Merry (belated) Christmas

More Yahoo Popular

Check out this dog I found on Yahoo Popular yesterday:

In this April 24, 2008 file photo, Hungarian Puli sheep dog, Fee, jumps over a hurdle during a preview for a pedigree dog show in Dortmund.

And these cute pandas:


In this photo released by Chiuna's Xinhua News Agency, giant pandas Tuan Tuan, top, and Yuan Yuan play in a breeding base in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province on Feb. 17, 2006. The pair of pandas left China Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008 on a long-awaited goodwill journey to their new home in Taiwan in the latest move symbolizing the warming ties between the rivals.

And last, but not least, this strange baby aardvark:

This recent photo, supplied by the Detroit Zoo, shows a newborn aardvark, Amani.

I am telling you, I lead a pretty boring life. But there's always something out there that I can entertain myself with!

Resolution '08

I finished my 2008 New Year's Resolution with three days to spare. I guess that will give me three days to think of something good for 2009.

Happy Birthday Chase!!!

1996


2008

Happy 12th Birthday Chase! We love you :)

One Year Supply

Apparently a four pack of scotch tape lasts me exactly one year because every single stinking year when I get ready to wrap Christmas gifts I have to go out and buy tape. I get to the store and I think it would be smart to buy a four-pack. I buy it, have plenty for Christmas and don't think about it again until the next year when I am alone in the house (a rare occasion), have all of the gifts out where the kids could see them if they come home early, and have all of my wrapping paper ready to go. UGH!!!

Wordless Wednesday -- This is what happens when Kenny picks out the decorations at the store!

Isn't it Ironic?

Sometimes I like to look at Yahoo's week in photos. The caption on this one says:

Two hundred thousand plastic figures, representing every signature collected for a climate initiative, are displayed in Poznan, Poland. The 14th U.N. conference on climate change will be held here, where attendees hope to set the groundwork for a new global climate pact.

Am I the only one who finds it strangely ironic that they produced 200,000 little plastic figures to make a point about being green?

Winter Break and a Survey

My fall semester has ended and I am already enjoying my second day of break. Yesterday after I got the boys off to school I went back to sleep. Then I stayed in bed and read a book. An entire book! Then I got on the treadmill for a while, but I can't claim that I was being totally healthy -- I watched TV while I was on there. I took a shower just in time to go pick the boys up from school. It was great. Today I am staying out of my bed and cleaning the entire house. It might not sound like fun, but it is definitely something that I neglect while I am attending classes so it needs to get done. And if I crank the music loud enough to annoy my retired neighbors then it can be almost fun. I don't go back to school until January 20th. Maybe I will be better about blogging between now and then. But I am warning you now ... next semester is my student teaching semester so I will probably be gone from the blogosphere for the entire 16 weeks. I'll be busy, overwhelmed, scared, dazed and confused (you get the idea) for the entire time I am there! And speaking of next semester ... I have a dilemma that I want you to help me with. I am a pretty good student. Of all of my classes I have ever taken I have received (earned) all A's except one C and two B's. I was hoping to graduate magna cum laude. You have to have a 3.7 for that. I have a little problem ... my Russian grades. When I was in the Army I went to DLI and studied Russian. It was very, very, very difficult and my instructors were very, very, very mean! I would not have made it if weren't for my friend Ryan helping me study and my boyfriend Brian (that seems so funny to say now!) keeping me from quitting. If I quit they would have sent me away and that would have been bad for the whole dating thing. The first semester I got all C's, the second semester all B's, and the third semester all A's. Ironically the first semester you needed a C to not get kicked out, the second semester a B, the third an A. Basically, I did what I needed to do to stay in the program! Anyway, because of my Russian grades my overall GPA at my current college is a 3.678. I am .022 away from magna cum laude. Student teaching is pass/fail so it won't help my GPA. Here's where you come in. I want you to vote. Should I try to have my Russian grades removed from my transcript (which would probably include a messy appeal process) or should I just suck it up and take my cum laude because I did get those C's in Russian so that's what I deserve? Vote over in my sidebar and let me know what you think --------------->

Italian Women Are Tough!

My Aunt Kathy sent me this today. And if you knew how I treated Brian on days when we are going to have people over to the house you would know why I think it is so very, very funny (and appropriate!)

An elderly Italian man lay dying in his bed. While suffering the agonies of impending death, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite ravioli wafting up the stairs. He gathered his remaining strength, and lifted himself from the bed. Gripping the railing with both hands, he crawled downstairs. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen, where if not for death's agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven, for there, spread out upon waxed paper on the kitchen table were hundreds of his favorite ravioli.

Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of love from his wife of sixty years, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man? He threw himself towards the table, landing on his knees in a crumpled posture. His parched lips parted, the wondrous taste of the ravioli was already in his mouth. With a trembling hand he reached up to the edge of the table, when suddenly he was smacked with a wooden spoon by his wife. "Get Away!" she said. "Those are for the funeral."

Wordless Wednesday -- Great Friends & Christmas Cookies :)

(and some margaritas too)

Ding Dong Ditch

When we heard the doorbell ring at 8:00 pm we all just sat there and stared at each other because we don't really know anyone who is out and about after dark. We're boring like that. So imagine the boys' surprise when they opened the door and saw this monstrously huge bag:

Chase opened it up and found this note inside:


With a little more digging they found this:


Ooooh ..... and this: (this person must know me well)

There was even a package for Sam & PJ in there:

We were all very surprised and very grateful to our Secret Santa. Or should I say Secret Santa-ette?!? Because I am pretty sure I know who this sweet, kind, funny, intelligent, caring, beautiful Santa-ette might be. She might just be someone that I have truly enjoyed getting to know this semester. Someone I have come to care about like a fun little sister. Someone that I think is going to be the best teacher west Texas has ever seen. Someone that I hope student teaches in the same school as me so that we can continue to work together towards our common goal. Someone who might just find her own ding dong ditch bag at her doorstep if she is not careful!

I am a scaredy-cat!

They say you learn something new every day. Today I learned where the staples are for the staple gun. And I learned how to get creative with two ladders so that I could hang the Christmas lights on the house without climbing up on top of the roof. I learned that because I also learned that I was too scared to get on top of the roof ... even though Kenny did it when he was barely 7 years old! It's interesting what kinds of things you learn when your husband isn't home to just take care of it for you!

(This was taken two years ago)

Would You Live Here?

This is a house in my hometown of Oswego, NY. I think it is very interesting. But I am not sure I'd want to live there!

Idiocracy from Coast to Coast

Yesterday in Palm Desert, CA two men shot and killed each other after their babymamas female companions got into a fight in a Toys R Us. If you want to read about it click here.

A 34 year old man was killed yesterday after being trampled by the more than 2,000 customers fighting to get into a NYC Walmart. He was a WalMart employee who was attempting to control the crowd. If you want to read about it click here.

A woman in Farmingdale, NY was trampled by overeager customers in a Walmart. She had minor injuries and finished her shopping before she filed a police report. She probably wanted to make sure she still got that Black Friday bargain!

I could go on and on with the crazy stories I found on the news this morning. But really this quote from the NYC WalMart story sums up the insane craziness that has come over some American shoppers:

Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages."

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling `I've been on line since yesterday morning,'" she said. "They kept shopping."

Black Friday in West Texas

I found this is my newspaper ads yesterday. I would be willing to bet none of you saw anything anywhere near this in your ads!

I am thankful for ...

The First Thanksgiving

The First Thanksgiving
by Alex Hinton, age 5

They traveled on the Mayflower to United.
They didn’t know they had food. They saw that they had food.
And then the Indians showed them how to build houses and corn.
And then Squanto, the Pilgrims’ friend, came.
And then Squanto helped them build more houses and corn.
And then Squanto got taken to a place.
Then he came back and saw that his family died.
Then he went to the Pilgrims. He stayed with the Pilgrims.
Squanto, the Pilgrims’ friend, ate with them.

Bad News & Good News

Yesterday I found out that I was not selected for a scholarship.

Today I found out that I passed my TExES exam!

Wordless Wednesday -- Happy Turkey Day

Inflation

I usually give each of the boys $20 to spend on each other for Christmas. This year we are going to have Dylon & Bethany with us for the holidays. If I give each kid $20 to spend on each of the other kids I won't spend $40 this year I will spend $240. That is what I call inflation!!

What is it like ...

... to live in a house without boys and without pets? Now mind you, I wouldn't give it up for the world ... but last night as I was on my hands and knees cleaning urine soaked dog and cat hair out from behind the toilet I did have a moment during which I wondered what life in a house full of girls and devoid of pets might be like.

Another Fundraiser

Those of you who know me well know that I never, ever push the fundraisers. I have been known to send a note to school with the boys that says something like, "Dear Mrs. Teacher, Chase/Kenny will not be participating in this fundraiser. Please pass this $10 donation along to the PTA. Thanks." I have also been known to tell my kids, "Oh those Rocket Bouncy House Dollar Store Prize Kid Luring Waste of Educational Time Parties are stupid! If we skip this fundraiser I will take you to Mr. Gatti's on the night all of the kids at school go to that stupid party!" It works every time.
I got my pointsetta from the last fundraiser today and I have to say it is the most beautiful pointsetta I have ever bought! I definitely got my $12 worth. And I did let Chase sell them to a couple of neighbors. His band director asked that each student try to sell five. I figured it wouldn't be terrible to buy one and let him sell four to the neighbors. He spent approximately three minutes on this task. Apparently pointsettas are pretty popular. Or maybe the neighbors appreciate the fact that we've lived here two years and this is the first time I've let him go selling stuff at their doorsteps.
Well, they don't know what they are missing ... today we got the COOKIE DOUGH fundraiser. To me, this is the holy grail of fundraisers. This stuff is so good! I will likely buy enough to cover the quota his school has shoved down his throat so I am sure I won't be sending notes or going to Mr. Gatti's this time.
Why am I telling you all of this? I want to share my good fortune with you. If you are one of our local friends and you want something absolutely delicious to spend your Christmas vacation with (orders come in on the 18th of December), give me a call and I'll hook you up faster than a crack dealer on a street corner in Houston.

More of the Tagging Thing ...

Because I have a big art history display project due on Friday (that I haven't even started yet) and about 44 million lesson plans to write this week, I thought it would be a good time to sit at the computer and respond to Jennifer's tag. I am really good with my time management skills like that. So here goes ...

Subject: Tell Me 44 ODD Things about yourself!
1. Do you like blue cheese? once in a while
2. Have you ever smoked? no
3. Do you own a gun? several
4. What flavor Kool-Aid was your favorite? cherry
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? no, just annoyed because they take so long
6. What do you think of hot dogs? I try not to
7. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? water
9. Can you do pushups? Yeah, but not very well
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? my wedding rings
11. Favorite hobby? sleeping
12. Do you have A.D.D.? no
13. What's one trait you hate about yourself? I feel like my house has to be constantly tidied up (can't just live with the mess)
14. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: Why oh why do I keep letting the dogs sleep in my room at night even though every morning I regret it? Can I get away with a really crappy Art History presentation thing and still make an A in that class? Why can't I think of clever things to say on these surveys like Jennifer does?
15. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? water, pepsi, smiroff ice
16. Current worry? 44 million lesson plans
17. Current hate right now? 44 million lesson plans
18. Favorite place to be? in my bed with the heated mattress pad cranked up to 10
19. How did you bring in the New Year? asleep
20. Where would you like to go? I guess I am a little homesick for my parents today so New York
21. Name three people who will complete this? JoLee, Sammy, Julie
22. Do you own slippers? yes
23. What shirt are you wearing? black tank top
24. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? never tried it, but I am guessing no
25. Can you whistle? not very well
26. Favorite color? pink
27. Would you be a pirate for Halloween? no
28. What songs do you sing in the shower? n/a
29. Favorite Girl's Name? If I ever ever ever have a girl then I will figure one out
30. Favorite boy's name? Brian, Chase, Kenny ... I mean what else should I say?!?
31. What's in your pocket right now? yoga pants don't have pockets
32. Last thing that made you laugh out loud? I honestly can't remember. That's a little sad.
33. What vehicle do you drive? VW Jetta
34. Worst injury you've ever had? Does childbirth count as an injury?
35. Do you love where you live? yes
36. How many TVs do you have in your house? 3
37. Who is your loudest friend? Probably Lauren, but she is loud in a good way.
38. Do you have any pets? too many
39. Does someone have a crush on you? he better
40. Your favorite book? Where the Red Fern Grows
41. Do you collect anything? No, but I do have several Holly Hobby plates that I really like.
42. Favorite Sports Team? n/a
43. What song do you want played at your funeral? Well, since I won't have any say in the matter I guess you can decide.
44. Do you generally live a happy life? I try


The Challenge of Four!
A) Four places that I go to over and over:
1. Chase's school
2. Kenny's school
3. my school
4. the school where I teach practicums

B) Four people who e-mail me (regularly):
1. Brian
2. Mom
3. Kathy
4. Victoria's Secret

C) Four of my favorite places to eat:
1. That sushi place in Monterey
2. That doner kebab place in Bad Aibling
3. China Star in Killeen, Texas
4. Rudy's or the Sub Shop or Cam's Ny Pizzeria in Oswego, NY

D) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. in my bed
2. in my bed
3. in my bed
4. in my bed

E) Four TV shows I watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Private Practice
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Heroes

There is a Cow Skull ...

in my yard!

Do y'all remember this posting? (Yes, I used y'all ... it just seems appropriate for someone who lives in Texas and has a cow skull in her yard) Apparently one day about two months ago Brian took the boys back to the site of the deadcowkickingepisode that still gives me nightmares. They brought home the skull of the cow that saved me $6.87 at Petsmart. They soaked it in bleach and left it out in the sun to ... to ... to what ... dry? cure? get ready for display? Who knows what the reason was?!? I just know that I found it last week in an area around the side of the house where Brian parks his truck and I rarely venture. When he came home this weekend to visit I asked him what his plans were. He and the boys checked out the skull, declared it ready for display, and attempted to place it in my ivy and flowers out front. Obviously, we had different opinions about where it should go. I voted for the Twin Buttes so that the skull could be reunited with the rest of the cow's skeleton. The boys voted for the front yard where all of the neighbors could see it and feel green with envy. Apparently we have compromised because now it is in the backyard next to my little tree. I have a feeling I am going to have to keep a close eye on my two boys and their troublesome dad. I wouldn't be surprised to drive up to the house one day and see it sitting out front, being proudly displayed like the trophy they think it is. God help me, I need a daughter!

The Competition

First Place Cutie

Last weekend there was a small dog show here. They say everything is bigger in Texas, but they obviously don't live in the same city we live in. There were two rings and the entire thing lasted about an hour. Kenny showed PJ in a costume contest and Chase took a junior handler class to learn some techniques for showing dogs.


PJ won first prize for the cutest costume.


And Chase worked on his showing techniques so that he is prepared in the spring when he shows my mom's bulldogs again.

It was a pretty fun morning. Well, unless you ask the little 8 pound dog that had to wear 5 lb of fake grapes for a costume. She might not tell you the same thing!

Use it or Lose it

My TExES exam is coming up soon. It is one of the three teacher certification exams I will be taking between now and March '09. One of three $120 tests that I need to pass to be able to teach in Texas. Well, technically only two of them are necessary, but I would really like to take & pass the third test so that I can teach K-8th grade instead of K-4th grade. As I mentioned here, there is a program that will pay for my exams. I am very happy about that. Especially because I can spend up to $600 on exams. That means if I have to take one of them twice, it won't cost me an extra $120. Anyway, my first exam covers the ECH-grade 4 content areas. 40% of my exam is language arts/reading, 15% is math, 15% is science, 15% is social studies, and the remaining 15% covers art, music, physical education, and health. I have been studying a little bit here and there. Last night I studied the music section of my study guide. I used to be in band. I played the flute from 4th to 12th grade. I played the piano the first time I went to college (back in the dark ages). I can't sing, but I was musically inclined. As I was studying last night I realized I was not in a good place for that part of my test. I have forgotten SO MUCH! Another big worry: the social studies area. It is almost all Texas history. Go figure. One page of my study guide is dedicated to WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War. 17 pages are dedicated to Texas' history and the Alamo. In this case, I haven't forgotten anything ... I never knew it in the first place. Let's move on the math. I would have called myself a math whiz in high school. Now I can't do Chase's homework. I took all except one of my college math classes in the early 90's. I took one last summer. While I was on vacation. With my laptop open on the side of the desk while I was taking the tests on the desktop. Yup, I am in trouble. Good thing I have $600 to spend. I might need every single dollar of it!

Before & After

Oh No! Not Again ...

My friend sent me this tag and I feel obligated to pass it on, mostly because it is fun to make you participate too! (but also because I secretly like these kinds of things even though it is much more cool to say that I don't)

The rules: Remove 1 question from the list below, and add your own personal question to make it a total of 20 questions. Tag 8 people, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.

1. At what age do/did you (wish to) marry? 23.
2. What color do you like most? pink, because I have two boys and nothing in my house is pink unless it is mine.
3. If you can have a superpower, what would it be? When I was little I wanted to be able to fly.
4. If you can travel anywhere in the world, where would you want to go? China. And I'd come back home with a baby girl.
5. Which part of you do you hate the most? I guess I am pretty ok with most of me.
6. When you get sad, what do you do? Wonder why I am not happy.
7. What book are you reading now? Preparing for the Texas PreK-4 Teacher Certification: A Guide to the Comprehensive TExES Content Areas Exam (aren't you glad you asked?!?)
8. If you win $1 million, what would you do with the money? Pay off all of my debt and stop going to college
9. What did you love the most about last year (2007)? Being thinner than I am now.
10. How did you get your name? My parents gave it to me.
11. What is the moment you regret most? At this moment I regret not buying that house w/6 acres in Christoval that just sold for $35K less than asking price!
12. What type of person do you hate the most? Dishonest people.
13. What is your greatest asset? My family.
14. If you had one wish, what would you wish for? See #8.
15. How did you celebrate the New Year? Asleep.
16. What tv show do you watch that you are embarrassed to tell people about? I watch Oprah, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice. Are any of them embarrassing?
17. It’s 2008. What are you looking forward to this year? Getting my TExES exam over with.
18. Anything in your life that you wish weren’t so awful? I can handle it.
19. What’s the shallowest thing you intend to do this year? Change question #20 from "20. What’s the meaning of life?" to ...
20. McDreamy or McSteamy? (my answer is McDreamy, BTW)

I am not going to spend time going around and notifying people that I have tagged them, but I will do it here. I only have 8 blogs that I read that are written by actual people that I know and one of them is Julie (who tagged me) so here is my list of seven: Lisa, Lisa, Jennifer, Samantha, Cherie, Amber, Robin.

Superficial

Regardless of your political affiliation and your feelings about last night, it is going to be refreshing to see a young, fit, happy family in the White House. I feel like the global image of the USA will be affected in a positive way.

Exciting News (in my little world)

I got this email from the college of education today:

Dear Amy,
Your student teaching application has been reviewed and you have been CONDITIONALLY APPROVED to student teach next semester. The current status of your application is not final; a second review will be made when the final grades for all of your current classes have been posted.

Yippee!

New Map

The map that I have been obsessing about for over a week has been changed. It is now a results map. You can watch as the results are tallied and finalized. Check it out HERE (if you are as obsessed as I am!)

Go Vote

Remember my posting from a couple of weeks ago? If not, read it again. Then go vote. It is your duty. Your responsibility. Your right. And if you don't vote and then you don't like our president I will not listen to any of your complaining until four years from now when I tell you again to go vote. *My name is Amy and I approve of this message even if you don't*

North Carolina

is now 47.8% Obama, 47.5% McCain

GO VOTE!!!!!

Halloween Night

Happy Halloween from Texas! Here are my two cool boys just before they went out trick-or-treating. They are out now ... on their own going up and down our street. It's so great having older kids.


Tonight was the fall fest at Kenny's school. They had fun and won a bunch of junk that is more tempting than candy corn and glow-in-the-dark dots.

Another great thing about having older kids is that the costumes get cheaper and less intricate. Maybe that's my fault because when they were small I wanted them to have the perfect costumes. Now I let them choose and they usually throw something easy together.

Our night was quiet, but fun. Not anything like our days in NC when we would hide beer in tupperware cups and walk around with our friends from the neighborhood, but still nice. Hope you all had a fun night too!

Happy Halloween!!!

Wordless Wednesday -- This Year's Masterpieces

Getting Closer

Now it is Obama 48.3%, McCain 47%. I know that trying to read polls can drive a person (me!) crazy, but this is so important. We don't need NC to turn into 2000's version of Florida. Check for updates here.

Listen Up North Carolina

To my friends in North Carolina,

Obama is leading in your polls 48.8% to 47.2%. I don't need to know which way you are voting, but you need to know that your vote will make a difference.

And Florida ... yours is close too.

Get out there and vote!

Fundraiser

This posting is for my local friends: Chase is selling pointsetta plants for a band fundraiser. They are $12 each. You can choose between red, pink, and white. I won't let him come around knocking on your door because I know your kids are all selling stuff too. But if you want one, call us. Thanks!

Kenny's Big Night

Kenny had a birthday party on Friday night with some of his friends from school. Everyone we invited showed up and the boys all had a really fun time. We started out at Mr. Gatti's, which is a Chuck-E-Cheese wannabe. The party hostess girl was absolutely perfect and made our 2 hours there actually easy and relaxing for me.


This is a picture of the seven third graders in attendance. Chase and Zach were too cool to participate in the silly picture.


After we were done at Mr. Gatti's we walked next door to the movie theater to watch High School Musical 3: Senior Year. It was quite a coordinated event to get 9 boys into the theater with popcorn and drinks. Chase and Zach happily abandoned us to sit with a huge group of preteen girls that thought they were almost as cute as Zac Efron. I don't have a good picture of my seven third graders because by the time all of the work was done the movie was about to start and I couldn't see! So I snapped two quick pictures (much to the dismay of everyone around us) and sat down fast before anyone could throw popcorn at me.

After the movie we continued our little walk to go to Marble Slab Creamery. I walked in the door and said to the lady behind the counter: I have nine boys with me. I would like to get them each one scoop with one mix-in. Good luck and I'll see you at the cash register! Then I went zen for ten minutes while she did all of the work. By the time the boys all had their ice cream the parents were showing up to pick up their kids. It was a perfect night and we all had a lot of fun :)