I really like church!

When I was a child, I liked church...sort of. My parents were very involved in our church family. I liked seeing my friends at Sunday school and again on Wednesday nights. I remember not understanding what the sermon meant and thought the Bible was very hard to read. I remember before church having heavy hot rollers on my tiny head (note: I did not like this) so I would would have giant, loose curls with some sort of oversized bow (note: I will stick these in my girl's hair, too!) affixed in my hair. Then, we would have the biggest meal of the week, usually a roast or chicken fried steak (note: we ate turkey sandwiches today after church). Sometimes, we would go over to my Granny's house to eat with my aunt and uncle. I loved going to my Granny's. Then, church became a chore. For many years, it was just one more thing I had to do. I hope I never feel like that again. We have joined a church that is alive. It reaches out to help people that are hurting and needy. I walk away each week feeling renewed, humbled, and blessed. Church makes me think about my choices, words (eeks...my mouth, my mouth), and attitude throughout the week. I thank God for a church family. I hope that if you don't have this renewal in your life that you would step out of your comfort zone and seek a family that makes you feel anew. It was a road for us to find and join a church, but we both feel rewarded in our daily lives.

Much love,

Happy birthday, Lucy!

I gave my mom the nickname Lucy when I was about 13 and it has stuck. My mom reminds me of Lucille Ball; I think I was in my Nick at Night phase watching I Love Lucy. Today my mom turned 53! In our relationship, there have been many, many good times and several years that I'm glad we've moved past to brighter days. Moms are the picture of unconditional love. I appreciate her honesty, kindness, witty sense of humor, loudest laugh I've ever heard, strong will, hospitality, and generosity.


Happy birthday, Lucy!

Much love,

A little of this, little of that

--Zyrtec/Benadyrl is the best stuff ever...allergies under control!

--I'm not promising anything great, but my web page for school is done...for now! http://www.plainview.k12.tx.us/index.php?pg=763

--I'm getting the children in a routine...it's a beautiful thing.

--I'm reading to them the book Shiloh...anyone remember reading this book??? I've got the kids hooked. I do a pretty great tobacco spitting mean 'ole hick man voice. Come by the room, and I'll read to you at 1:15, too.

--I get to go to Lbk for training at Region 17 next week. I'm so excited! It's like going to the mothership.

Much love,

I think I can, I think I can...

After work, I didn't go home and fall down. No, like any normal person, I sat through a dinner out with my husband (towards the end, I did mention that I was so tired and was ready to go home and put on my pjs). This dinner was after I went to the tire place when one of my tires looked low...I had a flat (Micah thought I was silly for going to the tire place...I showed him with my flat!). I'm glad I ended my week with a good day. I've had a nasty case of seasonal allergies the past few weeks. I'm not sure if it's the harvesting mixed in with the crazy rain that is causing me so much trouble. When I don't take medicine, I sneeze and my eyes pour water. When I do take medicine, I feel much better, but I feel either totally out of it (the nighttime stuff is good!) or mildly fuzzy headed (daytime stuff). My kids told me the other day I was gross and got them sick and to go home. I told them it was allergies and didn't get them sick, but I've been preaching good hand washing practices to keep germs at bay. Anyway, I had a good day Friday. Less fuzzy headed. I was quite jealous that Lubbock schools were out of school. I taught a social studies lesson on 9-11. I had a focused class interested in what I was saying. I love teaching social studies. Then, I finally got some kids understanding rounding. I had a little boy tell me I was pretty...gold star for him! No one had to "pull a color." They listened better. They got annoyed by those in their class that didn't listen. People marveled at the cleanliness of my class. I got several notes and pictures at the end of the day that warmed my heart. It seems to make all the grading, paperwork, and the days I fall down worth it. "I think I can, I think I can..." Thank you God for a good Friday.

Much love,

What's in your toilet?

I have a frog in mine. Yep. I didn't put it there, either. How does a frog get in your toilet? Crawl through the pipes??? If so, what kind of pipes do we have? Last night, Micah got home around 12:30 AM. We chatted for a bit and made our way to bed. Around 2 AM, after being in bed for about ten minutes, I hear this noise coming from the master bath. We never use the master bathroom since it needs so much work. I just shut the door and have taken the out of sight, out of mind approach to the bathroom. It sounded like someone was "going" potty. I sent Micah into the bathroom and he said, "Uhhhmm, frog in the toilet!" I wrote a post a couple of months ago talking about how we found a couple of frogs in the hallway and he was totally freaked out. Now, we've got one in the toilet. How would you have liked to sit down in the middle of the night and have a frog hopping under you? Talk about peeing your pants! As tired as we were, I had to get the camera before Micah fished the frog into a styrofoam cup before the frog was transplanted into the backyard. We were so tired, but it was so funny!


Much love,

A quiet weekend for me

I have left the house only once this weekend to run some quick errands. Other than that, I've been sporting loungewear around the house. I normally am on the go, even on weekends, but this weekend I needed rest. Micah left before I even got home from work Friday for Reno, Nevada to root on the Red Raiders (we won!). He is in the process of driving home from Amarillo where his flight landed about thirty minutes ago. I'm waiting up for him to arrive--hence the late post. I slept on and off almost all of yesterday...so unlike me. I slept so much that I couldn't sleep until almost 3:00 AM this morning...that or I'm just a little afraid to be at home by myself! I can't believe I ever lived by myself! Today, I woke up ready to tackle my to-do list I've been putting off. I'm feeling quite good about my day. I've pulled weeds, watered my lawn, wrote thank yous, organized lists for school, cooked a little, cleaned a little, and even did a little routine grooming. Whew. Oh, and I watched Painted Babies tonight. Nothing beats the first one, but I liked to see what happened to the girls years later. As for Micah, he had lots of fun. I haven't heard many details other than he didn't think Tech played well. Our offensive didn't connect and he thought the play calling was awkward. The next two games are at home! It looks like a busy week for me. Debutantes starts up tomorrow; I agreed to be a director for another year. I am going to a class to learn how to design my school webpage tomorrow, and open house is on Thursday. Still waiting on Micah...

Much love,

"Painted Babies"

In 1995, The Learning Channel (TLC) ran the best documentary ever. It was re-ran it so many times that by the time I was in high school, I had watched it multiple times and could probably recite the lines. My BFF's, Katie and Laci also were slightly obsessed with the documentary. "Painted Babies" followed two families as they went through the little girl beauty pageant ranks until they made it to Supreme Queen. The documentary included: big hair (I like big hair, but this takes it to a whole other hairspray level), flippers (false teeth for those girls who lost teeth), rhinestones, tanning, Southern accents, larger than life trophies, and sponge painted mom clothes (my mom was so guilty, too!). I tried to buy the original "Painted Babies" documentary for my friends, but I couldn't find it. I'm so, so, so excited about "Painted Babies at 17."

It comes on September 7 on TLC at 8:00 PM CST and will replay later that night again at 11 PM CST. I may have to watch it both times...I don't know if anything can compare to the original. After the 8 PM showing, there is something called "Toddlers and Tiaras"...we'll see what that is about.

Here's a quick look of a clip on U-Tube of the original "Painted Babies."

Happy watching! Katie and Laci, I'm sad we aren't in our pj's watching together...feel free to call, but only during commercial breaks, of course.

Much love,

Watching the conventions

I've watched both the Democratic and Republican conventions. I lean right, but I think both conventions and sides have very valid points. I thought Palin did an excellent job last night with her speech. I really like Huckabee, too. Last night, he told a great story that had me in tears...c'mon, we all know that's not too hard.

Here's the story as told by Huckabee :

"On the first day of school in 2005, Martha Cothren, a teacher at Joe T. Robinson High School in Little Rock, was determined that her students would not take their education or their privilege as Americans for granted. With the principal's permission, she removed all the desks from her classroom. The students entered the empty room and asked, "Mrs. Cothren, where are our desks?"

"You get a desk when you tell me how you earn it," she replied.

"Making good grades?" asked one student.

"You ought to make good grades, but that won't get you a desk," Martha responded.

"I guess we have to behave," offered another.

"You will behave in my class," Mrs. Cothren retorted, "but that won't get you a desk, either."

No one in first period guessed right. Same for second period.

By lunch, the buzz was all over campus. Mrs. Cothren had flipped out, wouldn't let her students have a desk. Kids had used their cell phones and called their parents.

By early afternoon, all four of the local network TV affiliates had camera crews at the school to report on the teacher who wouldn't let her students have a desk unless they could tell her how they earned it. By the final period, no one had guessed correctly.

As the students filed in, Martha Cothren said, "Well, I didn't think you would figure it out, so I'll have to tell you."

Martha opened the door of her classroom. In walked 27 veterans, some wearing uniforms from years gone by, but each one carrying a school desk.

As they carefully and quietly arranged the desks in neat rows, Martha said, "You don't have to earn your desks. These guys already did. They went halfway around the world, giving up their education and interrupting their careers and families so you could have the freedom you have. No one charged you for your desk. But it wasn't really free. These guys bought it for you. And I hope you never forget it."

I wish we all would remember that being American is not just about the freedom we have. It's about those who gave it to us.

Ladies and gentlemen, John McCain is one of those people who helped buy the freedom that we enjoy and the school desks we had.

It's my honor to do what I can to help him have a desk that he has earned, one in the Oval Office."

Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, we all must be grateful to live in a country where our freedoms are so abundant that we walk around day to day so ungrateful. What a gift we are given to further ourselves with learning, to practice the religion of our choice, and to live with so many comforts unimaginable to so many. God bless America!

Much love,

It's looking up...

My day today is looking much better than yesterday. For starters, I can't really write about everything that goes on in the classroom, but it was a horrible day yesterday. Today, much improved. First, I was done with math before we left for lunch! This is HUGE! Second, I got back to my students four or five sets of papers. Third, it was library day. My students now have a book to read when they finish their classwork. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out work for my students since I have GT, an English language learner, special ed., and speech kids. It's just one big heterogeneous group of us learning.

Today, was a ray of sunshine. I graded papers and my students did really, really well on both the punctuation paper, the greater than/less than math page, and their safety science test! Then this morning, I had a child give me a picture of her going to the beach with me...it just really made my day. I put it by my desk as a reminder of the importance of my attitude...wouldn't that have stunk if she would've drawn me handing out worksheets yelling. Oh, then my kids and I played "Sparkle." It was one of my favorite games growing up since I totally practiced my spelling words!

Here are some pictures of my classroom:

Before I could put my touch on the classroom, I was blocked out of my room by the giant toilet paper rack taken from across the hall and placed in my room for floor waxing! I actually helped lift this back into the hall so I could get in my room!

This is a before shot (this was even with some work done to it, too!)!


Reading/Language Wall





Forcing social studies on them! :)





Question of the day


My desk area/file cabinets



We wish our friends, "Happy Birthday!"


Target Math, Class Rules, Lunch Choices




Keeping up with the kids in the hall


My husband has excellent handwriting skills (I left it up and erased around it for days). Notice my handwriting in the second picture. Eeeks...practice makes perfect?



Aren't desk tags just the cutest thing ever?


Much love and a brighter outlook,

I don't know...

In my life, I don't think I've ever said, "I don't know" so much. I hate not knowing. I don't like change. I'm trying to be positive, but last night, I ended up in a puddle of tears. I dreaded going back to something I don't know about. I can't enter grades because my gradebook program is messed up, I don't have all this legal-eagle paper work on kids--but clearly there's some out there due to behavior and content issues, and I haven't taught one lesson of social studies. I feel like I'm not doing what I love. I miss teaching social studies. I love, love, loved my job before. I taught what I loved with people I loved. Today, I spent double the hours on math again. I didn't get to science or English. I feel like a failure. And, I'm sneezing all intermixed. There it is. I'm working on not complaining. I just started crying last night during Jon and Kate Plus Eight. Just bawling. I couldn't stop. I freaked out Micah. "Why are you crying now," he asked. I couldn't even give a good answer. I just feel like I'm falling apart. I'm not really writing for anyone to feel sorry for me, I just don't get to talk about this and when I do start to actually verbalize it...I cry so typing is much better right now...

Much love and a sad face too,

Day Two

--No vomit
--Wore flats
--Still tired, but I haven't fallen asleep yet. I actually came home and started laundry and watered the flowers.
--If I did all the math I was suppose to teach, I would only teach math.
--I already feel behind.
--I like teaching vocabulary. So far, we've learned "luminous" and "belligerent."
--First parent conference at 8 AM this morning...no comment.
--Attended Sexual Harassment training after school
--I hugged more. Learning to accept hugs. Does this make me a bad person?
--Patience is still a virtue.

Much love,

Day One

A few observations from day one:

--They hug...I'm not sure how I feel about it...my mom told me to just get used to it; I'm adjusting.
--I had a student vomit first thing this morning. Luckily, not in the classroom, but the bathroom across the hall smelled funky.
--My feet hurt. I'm not used to wearing dresses and heels (albeit kitten heels) all day. I'm in my sweats now. Tomorrow I will wear flats.
--My class told me I "go too fast." I don't repeat well. I will try to be better.
--Patience isn't the gift that comes naturally.
--I had a kid sneeze on me.
--I made it and I'm going back tomorrow. Still need prayers. Still miss my school. Working on patience. Patience is a virtue. I will repeat the last one over and over again. Patience is a virtue. Patience is a virtue. Patience is a virtue...

Much love,

I'm pooped

Good morning! I tried to sleep in this morning, but 7:50 rolled around, and I was awake and not going back asleep. I've been working nutty hours. I left school last night at 9:15 after being there since 8 am. Lots of long hours. My body hurts from lugging files, supplies, lifting bookcases, books, desks--I'm so sore. I should mention, I'm on the second floor of my school, too. Double sore. I've been to Wal-Mart (grrrr) about five thousand times, and I've on my way there after I found out I needed more stuff. Then, back up to school for a full day of work. I'm hoping that I don't have to go there tomorrow, too. I need rest. My mind is going almost constantly with all of the to do's on the list, and the ones I left off, and the ones I might needed to have put on the list...so exhausting. My house is a disaster area, too. I literally fantasize about having an assistant or even a clone version of myself..oh, I could get so much done! I'm off to Wal-Mart and work!

Much love,

Gully washer and thunderboomer

"It's comin' a gully washer (interchange thunderboomer, too)," is what my parents say when it thunderstorms. My vocabulary has been inadvertently infiltrated, too--especially when I'm mad. Micah looks at me like I fell off a turnip truck (my parents, again) out in Arkansas when I use anything that isn't common language. Sorry I got sidetracked (like so often my stories do)... it's been raining quite a bit in the Texas Panhandle this last week (that was my point). Last Thursday, we went to dinner with the Owen family at the Plainview Country Club (so good!). I like them; they are funny and make great dinner conversation...no awkward silences at that table. They even laughed when my tea went flying across the table onto Micah (in my defense, I was sitting on the crack of an uneven table). Back to the story (Micah tells me I am the worst story teller...I agree, I stink...oh, I have a good story about stinking as a story teller...for another day), when we walked in it was hot outside, but while at dinner the sky went super dark and the wind went nuts. By the end of dinner, it was pouring rain. As we are walking out of the dining area, the power went out. We make it to our cars, and there are no street lights (thank goodness for polite drivers who know how to drive and Micah who was driving...I would have had a panic attack). I desperately needed gas, but no power means no gas, but we made it home. No power at home, either. Michael Phelps was swimming that night and Micah was not happy that he was sitting in the dark not watching. I was enjoying the adventure a little more! However, the power returned thirty seconds into his race and all was well with the world, again. Here's a few pictures to document our power outage:


Sad face thinking he was missing the Olympics

He makes this face when he doesn't want to take pictures. I call it his "frog" face.

Our brave boy held down the fort while we were gone!

Light source...it actually wasn't that dark and kinda fun!

Much love,

No tears today

Just an update for those who may think I'm about to jump off a roof at any moment...no tears today. We had registration today for our kiddos. Thirteen of mine showed up which means I'll have transfers or late registration kids in my class. The thirteen that came to class were cute! Some were super quiet and some were very chatty, but it looks like a sweet group. I'm exhausted from my "perma-smile" and handshaking. It's going to be a different group than my kids in Lubbock, but kids are kids, right? I also made some new friends with our special education assistants. They told me that "I was one of them." I figure that a good thing! I like being liked!

Okay, it's not nine and I'm in my ratty old Evans shirt and pj pants. I'm fixing to settle into some Olympic watching!

Much love and TGIF,

OMG, overload

Oh my goodness...brain overload! Thanks for all the encouraging words the last few days. There's been more tears for Micah to mop up (and Bev, too...so sorry I was heaving and sniffling into the phone...I love that the free counseling services are provided on the phone, too) the last few days, but it's okay...remember, I'm still under construction. It's hard being new. I've been too busy to breathe. I will post more, but I'm on my way to a dinner engagement.

Much love,

Odd duck out

Today was my first day of school as an elementary school teacher. We have to work inservice for the next two weeks before the kiddos show up to school. I remember hearing that elementary teachers are really into their inservices. My observation was that this was indeed correct and I felt like a duck out of water. I walked in and they handed me stickers to place on "getting to know you" posters. There was a poster that asked, "Are you more intellectual or creative?" I along with three or four others placed a sticker on the intellectual side. The creative side had what seemed like the rest of the elementary district. Then, I was handed a plate and asked to decorate it to represent myself--mine was monochromatic red. The person next to me was cutting up her Starbucks cup to decorate hers along with some of the left over stickers from earlier. I witnessed copious note taking from my table mates. I also saw a politically incorrect themed lesson with song included that I will not be using any time soon but was the hit of the workshop! Next, I was dressed up and I got volunteered to report about forests for our afternoon project. I had volunteered to do the research for the project thinking that would keep me out of the spotlight...forget that...they had twigs coming out of my pants, hair, shirt--I was a leafed wonder. I can only imagine what the coaches would have said at Evans. I hate speaking in front of people if I don't know them. Everyone knows my voice goes up ten octaves and gets ten thousand times twangier when I'm nervous. I know it is going to get better. It has to...right? I am trying to be conscience of my attitude and the words I speak. No one wants to be around a Debby Downer. I'm working on softening my heart toward change.
I need this construction sign around me, and hopefully God does a work in my heart.

Much love,

Tech season opener t-minus 20 days away

After church and a lunch with our Sunday school class and Micah mowing the lawn, we headed to football practice in Lubbock. Yep, he's started watching dvds of last season's games and wearing his football tees more and more...it's time. I was even excited to go. I've never been on the practice field before. We were right there with media and stood right next to the players. They are HUGE...I mean HUGE. The foot work was crazy fast and Crabtree makes a catch look so pretty and easy. I want Harrell's tan, too. A few things I noted about practice: ear muff the kids--there's no censoring here, it's loud and I couldn't understand what the heck they were yelling most of the time, be ready to move--you will get run over, big dudes fighting are a little fun and I got to see one today. Oh, and I also heard a spectator tell a player that he needed to earn his scholarship; if I was that player in pads and crazy heat...I would have molly-whoped him. Here's a few pictures; Micah took the good ones. I took the ones of people I didn't know...just snapped away.







Much love for the Red Raiders,