Introducing...my new blog! I worked hard on a header for a while, then I forgot all about it. So, I figured it was time to finish...a month and a half later. The butterfly and glitter are both from Sweet Genevieve's Be Dreamy Kit, and the brush behind the title is from Sweet Gen's new Graphic Flair Brush Set.

Ok, now for an update on life. I have applied for a transfer within my school building. Frankly, I want this new job so badly that it causes me physical pain to think about not getting it. Is that crazy? Sooo, the interview is on Tuesday at 12:30. Cross your fingers...all 3 of my blog readers! Haha!

We went to the apple orchard yesterday & took one of my students and his little brother along for the ride. He has been coming to school (and on time) almost every single day for the last 3 weeks. This is big deal for him, so I thought he deserved a reward. We fed goats, rode a wagon out into the orchard and picked our own apples, sampled cider, and had tons of fun! Lily loved having the boys along to play with! She ate up all of the attention! Too bad she's so shy, huh? Haha! Here is a pic from our day - I just love this one of her. It might be one of my favorite pics I have of her! I made it even better with a PhotoShop "Brighten Up" Action by NinaScraps at Oscraps! :) Gotta love those photo actions!

Ok...time to get ready for Sunday School and church. Lily and I still need to get showered and dressed, Shannon isn't even up yet, and we have to leave in less than an hour. EECK!

Ok...so here goes. Apparently I am a monthly blogger instead of a daily blogger...
I really want to do better, I just forget. I have a lot of exciting things to share, though! I am an August Guest on Michelle Godin's CT! She is a designer at Scrapbookgraphics - which, for those who don't know, is an amazing site! :) I am also in the Amazing Digi Scrapping Race - and my partner, Kara, is also doing a rockin' guest spot for August...Rachel Young! She sells at Funky Playground....and is on Michelle Godin's team as well. I feel like I am rubbing elbows with the superstars of the scrapping world! I am still loving my Sweet Genevieve and Nancy Kubo spots - and I'm sporting a new Sweet Gen blinkie! :) I am still on Cindy Irvine's team - and she has a new store, so that is exciting! I am also still on Manu's team, as well! :)

We just got home from a weekend trip to my friend Lisa's house! They live in Roaring River State Park - so we had a fun, cell-phone and email free weekend...which was much needed! Lily had a blast with her son, Dixon, and I got my little baby fix holding and snuggling their newest addition, Miller! Layouts and pics will be up soon! It was a weird weekend for pictures, though. I fell in the river - go ahead, laugh - and dropped the camera. ACK! Luckily, the pics were okay - so we don't need a new memory stick...but the camera (and my arm) did not make it out as well as the memory stick. It won't turn on at all...there was water inside the LCD screen. Not a good sign, right? Oh well...we will see if the extended warranty covers things like that...hahaha! I'm doubtful, but keep your fingers crossed!

Lily is in princess mode - with her Barbie princess dress on - watching Wonder Pets, so I'm going to try to get a little scrapping done before the show is over...because then it is time for us to play! :) I think we are definitely going to hit the pool later - it is going to be hot again today!

I am so proud of myself for updating...maybe now I will actually finish making my blog header today! Sweet Gen has a sweet new alpha pack that will do the trick, I think! :)

I'm busy blinging up my blog. I have decided that if it looked more "me" I would spend more time blogging. Those dots were cute and fun, but just not me. I have been hard at work (with the help of Cindy Irvine) trying to Jodie-fy my blog. So far, so good...but it is slow. I hope I can get this done sometime before I fall asleep today! I'm off all week from summer school, so I have way more scrapping time than usual! We are going to fireworks tonight and tomorrow...so I'll have lots of 4th of July pics to scrap! Which is good....since I need them for CT layouts and so does Kara! :P I'm watching Little Einsteins with Lily and singing, "Flubba-dubba-duh-dubba-duh-dubba-DA!" while shaking my head back and forth to the music. Gotta love Little Einsteins! :) Back to work. I'll be back with more later, I hope! :)

Ok. This is bordering on ridiculous.

I can't believe how long it has been since I blogged. oops. I am making a solemn vow to do better. I am going to update my info as far as the scrapping world is concerned and get some new layouts up to show off. Hopefully I will get some readers other than Kara and Lisa - not that I don't ADORE you being my devoted fans...Haha! I will be back tomorrow to blog some more! :) I promise!

It's me again...finally!

Ok. First of all, let me say that I realize I haven't blogged in like a month. Sorry...I'm sure my MANY readers noticed. Haha! Since my last blog a lot has happened! Shannon started a new job which will be better hours and better money! Woo hoo! Because of the new job we got a new car!!!!! Plus, it was made in the same decade we bought it in...which is a first for both of us!! :) Here is a picture of it!

I am getting geared up for summer - the end of the year can't come fast enough for me. I am so ready for a break and time to spend with Lily! :) I am teaching summer school, but only in the afternoons, so it won't be that bad. Plus, it is AWESOME money for the amount of work I have to do! :)

Also, I am entered in the Queen of the Crop Contest at ScrapbookGraphics. I could win $1000 for myself and $500 for charity. The charity I'm scrapping for is the Hokie Spirit Fund - set up in honor of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings on April 16. I desperately want to win...so if you're reading this, go vote for me!!!! PLEASE!!!! :)
Here is a picture of my layout for this week! If you're going to vote for me this week, you have to do it today...next week's layouts go up tomorrow! :)



I'm on the Creative Team for Nancy Kubo, a designer at Oscraps and Pocket-Pearls. She put one of my layouts up on her blog - WOO HOO! I am so excited to see my layout on the designer's blog!!!!! I'm famous! (Well, almost....ok...not really, but still, it's awesome!) You can check out her blog here.

oh yeah

and for all of my devoted blog fans...LMAO! sorry - i forgot to mention that yes, i am okay from the accident today. i am mostly freaked out about it and my leg hurts a little from where the car hit me - but nothing serious at all. hardly a bump or bruise. i'm very lucky! :)

wasn't friday the 13th last week?

ok so for the sake of blogging semi-regularly here is my blog today.
i got hit by a car today while walking in a parking lot. the guy just backed right into me and then drove away while i stood there yelling, "are you freaking kidding me?" did i get the plates? nope. but the police seemed to think they knew who it was by the description - which assures me that he was a real stand-up citizen...haha. anyway, after all of the VT tragedy this week...it is just some more icing on the cake to have this happen at our house. i am also well aware of the fact that no one actually reads my blogs (except kara and she has usually already heard the stories i put in here...lol! thanks for reading though kara - you rock!) so i am going to vent a little. shannon is having a hard time with the events that took place at his alma mater (sp?). of course i understand that...but i think he is wallowing a bit deeper than is healthy. i mean, hello...i got hit by a car and he hasn't even asked me more than, "are you ok?" not whether or not they found the guy, not to hear the run-down of events....nothing. maybe i'm being selfish...maybe i'm just exhausted. who knows. either way it is really bothering me.

i am still praying for the families involved with the terrible events on monday at VT (and will continue to do so). i can't imagine what they are going through and my heart goes out to them.

hopefully once this week and weekend are over i will get some scrapping time. i have most of my iep meeitings tomorrow and a few next week. woo hoo. i'm off to finish up some iep stuff and try to get some sleep.

Is "Kids Say the Darnedest Things" still on??

Because if so, we could be rocking that show! Last night, on the way home from my aunt's house (we had Easter dinner a day early), Lily and I were just talking about Easter and our plans...and HILARIOUSNESS (is that a word?) was the result!

Me: Are you so excited about Easter tomorrow? Mommy can't wait to go to church...Easter is one of my favorite days in church!

Lily: Will the Easter Bunny be there?

*Please note, at this point I took a deep breath and panicked while I tried to think exactly how I was going to explain this to a 2 1/2 year old. This feeling is probably similar to the one my mom had when Lily asked her to tell her where Jesus works!!LOL!)

Me: No, the Easter Bunny won't be there. The Easter Bunny is kind of an extra thing on Easter. Easter is really about Jesus. A long, long time ago, Jesus died for us so that we could live happy lives. We go to church on Easter to celebrate the day He went to live in Heaven. (I thought that was pretty good?!?!)

Lily: (little pause) Oh....I think I see what you're saying! Jesus was died and it was a long time ago. And Jesus died to help us so the Easter Bunny came and helped Jesus get to Heaven.

Me: (trying not to laugh because she is SOOO serious) Well...kind of.

Lily: I think Jesus is locked in the barn with all the animals. We need to save him. It's our mission. (She watches Little Einsteins, so everything is our mission these days!)

I have no idea where the Jesus in the barn thing came from - maybe because she was playing with her Little People barn yesterday morning?? She is just sooooo funny!


Oh...my dad got a new truck and Lily is very excited to ride in it. When we pulled into their driveway last night, she looked at it and said, "Papa's new truck is just marvelous!" I started giggling and said, "Yes...it really is." She giggled and said, "Marvelous...hahaha...June on Yittle (Little) Einsteins says dat."

I am sorry, but who can say a little TV is bad for kids. She is in love with Little Einsteins, and as a result recognizes several classic music pieces, works of art, knows who Mozart is, and says things like "it's our mission" and "just marvelous" - maybe everyone should "go on a trip in our favorite rocketship" every now and then?

Lily's latest funnies

The other night while on the way home from my aunt's house:
Me: Lily, tomorrow we're going to a shower with Mimi! Are you excited to go to a party?
Lily: Yes, but I will need my purple party dress from Mimi's house. She found it for me and I will want it tomorrow. Will Papa be there?
Me: Well, we'll have to call her tomorrow and let her know that you want to wear it. Papa and Daddy aren't going to the party because it is a shower just for girls.
Lily: Mom, we can't have a party in our shower.
Me: No, Lily, the party is called a shower.
Lily: No, the shower is called a shower, and we can NOT have a party there.

TOO CUTE!!!



Two nights ago while we were all having a "sleep-over" in Lily's room (Lily in her bed, Shan and me on the air matress...lol!), Lily brought up something that had happened like 3 weeks ago.
Me: Wow...you have such a great memory, Lily!
Lily: You mean the one downstairs in the closet? (referring to the game Memory)
Me: Nooo...the memory in your head...in your brain.
Lily: What!? (in her own special, shocked and amazed way of saying it...lol)
Shannon: Yeah, the memory that you have in your brain.
Lily: Can I see it?
Me: No, you can't see it because it is inside your head.
Shannon: Behind your eyes...you can't ever see your brain.
Lily: Well, I have idea! How 'bout if we get a shovel and scoop it out and yook (look) at it...that would be nice.

There are so many more - I HAVE to get better about keeping track of them...she is just getting to be WAY too funny!

Hello again...

So, fine. All of those people who said it couldn't be done were right. Keeping up daily or even every other day with my blog is next to impossible. I admit it - but at least I tried! Anyway...I'm back from a short hiatus. My mother-in-law visited last weekend - we had so much fun and she really enjoyed her trip! Plus, ISAT was going on during these last two weeks, but it is officially over and my kids handled it well considering the fact that most were taking tests at least 2 grade levels above what they are capable of. I only had a few students crying...I cried a few times, but nothing major.

Our car is back, but we now are longing for a Sonata after driving a rental while Barbara (Shan's mom) was visiting. Oh my goodness how I loved driving a new(er) car! We have resolved to work our fannies off in order to be able to afford a new(er) car in the not-so-distant future.

On other topics....I have been invited to a few different creative teams in the last few days. I am really excited about it - plus I'm a guest for a few people in April and May as well. Darcy Baldwin (font designer) has awarded me a month guest spot in April and since I am addicted to fonts, this pleases me more than you'll ever know! :)

I had a really good PartyLite show last night - I made $115 and the hostess ended up with about $400 of product for only $120. She was excited...and I was excited to make some money and help her get free stuff in the process! :) Now I just need to sell $40 more this month in order to qualify. I hope I can do it. If nothing else, I'll just order a few things I need for my shows and tack it on to the show from last night.

Shannon is excited about a possible opportunity and is waiting to find out more about it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Check out my Slide Show!

Root-a-toot-toot for me (and Kara)!

So I just found out that I am now a Guest CT Member for Jennifer Barrette! I can't wait to get started making my layouts with her awesome girly-girl kits! Her kits can be found at Hooked On Digi Scrap! Go check them out! I am going to get started on my layouts with her stuff tonight! :) I can't wait! I have to figure out how to add her blinkie to my siggy, now as well! LOL! Ugh.

Kara is now rocking out layouts for a few designers, but I can't remember which I can tell and which are still secret, so check out her blog to find out! LOL!

SSD From Our Blog to Yours - 3 Questions

1. If you could witness one supernatural event–whether you believe in the supernatural or not–what would it be? Why?
I am a Christian, but since Kara (MommySpice)considers me a heathan, I'll opt for a heathen-type answer! LOL! I would LOVE to be able to witness a paranormal event like they do on Ghost Hunters. At the same time, I am too scared to think what I'd do if it really did happen. I have had a few minor experiences when I was in high school and college, but nothing really personal.

2. What is your earliest memory? Why do you think you have remembered that particular event or thing?
I am struggling with this one, because I don't know how to tell which came first. I do remember a lot of things about preschool...getting a staple stuck under my thumb nail after I was told not to play with the staple, playing dress up in the "treehouse" with some kids from my neighborhood, and being really sad when my friend katie moved away. I also have a strange "memory" that was sparked by a photo of me with my dad. I didn't remember it until I saw the photo and then I could remember looking back at him and seeing him standing right where he is in the photo. Did that make sense? I probably remember a lot about preschool because it was my first "out on my own" type experience with friends and teachers. I loved school, so I'm sure that had something to do with it. It bothers me that Shannon has one memory from when he was in diapers and I can't remember anything that early...I think I'm jealous or something LOL!

3. Pick a friend or acquaintance with whom you think you would like to start a new business venture. What business?
Well, I'm sure a lot of us are going to say the same thing on this one. I would LOVE to start a "scrapper-for-hire" or some sort of scrapping business. I think I would LOVE the chance to get paid for doing something I have become so passionate about. I would LOVE to own a scrapping store where people could come and take classes, work on computers for digital scrapping, teach classes, etc... Maybe someday. Obviously Kara and I would rock out together as business partners, but we probably wouldn't get anything done...LOL. My friend Angie B. and I have talked about starting the same kind of busines....there are just always a few things holding us back - money, location, timing, money, and money. LOL!

It's Fridayyyyyyyyy!

Ok, so I made it through this week without many bumps in the road. I got my car back FINALLY!!! We didn't have to sell our souls to pay for it...and it seems to be running fine so far. We are taking it back in for a "check-up" at 50 miles, so that makes me think that the place really cares about whether or not we got a decent engine and they did decent work.

My kids have been *eh* this week. Not nearly as bad as last, but I've seen better days. LOL! ISAT starts on Monday, so they are all freaking a little. I finished making the testing schedules, got all of my proctors set up with rooms and times, and now I just have to watch my kids attempt a standardized test that is, in some of their cases, 3 grade levels above where they are capable of at this point. A good time will surely be had by all! HA! Thanks, again to our fearless leader for that one!

Lily is staying the night with Mimi & Papa tonight and Shannon is going to help me in my classroom. I am so tired of my desk being the dumping ground for everyone's stuff as soon as they come in the door, so I'm gonna do a little spring cleaning/rearranging tonight and tomorrow. Also, I have to get all kinds of stuff ready to keep the little dears busy while the other students are testing. Since they all have to be tested 1-on-1, it is hard for me to actually teach on those days (at least in the morning).

My scrapping is coming along nicely. I feel like I've grown a lot since "spreading my wings" (as Kara says) from my first "home" and discovering all of these new designers and sites. I am waiting to hear about a few CT Calls I applied for, so that is always exciting! If Teresa Ferguson picks me for her template team I will probably pee my pants! LOL! And I'm only about 68% joking on that one! I made a layout for Kara this week in memory of Joey. I am so happy with the way it turned out - and so was she! It was a lot of fun to create something so special for my scrappin' buddy!!! :) I am going to try to post it on here...we'll see how that goes.

5 Songs to sum up last week...

This week, the From Our Blog to Yours Challenge at Sweet Shoppe Designs was to list the 5 songs to describe my week last week. Hmm...I'm getting some help from Shannon on this one - he picked the first one.

1. Waiting is the Hardest Part, Tom Petty - We spent all last week waiting for our car to get out of the shop, waiting to figure out how taxes were going to help/hinder the situation with the car, and basically just waiting to see if we were going to make it out of February with our checkbook still in the black.

2. Bad Day, Daniel Powter - See explanation from above...lol. Also, this is basically the song that I was hearing in my head every single day after work this week. It just kind of reminds me to suck it up and start fresh tomorrow. Plus, Lily really likes this song and it makes me think of her - therefore, it makes me smile.

3. This is the Life, Wendy Melvoin & Lisa Coleman from the Dangerous Minds Soundtrack
This songs pretty much sums up how I have been feeling about my job lately. I was just SO frustrated this week because I feel like I am not making any difference in any of their lives this year. I literally busted out singing this song one day in the middle of my classroom because now was listening to me...lol. My kids all just stopped and looked at me like I was crazy, but they stopped talking! :) My room is way too small, I don't have enough table space for all of them, none of them seemed to care about learning this week...and yet, I keep going back and I will keep going back because I have to, I need to, and deep down, I want to - even if it doesn't seem like it somedays.

4. Thank You, Dido - This song always reminds me of Shannon and the way that he can make me laugh even when I am convinced that it is all going to h-e-double-hockey sticks.

5. Better Together, Jack Johnson - This song, again, just sums up the way that Shannon and I are together. Things got pretty sucky this week, but we made it through and we hardly even argued...which is hard not to do when you're worried about money.

My first "From Our Blog to Yours Challenge" at SSD!

Ok, here I go. This is my very first blog challenge at Sweet Shoppe Designs. The assignment was to tell which SSD designer you would take on a date and where you would take them.

I have two answers (perhaps a double date is in the future...lol!):

1. Manda Bean - The reasons are simple. She is an awesome designer and she has the word tatas on her blinkie. It isn't the tatas I'm interested in - just the fact that she put the word tatas on the blinkie! And obviously...we would get tacos.

2. Teresa Ferguson - For starter, why can't we all just look that cute in a hat? Also, her designs rock and she was one of the very first CT Calls I applied for (and got the rejection letter from...lol!). Soooo, I'm thinking if I wine and dine her she'll rethink her choice...JUST KIDDING! :) But ya can't blame me for trying!

Goooood Morningggggg!

Today I will not let my crabby, uninspired, angry students get the best of me. I will try to lift their spirits and remember that even if they pretend to not appreciate my efforts...deep down inside they love it that I care.

I will also let go of the fact that I didn't get picked for the DSAG's CT. The fact that I was not chosen does not define me as a scrapper and I need to stop thinking that way. The initial sting of rejection has passed, and thanks to Kara introducing me to the forums at Digi-Talk Shop, I realize that there are tons of CT Calls out there - which I am busy sifting through and applying for! :) I think because I started digi-scrapping with a site that keeps itself a bit closed off from the rest of the digi-scrapping world, I had no idea that all of this amazing designers and sites were out there! But, now....I have seen the light! LOL! Between Digital Scrapbook Artisan Guild, Sweet Shoppe Designs, and Digi-Shop, I have found several new and AWESOME designers! I am in love with Sweet Shoppe Designs....the kits and challenges there are making me more excited about scrapping than I have been in a long time.

I am going to make today a good day - even if it kills me! LOL!

blah

Well, I am trying really hard to not let myself be disappointed and discouraged, but so far it isn't working very well. I was not chosen as a member of the Inaugural Creative Team at DSAG. Oh well...life will go on, I realize, but that doesn't make the initial sting any better. I have gone through other CT Calls and not been chosen, but I really put all of my creativity and energy into the layouts for this one....and it just wasn't good enough. So...time to reevaluate, I guess. I need to figure out what is wrong with my style or techniques so that I can get better. I think the worst part is that I honestly thought I had a good chance to pick chosen this time - but that is all part of competition, I guess. I wish the best of luck to the new CT.

Reminders...

Well, I've always known that my parents were good people, but today I was reminded just HOW awesome they really are. They have been without power now for about 28 hours. The whole town where they live is without power and they are saying it could be Tuesday before it is restored. It is a small town with very few businesses - not even a grocery store anymore, so it is always hard for people to get out for last minute supplies when a storm hits. Anyway, my mom has to work at 3 a.m. and I told her that she should just come stay with us - after all it is closer to her job and we do have power now. She told me she couldn't because she had to take care of the people at the shelter. Her and my dad are both EMTs and my dad is also a volunteer firefighter. The fire station in town has a generator and has taken people in to keep warm and get a hot meal. My parents - like always - are taking care of everyone else even when they are in just as bad of a situation. I'm pretty lucky...even if my mom does drive me nuts...lol!

ice storms, power outages, sink problems...oh my!

So I am officially convinced that one of us did something terrible in a past life or something and this must all be karma coming back to us. I honestly can't think of any other reason for all of this craziness happening at once. Just in case you'd like a run down...I'll list it all here. That way, those of you who don't care to listen to me whine can just stop reading here and everyone is happy!

1. Car breaks down on 2/13.

2. We find out it isn't the starter - but that we need a new engine.

3. My students decided that last week would be the perfect time for them to act like they have no sense or respect for themselves or anyone else....yep...pretty much all week.

4. Yesterday we had a terrible ice storm and ended up losing power for about 4 hours. About
40,000 people in this area were without power - some still are, including my parents, grandma, and aunt & uncle.

5. Shannon ends up having to work today when it was supposed to be his day off.

6. The pipes under the sink started to leak while the dishwasher was running so I essentially ended up with water EVERYWHERE in the kitchen. When I called to talk to Shannon about it, he had the nerve to ask me if I had shut the sink off yet. Ummm, yeah....probably the FIRST thing I did when I realized water was going everywhere...thanks for the vote of confidence, honey!

7. Oh and don't that this entire time Shannon's Mamaw has been in and out of the hospital.

Ok, now...someone please tell me if I am overreacting or if this really is quite a lot of stuff going on at once. LOL! Sometimes you just have to laugh, I guess! Maybe this is a test? UGH! I fold!

even though we ain't got money....

Our life as a married couple at the moment reminds me so much of that song..."Even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with you honey...And in the morning when I rise, you bring a tear of joy to my eyes...and tell me everything is gonna be alright." I think it is called "Danny's Song" but I can't remember who it is by. Kenny Loggins, maybe? I do remember seeing my parents singing along to that song in our mini-van on the way to The Ozarks once, though. They were holding hands in the open area between the front seats and singing along. That has always been a memory that is so easy for me to picture....and it has often times helped me remember that things are rarely as bad as they seem. In regards to my post on Thursday, things are looking a bit brighter. The finger-chewer had a much better day yesterday - he made it all the way until about 1:45 without any outbursts or defiant behavior. That makes everyone have a better day...trust me. Plus, Kara's family has spoken with her brother...he did end up losing part of his leg, but he is grateful to be alive and is already out of ICU. We went from owing on our taxes to getting SOME money back after we deducted the cost of daycare...so that helps. So basically, it is all a lot better than it was just 2 short days ago. Now don't get me wrong, we are still going to have to struggle to make ends meet with this whole engine fiasco, but not nearly as much as I had imagined.

Lily made the cutest macaroni necklace at school yesterday and she just HAD to have again first thing when she woke up this morning...I have a feeling it will only be leaving her neck to bathe and sleep. It is so cute! This morning, Shannon slept in because he worked late last night so Lily and I woke up and she watched some Little Einsteins while I cleaned the kitchen. Then we made a "Look and Listen Scope" out of an empty paper towel roll. According to her, it is "just like Rocket's!"

Now I'm off to get some things together so Shannon can finish the taxes and then I hope to do a little scrapping today. I also want to get some reading done - my friend and co-worker, Robyn, and I just started our own little book club. We just went and got our first 3 books last night. We planned to just get one, but Walden Books had a lot of awesome selections in the 3 for 2 section. So, we are starting with "Jesus Land" and then we also got "Keeping Faith" and another one but at the moment I can't remember the title. Anyway....I'm pumped to do some reading and discussing - I think it will be a good source of cheap entertainment for me! :)

Lots to type about...

Ok, let me start by saying that my thoughts and prayers are going out to my digi-scrapping buddy, Kara, and her family tonight. Her brother was injured in Iraq and they are awaiting news about his condition. Another fellow digi-scrapper had a very traumatic thing happen today as well. JoAnn was walking with her 4 year old daughter and the little girl was hit by a car. She is home and doing fine (physically) but the whole family is struggling to deal with the emotional trauma of it all. Please keep them in your prayers as well. That being said, that news has kind of put my complaints about my day into perspective. Now don't get me wrong....I'm still going to complain about them. But please just know that I realize that my day wasn't really as bad as it seemed before I heard about the difficult times Kara and JoAnn's families are going through.

On a happier note, my layouts are completed and turned in for the Digital Scrapbook Artisan Guild's Creative Team Call! There is a lot of great competition, so there is nothing left to do but wait with fingers crossed until they announce the new team. Either way I have learned a lot during the process, made some new friends, became closer friends with some that I already knew, plus I got some free stuff out of it! :) Anyone who knows me knows how much I love getting free stuff!! :) Also, Lily has really been funny this week. It's almost like she is literally growing up (physically and mentally) right before our eyes this week. She is just saying the funniest things and acting so much older. Help! My child is growing up too fast!!! Not really...I am loving every minute of this stage that she is in right now. Her new thing at dinner is to hold out her hands for us to take so we can pray, look at us and say, "Now, peat after me." She wants to be the leader!! Then, after we pray, she says, "Now, let's talk. How was your day, Mom? Ask me how my day was. How was your day, Dad? Tell me how my day was now, Dad." It is like she is this little adult trapped in a 2 1/2 year old body!

Now...sorry to break the happy mood....but I promised you some complaining and I certainly wouldn't want to let you down! Haha!

Ok. So first of all, my students are absolutely driving me insane this week. I don't know what the deal is. I love them all dearly - but I am telling you that today I seriously asked myself the question no teacher ever wants to admit to asking; "Can I seriously do this for my whole life?" I am honestly afraid to admit that I think the answer is no. Today I felt like no matter WHAT I did, it made no difference. My students were not interested in learning and my usual tricks to get them interested did not even so much as cause them to glance in my direction. I feel like so many of them have realized how far behind they really are....and they are starting to believe that it won't ever get any better. For example, one of my fifth grade boys who can barely read at a second grade level shook his head, threw his pencil down, hit himself in the head and said, "I just wish I could throw this brain out and get a new one. I hate my brain." He is one of my students who is almost always clowning, and I thought he was just trying to get a rise out of me...but when I looked into his eyes I realized that he truly meant it. I watched him go through the experience of coming to terms with the fact that he is so far behind his friends. And it wasn't a pretty sight. I don't know what to do sometimes. I think when I was younger, I had this vision of myself playing a Michelle Pheiffer (sp?) in Dangerous Minds type of teacher. The thing is - I'm not in a movie. I'm watching these kids slip through the cracks and no one seems to mind because they have an IEP and their tests scores "don't really count anyway." I have seen some gains this year with the boy I was talking about earlier. He has gone from never wanting to read in front of people and barely being able to read a sight word book to reading aloud with a small group even if he is the oldest one and has the most trouble. He still gets mad when a younger student tries to help him with a word...but not nearly as bad as before. What it boils down to is that I only have a few months left to work with this boy until he moves on to middle school. I know that he can make progress before then - but I'm not sure he believes that it is possible...and I'm starting to wonder if he has started to think it doesn't matter. I have to be strong for the both of us. I have to calm his anger toward the entire world somehow. I have to get him to stop chewing his fingers...lol. Sorry, if you knew the boy, you'd laugh too. He chews and chews and chews his fingers until I'm sure he will eat them up. He desperately needs to be evaluated for OCD and his mother says she wants to take him somewhere for testing. Whether or not she will actually do it is another question. Ok, moving on...I'm sure you'll read more about my little friend the finger chewer at a later date.

The other issue of the day is the fact that our freaking car broke down a little over a week ago and it still isn't fixed. We finally found a used engine and can buy it and have it put in for about $800. The trouble is that is about $600 more than we can afford right now. It just seems like whenever you take the chance to stop and breathe and think everything is almost okay...it all falls down around you. Now don't get me wrong...we still have the truck and it is working out okay to only have one vehicle. The only trouble is - we can't all go somewhere together in the truck. So anyway....we had talked about how we would just get our taxes done this week and then be able to use the money from our return for the engine or part of it at least. But, according to Shannon, I didn't have enough withheld from my paychecks this past year so now we're going to end up owing. UGH. I don't even know what to say about this. Hopefully there is something...anything...that we are missing somewhere and we can salvage this and get SOMETHING back. Or at least not end up paying much.

When it is all said and done, my life is pretty good. We are in a little bit of a tight situation monetarily at the moment, but at least we have a lot more than many others in this world. I will end with a few shallow, but very heartfelt comments about some of my favorite TV shows...

1. American Idol is back again! LaKisha rocks my world. That woman can sing. Also, Fantasia's song tonight literally had me bawling and running to go download it for my MP3 player.
2. All My Children is knocking my socks off at the moment. I KNEW it had to do with Zach's dad. Ha! Well, not all along...but recently I thought that was maybe the case...
3. The O.C. is over. I can't even talk about it right now. I have yet to watch the last episode. I'm just not prepared for the emotional breakdown that be involved with this. I'm kidding, of course...at least mostly kidding! LOL!

I'm off to go snuggle away my worries after I say another prayer for my friends. Please do the same!

Okay, back again!

I just had to write this down before I forgot. Tonight, while we were making dinner, Lily was so funny! Lately she has been all about helping with making dinner, setting the table, etc. It is so fun! Anyway, there were no more food prep tasks that she could help with and she was getting antsy, so I decided that the two of us would make place mats (place maps in her vocab) for all 3 of us. It was a BLAST! She was so into it - she wrote our names on all of the place mats and drew pictures. She dropped a marker on the carpet and didn't tell me about it...and when I found it, I told her she HAD to tell us if a marker falls. Her response was, "That's the truth, Mama!" I almost died laughing! I don't know where she gets some of this stuff. Ah, the joys of having a 2 1/2 year old. I can't imagine a better way to spend the evening. I am so blessed!

Okay...here we go.

Well, I finally did it. It didn't even really hurt that much...I set up a blog. I had tossed the idea around for a while, but never got around to it, so here goes. I was never very good at keeping a daily journal or anything like that...days, weeks, sometimes months would pass without me writing in it. I have really enjoyed reading some of the blogs that a few friends keep and thought now is as good a time as any. I spent about 15 minutes trying to come up with a name that suits me and was a little zany, funny, kooky, whatever you want to call it - but couldn't. Hence the title "Insert Something Clever Here" came about. Maybe I'll wake up at 2 a.m. and have a wonderful idea for a title. If so, I guess I'll do post or blog #2. Or maybe you'll hear from me again in a week. Who knows!