I have many things to tell you about and many pictures to show you to illustrate the stories, but *deep breath* my computer got a virus of doom a couple weeks ago and Matt had to wipe it so I had to reinstall every-bloody-thing and haven't put GIMP (photo editing software) back on yet so I can't resize the photos to upload them to post them here and tell you all the wonderful stories! (I didn't lose anything from my computer, thankfully.)
I will only say that the reunion weekend was so much fun, that I've been sewing a ton of stuff (mostly out of sheets from Goodwill), work is still pretty good, and I have jury duty tomorrow.
What about you? What has your summer been bringing you? What have you been bringing to it?
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
8 Things Friday
1. I have a major tan line on my neck around the collar of my work t-shirts and, I kid you not, from my braided pigtail that was blocking the sun for all of about 15 minutes, maybe, yesterday. For once, I forgot to sunscreen my neck. Need to wear a halter top and my hair up this weekend, or something, to even things out!
2. On the upside, 15 minutes in the sun without sunscreen = BROWN Heather!
3. My big family reunion (mom's side) is in ONE WEEK! I'm so excited to see aunts and uncles and cousins and such that I only see once or twice a year, or less. It's Friday through Sunday next week, and I'll go down Thursday after work to stay with my parents. Then in the middle of July, my two girl cousins that are a little younger than me are coming to stay at my house for a few days!
4. Incentive to get the guest room cleaned up, for reals. We STILL haven't got the bed on the frame yet, which is a priority this weekend. Then I can stick a bunch of classroom stuff underneath it and free up the floor again, clean up/out the chest of drawers, etc.
5. On that note, does anyone in town want two nice framed Van Gogh posters? They don't really "go" with the blue and pink floral quilt and stuff, now. Cafe Terrace is really big, maybe 24"x36", and the other one is long the horizontal way, about 12"x24", and matted. It's got Cafe Terrace, Starry Night, and Starry Night over the Rhone Both have black frames and are under glass, and you can have them both for $10 OBO. I think I spent about $80 on all of it back in the day when I first got them. /end of ad/
6. I'm thinking about taking Sune to the dog park tomorrow. I want her to be more socialized with people and dogs, and I think she would love to play with some dogs her size. They have a little fenced-in area at the edge of the "big dog" dog park for little ones. I took her to the Farmer's Market Thurday night and she did all right. She growled at a Boston terrier when I was holding her, but otherwise seemed just fine and very interested in all the smells and things happening. She even nicely said hi to a couple of little dogs, though one was a cranky old mini poodle that snarled at her. And she's getting better about strangers petting her. Anyway, wish us luck at the park!
7. I thought it might be fun for my summer camp kiddos to play around with some embroidery, so I got out a couple of hoops and some muslin scraps and did some practice stitches on the three small ones to teach them with; the big one is for doing it "for real." We'll see how that goes today. Hopefully they won't fight over who has which one and is stitching what on blah blah blah.... Kids fight about the most ridiculous stuff. They made tents by draping sheets over the desks and chairs yesterday, and one girl was crying because she couldn't get under a table with two other girls (and there was no room!)
(This is the same girl that bounded up to me on the playground when I got there yesterday and said, "Miss Heather, I was a sacrifice!" with the biggest smile. They were playing some kind of "get chased by the monster and scream a lot" game.)
Anyway, I got out a hoop and some muslin for myself, too, and have been stitching little flowers and stuff. Haven't done it for a while, it's nice. :)
8. I also started a feather-and-fan kind of pattern of a crochet blanket. Yes, okay, laugh at me for starting a blanket when I still haven't finished the very simple knitted shawl I started over a year ago. In my defence, crochet goes faster, I already have several skeins of yarn for it (pink, blue, and cream for the guest room), and it can be one of those projects I pick up and do a row or two on while watching a movie. I'll post updates when and if there are any.
2. On the upside, 15 minutes in the sun without sunscreen = BROWN Heather!
3. My big family reunion (mom's side) is in ONE WEEK! I'm so excited to see aunts and uncles and cousins and such that I only see once or twice a year, or less. It's Friday through Sunday next week, and I'll go down Thursday after work to stay with my parents. Then in the middle of July, my two girl cousins that are a little younger than me are coming to stay at my house for a few days!
4. Incentive to get the guest room cleaned up, for reals. We STILL haven't got the bed on the frame yet, which is a priority this weekend. Then I can stick a bunch of classroom stuff underneath it and free up the floor again, clean up/out the chest of drawers, etc.
5. On that note, does anyone in town want two nice framed Van Gogh posters? They don't really "go" with the blue and pink floral quilt and stuff, now. Cafe Terrace is really big, maybe 24"x36", and the other one is long the horizontal way, about 12"x24", and matted. It's got Cafe Terrace, Starry Night, and Starry Night over the Rhone Both have black frames and are under glass, and you can have them both for $10 OBO. I think I spent about $80 on all of it back in the day when I first got them. /end of ad/
6. I'm thinking about taking Sune to the dog park tomorrow. I want her to be more socialized with people and dogs, and I think she would love to play with some dogs her size. They have a little fenced-in area at the edge of the "big dog" dog park for little ones. I took her to the Farmer's Market Thurday night and she did all right. She growled at a Boston terrier when I was holding her, but otherwise seemed just fine and very interested in all the smells and things happening. She even nicely said hi to a couple of little dogs, though one was a cranky old mini poodle that snarled at her. And she's getting better about strangers petting her. Anyway, wish us luck at the park!
7. I thought it might be fun for my summer camp kiddos to play around with some embroidery, so I got out a couple of hoops and some muslin scraps and did some practice stitches on the three small ones to teach them with; the big one is for doing it "for real." We'll see how that goes today. Hopefully they won't fight over who has which one and is stitching what on blah blah blah.... Kids fight about the most ridiculous stuff. They made tents by draping sheets over the desks and chairs yesterday, and one girl was crying because she couldn't get under a table with two other girls (and there was no room!)
(This is the same girl that bounded up to me on the playground when I got there yesterday and said, "Miss Heather, I was a sacrifice!" with the biggest smile. They were playing some kind of "get chased by the monster and scream a lot" game.)
Anyway, I got out a hoop and some muslin for myself, too, and have been stitching little flowers and stuff. Haven't done it for a while, it's nice. :)
8. I also started a feather-and-fan kind of pattern of a crochet blanket. Yes, okay, laugh at me for starting a blanket when I still haven't finished the very simple knitted shawl I started over a year ago. In my defence, crochet goes faster, I already have several skeins of yarn for it (pink, blue, and cream for the guest room), and it can be one of those projects I pick up and do a row or two on while watching a movie. I'll post updates when and if there are any.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Blessed
This week, I got paid to:
play card games
color pictures
play foursquare
hang on the monkey bars
talk about solar energy and then
make sun tea
start a compost bin
read picture books aloud
make miniature books
fold origami
read Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle aloud
string beads
eat lunch outside
get a tan
Aside from the occasional fit or conflict between kids... I have a pretty sweet summer job.
P.S. Did you notice the new look my blog has, those of you who might read it through RSS?
play card games
color pictures
play foursquare
hang on the monkey bars
talk about solar energy and then
make sun tea
start a compost bin
read picture books aloud
make miniature books
fold origami
read Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle aloud
string beads
eat lunch outside
get a tan
Aside from the occasional fit or conflict between kids... I have a pretty sweet summer job.
P.S. Did you notice the new look my blog has, those of you who might read it through RSS?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
I took pictures!
With a real camera, even, not just my phone!
This is to show the progress of my tan. It's more pronounced than this, really, so to help you see it I outlined the white parts on my right foot with purple. And yes, I'm putting on sunscreen every day.
Yesterday afternoon, I wanted a little decaf coffee and decided to make it nice. I got out one of the lovely tea cups I have and my nice sugar and creamer. (Sugar cubes, even!) Unfortunately I didn't have anything nice to put the coffee in (and didn't want to wash my tea pot) so it stayed in the ugly coffee pot. All of this on a tray next to me on the loveseat, plus the first Lord of the Rings book, made for a pleasant half hour. I totally understand why people used to take afternoon tea. (By the way, one sugar cube makes that size of a cup of coffee exactly sweet enough.)
They played Mary Poppins (the movie) at the old downtown theater last night and I went with a friend from my old writers' group. At first, I thought of dressing up as a character, but decided to go a little steampunk instead. I've had the shirt and purse so long I don't remember where they came from; the shoes and knickers are from Goodwill and the hat from the dollar store a few years ago. I got the suspenders on clearance at Claire's, the socks from... somewhere (they're cabled!) and I'm wearing Bernice's locket, if any of you remember her. Around one wrist is a "leather" bracelet with a gold ring in the middle, and on the other I wrapped around a length of leather used for a necklace. You can sort of see the leather gloves sticking out of the front pocket of my purse, and I tied on three ollllld keys with a bit of hemp string. It was fun to dress up like this, since I haven't in... forever... and it was great to see the movie in a theater: to hear little kids laugh at the silly parts, everyone crack up at the ceiling tea party, and then clap at the end of the movie.
This is to show the progress of my tan. It's more pronounced than this, really, so to help you see it I outlined the white parts on my right foot with purple. And yes, I'm putting on sunscreen every day.
Yesterday afternoon, I wanted a little decaf coffee and decided to make it nice. I got out one of the lovely tea cups I have and my nice sugar and creamer. (Sugar cubes, even!) Unfortunately I didn't have anything nice to put the coffee in (and didn't want to wash my tea pot) so it stayed in the ugly coffee pot. All of this on a tray next to me on the loveseat, plus the first Lord of the Rings book, made for a pleasant half hour. I totally understand why people used to take afternoon tea. (By the way, one sugar cube makes that size of a cup of coffee exactly sweet enough.)
They played Mary Poppins (the movie) at the old downtown theater last night and I went with a friend from my old writers' group. At first, I thought of dressing up as a character, but decided to go a little steampunk instead. I've had the shirt and purse so long I don't remember where they came from; the shoes and knickers are from Goodwill and the hat from the dollar store a few years ago. I got the suspenders on clearance at Claire's, the socks from... somewhere (they're cabled!) and I'm wearing Bernice's locket, if any of you remember her. Around one wrist is a "leather" bracelet with a gold ring in the middle, and on the other I wrapped around a length of leather used for a necklace. You can sort of see the leather gloves sticking out of the front pocket of my purse, and I tied on three ollllld keys with a bit of hemp string. It was fun to dress up like this, since I haven't in... forever... and it was great to see the movie in a theater: to hear little kids laugh at the silly parts, everyone crack up at the ceiling tea party, and then clap at the end of the movie.
Monday, June 07, 2010
Some Things I Have Been Doing Lately
taking walks
making scones
mopping the floor
playing fetch with the doggie
buying stuff at a yard sale for my classroom
buying stuff at a yard sale for a friend who gave me money with that express purpose, because she knows I'm so good at it
riding my new bike to work (about a mile) and just around a little
(Her name is Mabel)
reading The Fellowship of the Ring
doing Wii Fit yoga, strength, and balance (I get enough cardio at work!)
going to knitting at a coffee shop (and mostly talking with a little knitting)
being on Facebook
crocheting this collar
typing letters on my typewriter
watching the new Joshua Danger video
(I know some of the people who made this! When they are super-famous I will say I knew them when....)
sleeping in a little
laundry
having a weird, slightly scary dream about icky aliens
going out to dinner with my husband (we had a coupon!)
going to a birthday party and managing somehow to match my outfit to the wrapping to the present itself:
wishing I could sew
not wanting to clean the sewing table off
sweating a lot (at least 100 degrees for the high today!)
What are some things you have been doing lately?
making scones
mopping the floor
playing fetch with the doggie
buying stuff at a yard sale for my classroom
buying stuff at a yard sale for a friend who gave me money with that express purpose, because she knows I'm so good at it
riding my new bike to work (about a mile) and just around a little
(Her name is Mabel)
reading The Fellowship of the Ring
doing Wii Fit yoga, strength, and balance (I get enough cardio at work!)
going to knitting at a coffee shop (and mostly talking with a little knitting)
being on Facebook
crocheting this collar
typing letters on my typewriter
watching the new Joshua Danger video
(I know some of the people who made this! When they are super-famous I will say I knew them when....)
sleeping in a little
laundry
having a weird, slightly scary dream about icky aliens
going out to dinner with my husband (we had a coupon!)
going to a birthday party and managing somehow to match my outfit to the wrapping to the present itself:
wishing I could sew
not wanting to clean the sewing table off
sweating a lot (at least 100 degrees for the high today!)
What are some things you have been doing lately?
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Another speed update
1. My summer job at the day camp has been interesting, trying at times, exhausting (running around, playing basketball, kickball, sitting on the floor, breaking up fights, soothing fit-throwers), and generally all right. Fun and nice, at times. Hopefully we'll all (counselors and kids) settle into a rhythm soon and get along just fine.
2. On that note, if you have any kid crafts and/or games, tell me all about them! We have themed weeks, and coming up is Summer Olympics and Environment Awareness. Of course, not all the crafts and games have to go with the theme. Our youngest is 6 and our oldest is 11. It's hard to find stuff the little ones can do that won't bore the older ones!
3. The backyard is tilled, but still just dirt. If we ever have money again, we really need to get sod and sprinklers set up. Stupid not having money.
4. My grandparents found me a queen size bed frame for FREE! I have enough bins and crates from a retiring teacher that I can stack up with a tablecloth over them for a nightstand. I got a lamp from my mom. Once I clear up the last of the classroom stuff I'm storing there, the guest room should be quite nice! :)
5. This is all I have time for right now! Off to work.
2. On that note, if you have any kid crafts and/or games, tell me all about them! We have themed weeks, and coming up is Summer Olympics and Environment Awareness. Of course, not all the crafts and games have to go with the theme. Our youngest is 6 and our oldest is 11. It's hard to find stuff the little ones can do that won't bore the older ones!
3. The backyard is tilled, but still just dirt. If we ever have money again, we really need to get sod and sprinklers set up. Stupid not having money.
4. My grandparents found me a queen size bed frame for FREE! I have enough bins and crates from a retiring teacher that I can stack up with a tablecloth over them for a nightstand. I got a lamp from my mom. Once I clear up the last of the classroom stuff I'm storing there, the guest room should be quite nice! :)
5. This is all I have time for right now! Off to work.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Bittersweet
Boy, am I glad school is out! Thank the Lord! I made it! Thank you, everyone, for your support. For listening to (or reading about) me whining, for saying "You can do it!" and "It will be worth it!" and "You will be great!" and "I know you will get a job!" Honestly, I am so glad I will never have to see a few of those kids again! No more waking up at 5:30 five days a week (although I'll do that occasionally for the summer job). No more dressing up in heels and skirts most days. I don't have to wear makeup all summer if I don't want to! I won't have to send anyone to the office, or shush kids while they're reading, or make them learn about adjectives for three months! Goodbyeeeeeeeeeeee!
****
No more dressing up in heels and skirts! No more full makeup in the mornings! I won't have a desk with my cute sticky notes on it and my bulletin board with pictures students drew for me. I won't write the schedule on the whiteboard every day or fill out my planner with them. I put my blood, sweat and tears into this year! (Blood = so many paper cuts!!!) I spent more time with those kids and teachers than with my husband! They were my family! And I'm so sad about never seeing most of them again. They are such cool, funny, interesting, brilliant kids. Some of them will be our doctors, nurses, lawyers, actors, inventors, video game makers, artists, bankers, librarians, authors, teachers, and dentists. (Some of them will be our oil field workers, construction guys, burger flippers, and Wal-Mart greeters--also valuable vocations.) They will get their braces off and drive cars and go to prom and someday be real people! I feel so valued and lucky to have been a small part of shaping them. And I will still think about them very often and remember the funny, awesome, stressful, and touching times with them and wonder how they are doing. I hope that, very occasionally, they remember Mrs. N for a little while, too. Hopefully I taught them just one thing they'll use or treasure or enjoy. Hopefully I made a little bit of a difference.
****
P.S. I wish I could show you pictures of the rafting trip on Tuesday! But I can't legally show pictures of other people's kids. I might have to post one, though, with the faces blurred out, because it's great....
****
No more dressing up in heels and skirts! No more full makeup in the mornings! I won't have a desk with my cute sticky notes on it and my bulletin board with pictures students drew for me. I won't write the schedule on the whiteboard every day or fill out my planner with them. I put my blood, sweat and tears into this year! (Blood = so many paper cuts!!!) I spent more time with those kids and teachers than with my husband! They were my family! And I'm so sad about never seeing most of them again. They are such cool, funny, interesting, brilliant kids. Some of them will be our doctors, nurses, lawyers, actors, inventors, video game makers, artists, bankers, librarians, authors, teachers, and dentists. (Some of them will be our oil field workers, construction guys, burger flippers, and Wal-Mart greeters--also valuable vocations.) They will get their braces off and drive cars and go to prom and someday be real people! I feel so valued and lucky to have been a small part of shaping them. And I will still think about them very often and remember the funny, awesome, stressful, and touching times with them and wonder how they are doing. I hope that, very occasionally, they remember Mrs. N for a little while, too. Hopefully I taught them just one thing they'll use or treasure or enjoy. Hopefully I made a little bit of a difference.
****
P.S. I wish I could show you pictures of the rafting trip on Tuesday! But I can't legally show pictures of other people's kids. I might have to post one, though, with the faces blurred out, because it's great....
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Some Lists
Things I Am Not Allowed To Buy At Yard Sales This Summer
-yarn
-fabric
-sewing patterns
-buttons (unless they're really really cute and/or vintage. they don't take up much room, okay?)
-books. at all. period. (unless it's Pride and Prejudice, because somehow I've got a little bit of a collection going of different editions) (or unless they're classics that I've specifically been looking for)
-another typewriter, no matter how cute it is or how cheap. the one I have is enough.
-knitting needles
-clothes. at all. period. even though I have an 18 inch high stack of clothes to give to Goodwill.
-shoes, unless they are the perfect gold sandals I've been looking for since last summer
-did I mention that I'm not allowed to buy books? remind me, if you see me at a yard sale. I literally have NO ROOM for any more. I don't have enough room for the ones I do have.
Things I Do Need To Buy At Yard Sales This Summer
-frame for a queen bed (guest room)
-nightstand (guest room)
-lamp (guest room)
-curtain rods (various rooms)
-sliding glass door doggie door insert thing
-the perfect gold sandals I've been looking for since last summer
Things I Might Buy At Yard Sales This Summer, Depending On Price, Quality, Etc.
-a bike, depending on how close my summer job ends up being to the house, since I might ride there
-things for my classroom (assuming I get a job for this fall) like posters, maybe a couple of fake plants, perhaps a desk if the school doesn't have a good one, file cabinets, and so on
-Gunne Sax dresses, since I seem to have good luck finding gorgeous ones in good condition for cheap
-violin sheet music, perhaps. (I really need to call and get a teacher.)
What do YOU want to find at yard sales this summer? Is there anything YOU'RE not allowed to buy?
-yarn
-fabric
-sewing patterns
-buttons (unless they're really really cute and/or vintage. they don't take up much room, okay?)
-books. at all. period. (unless it's Pride and Prejudice, because somehow I've got a little bit of a collection going of different editions) (or unless they're classics that I've specifically been looking for)
-another typewriter, no matter how cute it is or how cheap. the one I have is enough.
-knitting needles
-clothes. at all. period. even though I have an 18 inch high stack of clothes to give to Goodwill.
-shoes, unless they are the perfect gold sandals I've been looking for since last summer
-did I mention that I'm not allowed to buy books? remind me, if you see me at a yard sale. I literally have NO ROOM for any more. I don't have enough room for the ones I do have.
Things I Do Need To Buy At Yard Sales This Summer
-frame for a queen bed (guest room)
-nightstand (guest room)
-lamp (guest room)
-curtain rods (various rooms)
-sliding glass door doggie door insert thing
-the perfect gold sandals I've been looking for since last summer
Things I Might Buy At Yard Sales This Summer, Depending On Price, Quality, Etc.
-a bike, depending on how close my summer job ends up being to the house, since I might ride there
-things for my classroom (assuming I get a job for this fall) like posters, maybe a couple of fake plants, perhaps a desk if the school doesn't have a good one, file cabinets, and so on
-Gunne Sax dresses, since I seem to have good luck finding gorgeous ones in good condition for cheap
-violin sheet music, perhaps. (I really need to call and get a teacher.)
What do YOU want to find at yard sales this summer? Is there anything YOU'RE not allowed to buy?
Friday, May 21, 2010
8 Things Friday
1. I've had a terrible cold the last few days.
2. I'm finally feeling better!
3. I know this because I want coffee again, and it never sounds good when I'm sick.
4. The coffee I make has been gross lately.
5. Is it just old, or do I need to clean out my coffee maker, or what? How does one clean out the coffee maker?
6. I'm having a tea party at my house with my best friend tonight.
7. Because she is moving to TEXAS in a few weeks! Wahhhhhhhhhh!
8. I guess I better get to school. Three more days after today!
2. I'm finally feeling better!
3. I know this because I want coffee again, and it never sounds good when I'm sick.
4. The coffee I make has been gross lately.
5. Is it just old, or do I need to clean out my coffee maker, or what? How does one clean out the coffee maker?
6. I'm having a tea party at my house with my best friend tonight.
7. Because she is moving to TEXAS in a few weeks! Wahhhhhhhhhh!
8. I guess I better get to school. Three more days after today!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Update letter
Dear Reader,
I have 8 days of school left. EIGHT! My duties are now those of a glorified student aide, which is honestly just fine with me. I'm making copies, cleaning, organizing, and getting portfolios of the students' work together.
I had an interview last week, but as I haven't heard back, probably didn't get the job. There's nothing more I can do, job-wise, but wait for calls for interviews. Pray!
I train for my summer job next week, and start June 1st. I'll be working at a daycare run through the city rec center. I think it'll be fun!
We still have not started our garden. Does anyone in town have a tiller they'd like to loan us for a day?
I appreciate that you're still reading this, although it's been a month (exactly) since my last really dinky post. Hopefully I'll have lovely things to write about here all summer.
How have YOU been? What are your summer plans? Are you going anywhere exciting? Anywhere boring? What kind of books do you think you'll read? Will you lie out in the sun? Take the dog for walks? Sleep until noon? Get up early and accomplish many things? I miss youuuuuuu!
Love,
Heather
I have 8 days of school left. EIGHT! My duties are now those of a glorified student aide, which is honestly just fine with me. I'm making copies, cleaning, organizing, and getting portfolios of the students' work together.
I had an interview last week, but as I haven't heard back, probably didn't get the job. There's nothing more I can do, job-wise, but wait for calls for interviews. Pray!
I train for my summer job next week, and start June 1st. I'll be working at a daycare run through the city rec center. I think it'll be fun!
We still have not started our garden. Does anyone in town have a tiller they'd like to loan us for a day?
I appreciate that you're still reading this, although it's been a month (exactly) since my last really dinky post. Hopefully I'll have lovely things to write about here all summer.
How have YOU been? What are your summer plans? Are you going anywhere exciting? Anywhere boring? What kind of books do you think you'll read? Will you lie out in the sun? Take the dog for walks? Sleep until noon? Get up early and accomplish many things? I miss youuuuuuu!
Love,
Heather
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