Happy Halloween

We're Going!!!!

Here

I promised my boys we'd go see the Gators when they played the Badgers in basketball this year.

I was thinking it would be sometime later in the season...but Zack reminded me today - and we checked the date - and YIKES - it's in less than two weeks.

So we went on stub hub and ordered the tickets...thankfully, it is soooo much cheaper than a football game!

Still don't really have the money for it but a promise is a promise. And it's probably a once in a lifetime experience.

Go Gators!

Update on Moving

I pray...I watch...I listen...I pray some more...

I see no signs that God wants me to stay here.  The opposite is pretty much true.  I see signs nearly daily that move me to believe we must go.  

I have resigned myself to acknowledging that fact.  Zack has also.  We now talk often about "next year when we live in Florida."  

It gives us both something to look forward to as we take this huge step sideways and away from where I always planned we'd be. 

At the very least I can take this ridiculously cold weather we've been having lately knowing this will be the last winter I will spend here.

Party Time

A couple weeks ago Zack came home from school with an invitation to a class party.  The invitation said there would be a bonfire and the kids could play football, basketball, or volleyball.

Everyone was to bring a snack to share.  

I understand everyone had a great time - even though it rained and they were confined inside the house and even though Zack insisted upon subjecting himself to watching the Clemson/Florida State game.  By the time I picked him up he was not happy about that!!!

But he did say he had fun (despite the game)...

One Month

Saturday the 19th marked one month taking the Tramadol for fibromyalgia and nerve pain.

I cannot believe the difference!

This past summer was horrible for me and there were several times that I briefly considered a trip to the doctor or ER because I could not handle the pain.  The only thing that stopped me was that I was already taking pain medicines (and pretty strong one too) and so I didn't know what could even be done for me. 

I know the Tramadol is working if for no other reason than I have not thought that one.single.time. since starting. And I am no longer taking any of that strong pain medicine I was taking this summer - that never really worked anyway. My mindset told me that if I was in that much pain while taking pain medicine...imagine how much I'd be in if I ever didn't take it!  Oh if I only knew.

 I wish I could say I was 100% pain free but that is not the case... I am 90% pain free and I'll take that any day!

I am not, however, completely satisfied.  I am happy about the lack of pain but also know that the symptoms are not gone...they are just being covered up by a medication so I don't feel the pain.

I was introduced to a holistic healer who claims he can "re-set" a body and rid it of any ailments that they may have.  He has done this for things such as migraines and common illnesses like colds with a great degree of success (I guess).  He is just starting to try it with fibromyalgia. I have always been a bit skeptical about these things but he is offering his services free so I guess I can't really go wrong.  I am a "test subject" for him and just need to provide him with honest feedback.

The only drawback is he does not live near here so I have to wait until December when he is back in this area.  I'm still thinking about it.

There Are Things I'd Rather Be Doing

Ollie is a floppy eared dog.  He also supposedly has allergies.  The combination of the two make his ears ripe for infection.  

The first time he had one was when he was about 1.5 years old.  Unfortunately at the time, I didn't know the signs to look for and by the time we got him to the vet, his poor ear was a mess.

Since that time, he has had at least 5 or 6 more infections requiring vet visits and a couple more we have treated at home.

Monday morning, as I was snuggling with him before leaving for school, I became suspicious of the smell coming from his ear.  Monday afternoon he got a hair cut and the groomer confirmed that he did, indeed, have yet another ear infection.

So...Tuesday we had to go visit the vet...

Poor baby knows exactly where we are and oh how he dreads getting that scope down his ear.

He lies by the door and whines because he wants to leave.

The vet and the vet techs all comment on what a good boy he is...he is just so tolerant of everything they do to him and even though I know he hates what they are doing, he never even attempts to nip or bite anyone.

In the end his right ear was infected (which we knew) so he got a medication placed in it and we go back in two weeks to make sure it's gone.  

Fortunately, the vet is the parent of kids who go to the school I teach at so I get the "poorly paid teacher's" discount. 

Add This To My List of, "I can't believe I just heard that!"

Ahh...the sixth graders strike again...

Remember the, "is the B in George W. Bush capitalized?" question?

Well...if you haven't guessed the class is doing a president report and one of the requirements is to list important events that occurred during the president's administration.

So today a child says..."there were no major events during Bush's presidency."

Here is what I wanted to say!!!

Um...are you talking about George W Bush? 

The president from 2001-2009?

The president in September, 2001?

The president on September 11, 2001?

The president during the biggest attack on our country on American soil?

The president during the biggest terrorist attack on our country ever?


But here is what I said instead:

Gathering all the patience my self had to offer, "why don't you Google it again...I'm sure something will show up."

Oy!!!!!

It's A Wonder I Don't Just Lose It

Two things that have become very apparent to me since I've started teaching computer are that 1). children do not listen well to directions, and 2). children do not seem to have problem solving skills that would help them figure things out on their own.  

When I taught fourth grade I was a fanatic about my students listening to directions.  I would go to great pains to explain things in detail - right down to what they should do with the assignment when they were finished and what they, personally, could do when they were finished. Then I would ask if there were any questions and, if there were none, they could begin.  


If ANYONE dared to begin their assignment before I was completely done with directions - I would rip it up, throw it away, and they got a 0. 

This may sound harsh for 9 and 10 year old children but I was adamant about instilling good listening skills at this young age and, let's be real here, it made my life a whole lot easier!

I love repeating myself 100 times a day ----said NO ONE EVER!

Now, however, I cannot very well take away a whole computer from a student who does not listen to directions...I wish I could...but it's not possible.

 I do my best to make sure they listen.  For instance, in the lower grades if they do not listen to my directions I will not help them with their assignment.  Four 2nd graders learned first hand last week that fooling around during directions is probably not a good idea when they struggled with figuring out how to get AutoShapes on a word document and change the color of the inside of the shape while their classmates - the ones who DID listen to my directions - had no trouble at all. And no, I did not help them.  At the end of class I went to all four individually and showed them how to do it so they still met the objective.

As a teacher, especially one who has an average of 60 - 100 students filter through my door each day, I have to do things that will preserve my sanity.  And repeating directions is one of those things that I just refuse to do.  

The problem solving thing I just have not figured out yet.  I don't know if they just don't have any or if in this age of easy access to things, they just want to take the easiest way out all the time instead of figuring it out on their own.  For instance, I can't tell you how many times a day I hear, "how do you spell_______?" even though Microsoft Word has spell check built right in. 

 For the Middle School grades, I go out of my way to type up ALL directions for them so that even if they did not listen to me or they forget (because we do a lot of multi-day projects) they simply need to read the directions.  

Despite this over the top attempt to make my life easier by not having to repeat the same things over and over, I still get questions such as, "does this report have to be double-spaced" and "we can do our PowerPoint on any subject, right?"  I patiently suppress my urge to yell, "what do you think?" and simply and calmly say, "read your requirement sheet I printed."  Or, on the off chance that there is no requirement sheet my favorite saying is, "ask a classmate because I already gave that direction."  

But despite all I try to do...there are times I feel like shaking my head and waving the white flag of defeat. Like this morning when a 6th grader asked me, "is the B in George W. Bush capitalized?"  and another shows me her printed report and asks, "where should I put this?" even though at the beginning of class I clearly and emphatically said, "DO NOT PRINT YOUR REPORTS TODAY - EVEN IF YOU FINISH THEM...DO NOT PRINT."  

I don't know maybe if I stand on my head or do a cartwheel while giving directions I'll have better results.

Upstairs Bathroom/Master Bathroom

As I said in yesterday's post, we do not have a master bathroom.  The bathroom that is connected to our bedroom is shared with the hallway...and whoever visits our house.

Also, when the house was being built, I didn't think to ask for two sinks.  I don't care - but I'm sure it would be better to have two sinks when we try to sell this house.

View from our bedroom

The paint color in here is actually the first color we used in our bedroom (before painting it again in 2008).  I want to change the paint color in here as well because once I saw it on the walls I didn't really like it but we're still recovering from re-painting five years ago!  Maybe next summer.

View from the hallway

I wanted a palm tree theme in here - which worked out perfectly because the shower curtain we had in our old house in the downstairs bathroom so we didn't have to buy a new one.

Palm trees are my favorite trees and remind me of my Florida days.

Not much to see in a bathroom.

So, that's it...except for a picture of the dog stalking me from the hallway.  I'm telling ya - wherever I am...that's where he is too!

Master Bedroom

Continuing with the exciting "house tour" is the master bedroom.

There are three bedrooms on the upper level and one bathroom. 

View from the hallway as you walk in

It took me a while to decide what I wanted to do in here.  In fact, we ended up re-painting the room just two years after we moved in.  

I decided to go with a tan/burgundy/with a little bit of greenish color scheme.  The bed spread and curtains were purchased from the catalog Country Curtains with our economic stimulus money in 2008.  The bed spread is reversible and the other side has the same pattern as the curtains.

View from the bathroom off the master bedroom 

Just ignore all of hubby's hunting stuff in the back there.  It pretty much stays out all of October and November - except when he's using it. 

This fake flower is on my dresser.

It has a very special meaning to me.  

Years ago when we were living in Florida I was driving on Interstate 95 taking the boys to meet their dad.  It was mid to late November because Jon had just celebrated his birthday - probably his 8th or 9th.  As we were driving, it quickly became apparent to me that my car had a flat tire.  Fortunately, we were not too far from a gas station so we all got out and walked up a hill and down a street to the nearest gas station.  

After I finished talking with the service man...picking out a new tire and explaining to him where my car was...I turned my attention back to the boys and Jon was standing with his hands behind his back.  

He said, "I have something for you, mom." And he held out that fake rose.  He had used his birthday money to buy me a fake flower at a gas station and I will always cherish that thing as if it cost him a million dollars. It has fake rain droplets on it as well.

We don't have a master bathroom (my only complaint about the house) but we do have a pocket door leading from our bedroom to the only bathroom on the upper level.

Pocket door leading to the bathroom

So, there it is.  There is not much to show.  I am sure it is a small room compared to most master bedrooms but it suits me fine.  We don't have any beautiful matching furniture to show off...just mismatched dressers, a night table, and the chest at the end of the bed. And that suits me fine as well.  I am not a person who needs a perfect everything.  

The Frustrating Side of Ollie

There are times when Ollie definitely has his his own ideas of what he wants do to - and they in no way match up with my plans.

Tonight we got home a little late from having dinner out...and it's starting to get dark way earlier these days...so I decided I would skip our nightly walk so I could get a jump on all the cleaning I needed to do.

Yeah - that didn't go over so well.

All night long he started out at the backyard...

Still looking out the window at 8:00.  Notice it's dark already?

He would alternate this with giving me the look

Please take me out for a walk

Meanwhile - I'm trying to clean the kitchen

And it's not like he can't go out in the backyard by himself...we have probably 3 acres back there for him to walk around and sniff and explore.  And he knows his boundaries.  

But he just WILL NOT!  If I open the door to let him out, he will just stand there and look up at me waiting for me to go out first.  

Bad news, buddy.  Cold days are ahead...nightly walks will be coming to an end soon.

Side note:  Three weeks on the Tramadol and all is well.  Yesterday I started seriously exercising again; the first time in over 15 months. 

Funny Cat Memes

For Christmas, I made a calendar for my sister consisting of funny cat memes (she loves cats).  

These are a few of my favorites:

In the Car

I've written several posts about Ollie's love for car rides.  

Normally, if we're going slow enough or if the weather is nice, he prefers to stick his whole upper body out the window like this.

But, if the windows are up and he can't do that...he rides like this:

I love how he sticks his little paw through the door handle.

On this particular ride we were on our way to visit his friends, Jamie and Rudy (my friend's dogs). This is the look I get when I say, "Jaaamie and Ruuudy."

He loves hearing their names and gets all excited to go see them.  Then, once we're there, he acknowledges them for a few minutes and spends the rest of the time pretty much ignoring them and glued to my side for fear I might leave without him.

A side note: he is wearing his Gators collar because it was a game night - vs. Arkansas.

Goooooo Gators!

Well Helloooo Grandpa Joooe

Remember last year when Zack played the leading role of Matthew in their school's production of Anne of Green Gables?

This year the play is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Zack has landed the role of Grandpa Joe.  


For those who haven't seen the movie (which would be kinda strange) Grandpa Joe is Charlie's grandfather who tours the chocolate factory with him.  So he will, once again, be on stage for a majority of the play and have a million and one lines to memorize.

But I am proud of him.  It's the part he tried out for and really wanted.  But I'm wondering if he hasn't now been typecast as an old man!

House Tour - Living Room

The living room is usually pretty clean.  No one really goes in there much besides hubby.

This is the view as soon as you enter our house.  The living room is directly to the right and the dining room/kitchen is straight ahead.

I really, REALLY, wanted to extend the hardwood floors into the living room but it was too expensive.  For some reason, even though we hardly ever go in there, and we definitely do not eat in there, the carpet is very difficult to keep clean.

Looking into the living room from the entry hallway:

 It's not so much a living room as it is a living area since the whole entry level is a big open space. 

Hubby made the shadow box in the corner one day when he was bored.

The entertainment center:

The view from the other side of the living area

Ignore sleeping dog. He is not allowed in the living room

And that's it. not much to see...it is a very small(ish) area.

House Tour - Kitchen

A lot of my fellow bloggers have been posting pictures of their homes - one room at a time. 

Since this blog is more like my on-line diary, I thought it would be a good idea to follow suit so that one day I will be able to look back and remember our house.

In fact, if I can find pictures of my old house in Florida, I may scan them and post them as well.

I decided to start with the kitchen...mostly because it was clean.  And it's hardly ever clean.  At least not clean enough for my taste.  

The kitchen and dining area are actually one big space so I'll be doing them together.

 This is the oven and microwave

The sink and more cupboards.  One thing we are not lacking in this kitchen is storage space.  But, on second thought, can you ever really have enough storage space in a kitchen?

The whole kitchen looking at it from the dining area.  We decided to go with hard wood floors for the kitchen and, while they look really nice, they are impossible to keep clean.  I keep a broom out 24/7 and am constantly sweeping up crumbs.

The original plans included a snack bar that came out from the end of the counter but I wanted a more open look so we left it out. 

The dining area looking at it from the kitchen

Ignore the walking dog

So that is the dining and kitchen area combined.  I do not like that big red wall with nothing on it but I haven't found anything I like to put there that costs less than $200.00.  

Decorating for Fall

It's still 80 degrees here so it hardly feels like fall...but, living in Florida for a few years, I am used to decorating for the season and not the weather.

Temperature today at 3:00 pm

I wish I could say that the warm September would be a foreshadowing of a mild winter - but, sadly, it's not.  

So...I have Tuesdays off. And Jon was gone in Minnesota for a conference for school, Jerry went up north to his sister's, and Zack was at school.  I was alone.  

This was important because when I put out seasonal stuff, I like to deep clean as well.  It is so much nicer to clean knowing that things are going to stay clean for longer than five minutes!

The fall stuff:

Love, Love, Love my candles