such a welcome day off. I really needed it. I've done laundry all day. It has been piling up since school started...oops!

I got to spend yesterday with my friend Tammy. YEAH! I had a great time with her! I have missed her so much. She added so much happiness and energy to our department, and we all miss her terribly. I know she is very glad to be living with her hubby full time (he was off at grad school), but daggumit, they need to live closer! :)

I need to go finish some more laundry. Oh joy. Plus, I need to go read my book The Reliable Wife.

Weekend

I have to say that Friday was much MUCH better than Wednesday or Thursday. I think I was just so overwhelmed by the start of school. Seriously overwhelmed. I have everything ready for Monday, except for a quiz. I need to make copies of the quiz for the Robert L. Stevenson notes from last week.

Friday night I stayed up until Mark came home. Once we fell asleep he said that snored like a freight train. I crashed and crashed hard. I slept until 10:30 on Saturday. Once I woke up I felt like a million bucks! I think I just needed the time to sleep and truly get some rest. When Mark had to work nights, I was awake or not sleeping deeply until 1AM and then waking up at 6AM. Ummm, yeah, not so much.

Yesterday I went grocery shopping and today I am trying to catch up on laundry. I need to write that quiz, and I'll be set for next week. YEAH!

I went to the Beall's Outlet on Saturday before I hit Wal-mart for groceries. I got some awesome stuff! I got a pair of Liz Claiborne khaki crops and a cute Liz Claiborne green plaid shirt. I'm going to wear those tomorrow with a white tank underneath. I also found a gorgeous floral shirt from Coldwater Creek. Prettiful! Those three pieces are pretty high quality and I got them for less than $60.00 YEAH! I love the Beall's Outlet. I really should stay out of there, but I don't see that happening. ;)

I have a new snack that I am addicted to...Butter Puffcorn. I <3 it, a lot! I could probably buy it by the case. Seriously. Yum.

Okay, off to finish the laundry and iron my clothes for tomorrow.

So very tired...

I am SO tired!

I was at school last night until after 8PM. Holy cow. I got there at 7:30 and left 12 and a half hours later. I STILL was not as ready for the first day as I like to be. Oh well...first day down and 179 more to go! ;)

I'm not really excited about my classes...so far. My senior class is FAR too big. I have 32 students. I don't even know where in the WORLD I'm going to put another two desks. I've got 30 crammed in there now. Oh well. I guess it will be what it will be.

I'm about to go home now and write about a bazillion study questions for my British Literature timeline. Joy.

I hate that Mark has to work until 11PM for the rest of the week. I basically won't see him for the next three days :(

Lesson plans and Excel documents

I've been working on lesson plans all day. I have almost everything ready for the first two or three days. I have fairly big classes this time, but I know most of the kids already. They are good kids. My calendars are ready for the month (I hope!)

I have everything ready for the first three days. We go to school on Wednesday. HOLY COW! I have to have everything ready by Tuesday night. Oh my gosh, I don't think I'm going to be ready! My classroom is a wreck right now. Seriously, it is a disaster. Tomorrow we have to label books and pack up our old books. We also have textbook training tomorrow afternoon. Um. As if I have time for this...oh well, it must be done!

I'm creating an excel document right now that lists all the standards for each course. Yeah, I'm a nerd!

Marley's GiveAway

Marley is hosting an awesome giveaway. GO here to enter! :)

Swagbucks

I don't know if you've noticed the little widget down there on the right side. Swagbucks.

Hmmm. I was unsure about it at first. Now that I have a $10.00 credit sitting in my amazon account, I'm a beliver! Seriously! YAY Swagbucks! It is simple and easy. I get "bucks" just from searching, watching a silly video, or taking a survey. I've already ordered another amazon gift card and I'm on my way to getting my fourth one. Sweet!

Tired!

I'm tired. Just plain tired.

We started school yesterday. We ended up having three faculty meetings yesterday. I got nothing accomplished. We had one ALL day meeting. I do mean ALL day--8AM to 4PM. Oh my gosh, I am so tired from sitting in one place for hours. It was interesting stuff, but all I could think about was all the stuff I needed to be doing in my room. We got new textbooks so we have a BUNCH of stuff to do with those--label and count. Urgh!

I am going to go to the school some times this weekend. I can see no other way to be ready for Open House and for school on Wednesday. I don't have a bulletin board up. I don't have a syllabus printed or copied. Heck, I don't have anything planned! ARRRGGGHHHH!

We have to turn in lesson plans on Monday mornings at 8AM. We haven't had to do this for years, but I think it is a good idea! I usually plan, at least, a month ahead of time...so, I don't have any problem with it.

In fact, I think I'll go work on my syllabus and monthly calendar right now. At least, I'll work on them until Mark gets home...at midnight! Yawn!

new hair...new clothes...new books

I went to Valdosta today. I needed to get my hair done before school started. I got it cut, colored, and highlighted. Plus, I got my eyebrows waxed *ouch*! When I got done, I headed over to Belk's. They were having a mega sale! I got two skirts, a dress, two tank tops, and a very nice bra for less than $60.00. Score. I have tons of stuff that will match the skirts and the dress will be SO cute under a black cardigan.

Mark and I are supposed to go shopping in Jacksonville on Monday, but I really just don't know if I want to go or not. I know I should want to go, but really, I just want to veg out on my last few days. I picked up so much stuff already for school, and I really don't need many more clothes (or any) for school.

I did pick up the Pretty Little Liars series of books today. I know. I know. I love that show though so I thought I'd read the books, too. In fact, I'm going to read book one now.

She waved a magic wand...

Okay, it wasn't a magic wand, but I did win Courtney's Give-Away! YEAH!

It arrived today. I may or may not have done a little dance at the mailbox. What? Don't judge! :)



The colors are SO pretty and I think they will work perfectly with my coloring. Yippee!


Thank you SO much!

Waiting...

I'm waiting for my cousin and his wife to get here. They drove over from Texas to visit his mom in Florida. Now, they're driving to Georgia to see our grandmother. I hate waiting. This is not my favorite cousin. Um. I guess I don't have any favorite cousins...well, maybe some of Mark's! My cousin and I are not close. He just seems like a jerk so much of time and I have NOTHING at all in common with him. He is, I'm sure, a nice enough person, but *eh*

Thankfully, Kerry is going to be here so he will be able to go with me.

I'm getting pretty bummed about summer being almost over. I have to go back to work next Thursday. One week and one day. Bummmmmmmmmmer! I am excited about my schedule. I have mostly college prep American and British Lit. This is a change for me. I usually have inclusion students for almost all of my classes. I have one inclusion class the first semester in American Lit. I'm hoping that I get to work with Matt again. He is an awesome co-teacher!

I still need to go shopping for back to school "stuff". I hope I can get Mark to help me put together the two new bookcases I need. I guess I should get crackin' on some more lesson plans too.

The Best Thing About Going Back to School...

is shopping! I'm making a list. I have stuff that I MUST have for my classroom like pencils, pens, and a new bookcase. I went to Teacher Harvest in July and got some stuff. I always need more for my classroom though. I know that I need markers as well. The bookcase is a must have. Last year one of my bookcases got broken by the custodial staff, and I went through the year without it. Bad idea. Every time I needed something that SHOULD have been on the bookcase, I had to go looking for it. Since we're getting new textbooks this year, I know that I will have new materials and new units that I will need to use. So, new bookcase or bookcases it is.

I need some new make-up as well. I probably want to add some new shoes and a couple of dresses or skirts for next school year. Of course, I'll need some new Hello Kitty notebooks as well. I also do atendance and record keeping in a Hello Kitty notebook. It is an easy way for a sub to find it (yeah, that's the excuse I'll use)!

Mark has gone to work again. Bah! It will be a LONG afternoon. Ho hum. At least he has tomorrow and Tuesday off.

Bored...bored..bored...

I know that I shouldn't be bored. Goodness knows I have enough to do around here without being bored...but oh my gosh, I am SO bored.

Mark working for hours at night stinks. I miss my husband. I missing hanging out with him. He'll be home again about 12M, but STILL. Ugh! I've done some laundry today, vacuumed the floors, swept the kitchen, and loaded and unloaded the dishwasher. I've won some searches on SwagBucks.

I am totally stoked that I won the giveaway on Courtney's blog--Loving the Reflection! Her style is so darn adorable, and I get such good ideas from her pictures. She and her hubs are cutie-pies!

The worst part about Mark's schedule (yes, I'm harping on that again) is the fact that the way he's scheduled doesn't really allow us to do anything in the AM either. By the time we wake up, it is well in to the morning, and he has to leave at 1:15 or so to be there at 2:30.

This year is the first year I haven't had school since 2004. I went right from a master's classes to doctorate classes. I have been so mentally lazy this summer. I have read, read, and read, but I have to admit--I miss being a student.

I have to get back in the swing of things soon. I can't believe that I have 13 days until I have to be back at school. I start the 5th and the kids start the 11th. Mark and I are going "Back to School" shopping on the 1st or the 2nd. I need to get my hair cut, colored, and highlighted on the 30th or 31st. I'm getting "rooty." Mark will tag along on this shopping trip, but I'm sure he won't be thrilled about it. I wonder if he wants to go to Jacksonville, Gainsville, Tallahassee, or Macon. Guess I will have to ask.

Scheduling Issues...

Mark has to work until 11PM every night for the next month. I think he has Mondays and Tuesdays off. Bah! He's here in the mornings/early afternoon until 1:30 and then, I don't see him again for almost 12 hours. I hate his 45+ minute commute. I can admit it...I miss my husband when he's gone.

I haven't done a whole lot today. I did some laundry. I talked to my mom on the phone. Apparently, things are not going well for my youngest brother and his wife. I've only heard the story second-hand from my mom, but seriously, my brother better get his act together. He's got a kid, and well, it is time to grow up. Mark and I recently paid part of his tuition last semester. He lied to his wife about that. He lied to my parents about that. Good grief!

My husband is a saint...well, a very bad saint, but a saint nonetheless. He moved here from SLC where he had a great job with the air force. He moved here to be with me because I lived with my grandmother, at the time. She has Parkinson's Disease, and I've been living with her/taking care of her since I was 18. He let my middle brother move in with us and he puts up with my crazy dog (that I _HAD_ to have) when he only wanted one dog. I need to give him a big hug when he comes home.

Boris and Lucy have crashed out on the floor. I need to feed them soon so that they will be fed and walked before Mark gets home. It would be much to late to feed them at 12. Lucy has been kind of a heifer for the past two days. She is barking like crazy sometimes. I have NO idea why. Brat! Boris just looks at her as if to say..."shhhhhut uuuuuup!"

YEAH! :)

I'm excited! I just figured out (through a tutorial) how to create my banner for this blog. YEAH!

Mark is cleaning out what has become our "storage room" (read: junk room). There is so much junk in there. We've just shoved stuff in there whenever we didn't know where to put something. Now, it is a disaster area. So, Mark is cleaning it out while I do laundry and clean the kitchen. We whoop it up around here I tell ya'!

Lesson Plans...

I'm working on lesson plans for the coming school year. I know that I have so much to do and such a short time to get it accomplished. I need to make a list! This is what I would like to do before I go back to school on August 5th.

*Finish cleaning bedroom
*Straighten sunroom and living room
*Get watch batteries changed
*Deep clean kitchen (pantry and fridge)
*Complete two or three more bracelets for back to school wear
*Complete first two units of lesson plans for American Lit and British Lit

I guess I should go get started... :)

Joy Luck Club bracelet

JLC bracelet, originally uploaded by danaelayne.

This is the bracelet that I made. I need somewhere to take better pictures. I probably need to charge up the batteries on my regular camera.

This bracelet has Orient Express charms from Michael's. I added some other beads and some silvertone dragon charms.

I can't wait to wear this when we read the book :)

Crafty...

I feel crafty today. I think it is time to break out the beads and make some bracelets for Fall/School. I have a couple of ideas that were rolling around in my head last night. I hope I have all the beads (who am I kidding) that I need to make them.

I know that one of the bracelets I make today will be my "Joy Luck Club" bracelet. I make my college prep juniors read that book each year. I got a couple of dragon charms and other Oriental charms to put on there. I am excited about that one. When I'm building the beads for a bracelet, I put all of the beads I think that I will need in a snack size ziploc bag. I can't keep them together otherwise. I do need some more storage for my beads. Heck, I need more storage for all of my hobbies!

I'm going to go get my craft on :)

Silly....

I woke up feeling perfectly fine today. YEAH! No headache. Mark brought home some Excedrin migraine yesterday afternoon. It helped. It is always the last ditch effort before my major migraine medicine. I hate taking the migraine medicine though...I always feel so loopy.

This morning I've done dishes, filled Max's tank (Max is our red-eared slider turtle), and not a whole lot else. I need to get a move on. I can't believe how quickly summer is slipping away. Of course, I am not getting any sympathy from Mark or Kerry. Boo hiss to them. ;)

My silly dogs have been running and playing for about 30 minutes now. Up and down the rooms, rolling all over the floors, tugging at toys. Now, they are crashed out in the sunroom under the ceiling fan. Bums! :) I'm going to totally miss these lazy days when school starts back.

Grrrrr

I'd say I'm fighting a headache, but really it is kicking my butt. Hard.

Mark is on his way home from work, and he is bringing me some Excedrin. Alleve hasn't helped. A huge diet Coke hasn't helped. I attempted to take a nap, but thunder started rolling in and the dogs went insane. Silly doggies!

I woke up with this same stupid headache. I am so over it already. I was supposed to take Kerry to work today, but I just let him talk my car. I know Mark won't be thrilled with that, but oh well. I could barely handle opening my left eye in the sunlight much less driving him to Valdosta AND going to pick him up again around 11PM. No way.

I put ice in the puppies water bowl. I can hear Lucy bobbing for ice. She pulls it out and 'chases' it around the living room. Ha!

I'm going to go watch Law and Order in a dark room and see if it helps.

Spring Cleaning...a little late

Better late than never.

Our bedroom is a disaster. I kid you not. It is seriously a disaster. I am finally getting a handle on my closet (yes, my closet). I have most of my Vera's put away in the closet cubbies. I have a lot of the clothes hung up already. I have filled two more garbage bags full of clothes for Goodwill. It is insane.

I'm attempting to do ALL the laundry that needs to be done so that I can get everything (well almost everything) hung up and/or put away. I would like to see the top of my dresser before the school year starts.

I'm starting to get bummed that summer vacation is almost over. I'm in the 20s. Soon I will be in the 10s. UGH! Where did my summer go? I have been lucky. This is the first summer that I haven't been working on grad school in forever. Since I finished my doctorate last summer, I have been graduate work free. (I kind of miss it!)

I finally got my Crocsband flats that I wanted. I was super excited. They run big so I had to go down a size. They were SO cute with dark wash denim capris and a red shirt!

China Glaze: For Audrey

I have never used China Glaze colors before. I will be buying more of these. It is a good thing I got the Sally Beauty card!

Today I'm wearing China Glaze "For Audrey" which is a perfect Tiffany's Blue! It is a creme with no sparkles or glitter. No shimmer. It makes it the perfect color to wear with jeans (or khaki shorts) and a cute top!



I can't wait to go back to Sally's to find more "perfect colors!"

Review: Orly Pink Slip

It is no surprise that I love nail polish, especially pink nail polish. I am, afterall, a girly girl. I typically use OPI nail polishes, but after seeing a couple of reveiws for Orly nail polishes, I hightailed it over to Sally Beauty Supply to get some polish.

I got a few colors: Pink Slip, Royal Navy, and Dazzle. I can't wait to go back for more. Pink Slip is a pale, pale pink color. It doesn't have shimmer or glitter. It would be a perfect interview color--just enough to look put together and well groomed, but not over the top.



I liked the polish. It went on smoothly. I used three coats. It is almost opaque, but not totally which gives it an almost French manicure look. I've been wearing it about a week, and I haven't had any chips. I will be wearing Orly products again!

OUCH!

We spent a better part of the evening on Friday night in the emergency room. Mark came home from work and didn't feel too hot. Around 6PM, he was in terrible pain. By 7PM, he was in the bathroom in pain and throwing up. Off to the ER we go. Mark never complains about pain, so I knew it was bad.

After 5 hours in the emergency room and a CT Scan, Mark found out he has a kidney stone. OUCH! It is a smaller one, but still. As the doctor said, it is like putting a sandbur in a straw. *shudder* We didn't get in until 1:30AM. Suprisingly, the puppies let us sleep until 10AM. I guess they were tired too. Kerry (my brother who lives with us) had come home, woken them up, fed and walked them after 11:30PM.

I've been working on my closet, yes, still! I have almost finished it. Almost. It is such a chore, but I know that once I get everything cleaned out and organized I will be so much happier. I know that it will be worth it when school starts. I have, at least, two more garbage bags full of clothes for Goodwill. I swear our local Goodwill will now have a plus size section...ha!

I'm off to finish (who am I kidding) some laundry and unload the dishwasher. Side note: We live in my grandmother's house. She installed the dishwashwer when I was 1 or 2 years old. We are using a 37 or 38 year old dishwasher. Wild!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

The Closet of Doooooooom!

I've been cleaning out my closet. This has been a huge task. I have already gotten 7 garbage bags full. I have taken out everything that (a) doesn't fit or (b) just doesn't look good on me. I'm purging big time!

I'm going to take all the bags down to Goodwill in Valdosta. I'm trying to get my closet set up and cleaned up so that I can find everything that I need without having to dig through stacks and stacks!

I gave both the doggies a bath today. No matter what we do, they seem to get some fleas. Urgh! I know that it is because it is summer in the South, but dang! They are already on Frontline.

I guess I should get my behind in gear and cook some supper for the hubs!

Lazy Summer Days...

I went to eat lunch yesterday with Becky, one of my bestest friends. She is down in Valdosta at an AP workshop so I drove down there to meet her. We had lunch at Longhorn's...yum, cow! Since Mark is a vegetarian, most of our meals are vegetarian based. Whenever I go out, I tend to eat meat.

I've been working on lesson plans for next year. I've written the units for American and British Literature. I've cross-referenced most of the GPS. I just need to write the study sheets for each selection. There are a TON of new materials coming with our new books. I am uber excited. Wheee!

I really need to get to cleaning the house, a task I hate. I would like it to look better before I go back to school. It tends to become a pit during the school year because I simply do not have time to do it all. I would rather spend time with my husband than worry about whether or not the dishwasher has been unloaded! I know...blasphemy! The project that I really need to tackle is my closet. Oh my gosh, it is a total disaster. There is no other way to describe it. I have too many clothes and not enough space. I need to weed, weed, weed. I guess I should get up and go get that done.

I'm working on my British book reading challenge. I just finished a book by Karen Harper (not British), but I'm currently reading one by Jean Plaidy. I adore her books!

this and that

Yesterday Old Navy had 20% off. Yeah, I ordered. I got three short sleeve cardigans--one in aqua, one in melon ball (light green), and a striped one called soba noodle which I think will be cute with khakis. I'm so excited. I love the look of a short sleeve cardigan with a tank underneath. Perfect for teaching in. Plus, the melon ball with go perfectly with my Sitting in a Tree Vera, and the aqua will look great with my Paprika Vera. Score.

I also got the puppies a collar for the 4th of July. Lucy always tries to take Boris's bandana off SO I'll just be using cute collars from now on.

Mark has tomorrow off, but then he has to work the weekend...UGH!

I've been working on lesson plans. I'm pretty excited about it actually. We are getting new textbooks this year. There are TONS of new materials and the textbook works really well with our GPS. It also looks like I'm going to get to teach a remediation course for English. I'm pretty excited about that as well. Most people don't want to work with the kids who struggle, but I enjoy it. Most of them work hard, and we end up boosting their scores and their school self-esteem.

Gravy

I went to PetSmart last Friday. I got the puppies some new stuff. Boris got a new "summer" collar. Lucy got one as well. I also got them some Iams "gravy". Oh my gosh, it is insane how much the puppies like this stuff. They have two flavors--bacon and chicken stew. They scarf it down. I'd almost feel like a good cook, if I had anything at all to do with it. Ha!

I'm almost finished with the book The Observations by Jane Harris. I've enjoyed it so far. I'm starting to get into my usual book or two a week groove. I LOVE summer.

Mark is back on regular hours this week--well, until Friday. He has to work this weekend, and he has to work nights. UGH! I hate it when he has to work nights. I gets boring and lonely around here. Plus, he comes home super late (usually after midnight).

Time to walk the dogs!

Summer Vacation :)

I'm so excited to be out for summer vacation! YEAH! My students did pretty well this year, but there is always room for improvement.

Boris got neutered last week (ouch)! He was so bruised and battered. I felt so bad for him. The vet had to go "in" twice. Boris had a bleeder...yes, it is as icky as it sounds! He's back to his old self. He and Lucy have been racing each other around the house this morning/afternoon.

I've done laundry today, dishes, etc. I have a billion things to do in the house, but I've been so lazy. The pups and I slept until 8:30 this morning. Wheeeee! Mark has to get up and leave for work by 6AM. No thanks!

Tonight I think I'm going to make BBQ "chicken" sandwiches, baked beans, and something else for supper. The "chicken" is because Mark is a vegetarian so we eat a lot of faux meat.

Mark should be home any time now...YEAH! :)

Monday...Monday....

The alarm went off at 5:30 this morning. It is back to the grind for four more weeks. Four week, um WHOOOOO HOOOO!

I got asked today to help write a grant about student literacy. It would be mucho dinero for the school system, and my classroom would get laptops. Sweet!

We did a project today that I call "magnetic poetry". I give them about 100 random words and they have to make a poem from it. After that we read some William Carlos Williams and then they had to write their own version of "This is Just to Say" :) They loved it! YEAH!

Now, I'm waiting for Mark to get home so we can walk the dogs and I can hit the bed to read. :)

Dreary...

It is pouring here today. Rain, rain, rain all day. Mark is at work...grouchy and wet. I'm fairly sure that grouchy mood will come home with him. I always tease him that he is going to be a fabulous grouchy old man :)

I'm still doing laundry. I swear it must multiply in the hamper, because there is no way that all of those clothes are ours. I mean...they look familiar, but really! I need to vacuum. Having two dogs in the house makes that important (along with Febreeze).

I am totally unmotivated to do anything though. I have some things that I MUST complete today: see Nana, do laundry, put up clothes.

I need to pick out what I'm going to wear next week. I can't believe we only have four more weeks of school left. How did that happen? Of course, that means that I have about a week and a half to get the classes ready for the End of Course test in American Lit. YIKES! I also have senior research papers to grade. Oh joy!

So, hi :)

I haven't blogged in a long time. I have missed it. Pink posies and puppies? I love all things pink: flowers, shoes, clothes! Heck, even my crackberry cover and nails are pink. Puppies? My husband and I have two Boxers. Boris, 3, is a flashy fawn. He is the most awesome dog ever. Don't dispute me. You won't win. Lucy, 1, is a fawn. She is a mini-Cujo. She's a total puppy--always, always in to something.

I live in South Georgia with my husband, Mark. I teach high school English to 11th and 12th graders. I LOVE my job. I also LOVE summer. :)

Mark is working today. I've been doing about a billion loads of laundry today. I'm just waiting for Mark to get home.