My link up with Mrs. Reed...

Mrs.Reed from flyingintofirst.blogspot.com is back with her weekly linkup!!! This weeks linkup... bingo... answer three of the questions horizontally, vertically or diagonally....





ok.. so I'll do the middle horizontally....
1. My first year of teaching... swoosh... I'll use my current teaching job as my first year even though I had done a Catholic School for 2 years before that... but my current location is my first REAL teaching job... ok... My first year teaching... I     WAS      A    MESS!!!!!!! My hubsband was home with our two kids (7 and 4) and I was the sole breadwinner... so the pressure was ON!!! My first evaluation went horrifically wrong...   I honestly didn't know what I was in for with a public school... I had to really evaluate who I was, what I wanted, and how to get the help I needed... if it wasn't for my team Michelle, Sara, and Barb,... I would not have made it... other countries recruit teachers from high school and college based on natural tendencies toward teaching... I think I had them.. but I needed training and I needed guidance....

2.  My favorite school memory as a kid... there are so many.. I went to a 1-8 Catholic School so I was in the same school for 8 years... my favorite memory was probably being an office girl... you got to leave class early and collect envelopes, answer phones, do some clerical stuff... we felt like we were "the chosen ones...

3.  Books I'm reading... I finished, "Dark Places" by Gillian Flynn and I'm going to start Jeffery Deaver's next book... I also have "Before I Go to Sleep" which I 'm in the middle of... so hopefully some of this will get read.... looking for suggestions!!!!

both sides now

Top: Gap c/o Goodwill

Jeans: Signature boot c/o Goodwill

shoes: aeropastale

necklace: ebay

 I am smiling in this picture... but the song I posted earlier in the week...

is taking over my life... uuuuughhhhh..... where to begin... with the song... the clouds... they block  the sun.. they rain and snow on everyone.... its clouds illusion I recall.... I really don't know clouds... at all.....

1. My tax situation... not resolved.. no word... hubsband," I'm NOT paying the tax... "totality of the circumstances!!!!:,... I don't know what it means either... its his favorite saying.....
2. hubsband asks me, "What do you want for your birthday?" I said, " A new car"...so I went out with Jack and Casey... now...... if you've ever been to a car dealership you know.... it is an ALL DAY experience... so we were at the dealership for 7 hours.. I am NOT kidding... come out with a Kia Soul, no trade in... 500.00 down payment... 354.58 payment... now why is this good? Because now Jack and Casey have their own car..... I  dont' have to share!!!!!! THIS IS HUGE!!! hubsband says, " I'm not signing that!!!!!": so I sign it on my own.... now..... bitterness..... I've looked at love from both sides now.. from win and lose and still somehow...I really don't know love at all.......
3. My dad's birthday is Friday.... I invite everyone to Olive Garden for this birthday.. somehow this leads to controversy.....and now old friends are acting strange.. somethings lost but somethings gained in living every day.... I really don't  know life ... at all...........

Mad Men recap....

Ok... the last episode of season 6 Mad Men was waaaaaaayyyy to good not to comment....

1. I know "Mad Men" is so good at bringing storylines that hit you at your heart and you feel like it was written just for you... so I can't say this was written just for me.. but girrrrrrrrrrrrrrlllllllllll.. I swear!!! I identified soooo much with Don in this episode!! He reminded me so much of my dad!!! in the scene where he was in the bar and the preacher came up to him and tried to talk him out of drinking... that was my dad... he used to go to a bar about 3-4 times a week, drink 3-4 manhattans and then drive home...

2. How long have we  been waiting for Don to drop his mask???? since season 1?? I am so happy to see Dick Whitman!!! I know its not what Sterling Cooper wanted.. but I'm so happy to see you Dick!

2.  Betty was on for about 5 minutes!!! Not enough Betty.. thats for sure....

3. Sally.... I have given my thoughts  on Sally before... she is so wonderfully terrible... but tonight.. just wonderful.... this song....I have NEVER liked this song... but at the end of the episode.. showing Sally and Don together at his childhood home... it made perfect sense... its like my new favorite song... the person who put this scene together.. THANK YOU!!!!! These last episodes have really been about Sally and Don and their relationship.. What I love is how much Don cares about Sally's view of him.. he knows what its like to have a parent who hates you or doesn't even know you and he so wants to be the opposite of his step mother and father... This season has been Don as a father and his view of himself in his children's eyes.. it has been like looking in a mirror... AMC and Mad Men writers... you have brought 6 seasons together in 30 seconds....

4. Anyone who Roger fooled into thinking hes just a jovial fellow and harmless... let us not forget he paid Joan to get an abortion 2 seasons ago!!! Roger is a jerk!!! Now he is jealous of Bob and wants Joan to sit home and mourn over him.. thank Goodness Joan is smarter than that and shuts him out....

5. I have also spoken my disdain for Peggy.... not disdain really... more.. confusion!!! WHAT IS SHE SUPPOSED TO BE???? it seems like shes just a slut.... she sleeps with any man who will even look sideways at her.. and her with the married men?? Does she just have low self esteem, low self image, strong self image?? What is it?? She just doesn't like marriage?? She confuses me!!!!

6. Megan... uggghhh!!! Megan!!!! I have also spoken of my disdain.. and I mean disdain for Megan.... hopefully she will leave the show.. I have had enough of her crooked yellow teeth and her bad acting..

7.  one of the main characters in this episode was alcohol.. the scene where Don's hand was shaking and Ted said, " Will you have a drink before the meeting? you can't quit all at once"... Again.. my dad went into A.A. in 1977 and I felt like I was watching his life before that time... the drinking at work.. drinking Canadian Club... it really hit a nerve with me and I wasn't even born in that time... for people who were alive. I can't imagine how an episode like this would hit home...

8.  The fact that Don had like a revelation at the Hershey's presentation I'm sure is no coincidence.. I think we are supposed to feel a connection to Don through the candy bar... and the story he told about how Hershey had a  school for orphans... it was as sweet as the chocolate...

9. (Spoiler Alert!!!) ok.. firing Don????  BRING IT!!!! Don will reinvent himself bigger and better... and more that Sterling Draper... and replacing him with Duck?? Please....

10.  the fact that I have to wait like an entire year for the next season is cruel and unusual punishment.... This last season was so cohesive and complete it really brought alot of the characters home and brought a richness and satisfaction for alot of the storylines... season 6 was probably the best season I've seen... The best television I've seen.. from the wardrobe to the stories to the continuity... Mad Men has truly delivered television that is worthy of its viewers and has given its viewers the benefit of intelligent story lines for an intelligent audience.. thank you AMC!!!!

The chair that got away...

I know this looks like I'm stalking Bri from workclothesisuppose.blogspot.com
but I'm actually stalking the chairs in the picture... I love this living room... and the chairs in particular... now.. I once saw a chair in this style at Goodwill for 65.00.. I took a picture of it because I didn't

 get it!!! M I S T A K E!!!!!!

so now.. almost a year later.. I still mourn that chair.. and the price... I went to Big Lots... found this one..

for 129.00... went today to get it... couldn't do it... it was TWICE the price.... so I came home and went on Target.com and found this one...for 119.00 with free shipping... so.. I pulled the trigger... I used my target card and got 5% off.. making the final purchase price... 121.00... so... lesson? when you see something at Goodwill that you love enough to take a picture of it... GET IT!!!!!

Channing Tatum as a guest...

 Again,... since my face is still not healed... I give you.. Channing Tatum... Ladies... your welcome...

Yay!!!!!

Once again.. our beloved Blackhawks have won in the Stanley Cup Finals!!!! We are now 2-2... Chicago... bringin the cup home!!!!

ANOTHER shout out...

I have to shout out AGAIN to Mrs. Monroe from schoolisahappyplace.blogspot.com... she has given another great Daily Five tutorial for those of us who are Daily Five challenged... she is a great teacher for teachers!!!check her out!!!!

why do you do what you do?

The question was asked today at a summer conference,"Why do you do what you do?"... then I went on one of my fave blogs thefrizzinfirstgrade.blogspot.com

 and the question was asked again, "Why do you teach?" Today.. when I look back at this last school year and think about all that happened around our nation and in my own classroom... why do I teach?

I teach because  I want children to feel independent...  I want children to know a sense of trust... in themselves.. 

I teach because I want six and seven year olds to be children  

I teach because I want my first graders to look back on first grade and smile

I teach because I want to instill faith, hope, and trust....

I teach for those who taught... for those who were treated as babysitters and formed unions and gave me the right to fight for what is right

 I teach for those who no longer teach and taught me how to teach and how to learn

I teach for those who gave their lives to their students

I teach because I see the future and the future in a first graders face looks very nice...

 

My usual guest blogger

These are my usual guest bloggers just because they are so much cuter than me... this is "the signal"...The cue to me to say, "Hey.. I gotta go outside!!!".. Now you can ask," do you want to go outside??" like soft like a two year old or super excited like a two year old and they will run to the door..."YES MAMA!!! GO OUTSIDE!!!!" but if they just stand there and then get ignored.. they do mean things to the house.....

My teacher always says...

I am linking up with foreverin1st.blogspot.com for her "My teacher always says linkup... This is the thing my kids would say I ALWAYS say.... "Thats called_________"... such as.. if a student takes something that doesn't belong to them.. "thats called not being respectful... or if a student forgets their homework, thats called not being responsible... or if a student cuts in line.. thats called not being respectful... or not being safe...

I caught kids in my class playing school once and one of the girls goes, "I'll be Mrs.Bruce...".. and then she was sooooooo mean!!! It warmed my heart!!!

The summer me...

top: Target

Jeans: Signature Skinney bought at Wal-Mart

shoes: Aeropastale

My makeup free summer continues....I had to go into school last week and summer school had already commenced in my classroom.... these poor kids have summer school from 8:30-3:30 every day for 4-8 weeks!!! G R O S S!!!!!!

I feel like as a teacher we NEED a break in the summer to almost literally do NOTHING... I embrace the boredom, the sleeping late, the staying up late, the laziness... then I can look forward to going back to school after a while.. my brain has to click to the off position for a little while...

Now I know people are like, " you suck!! how dare you complain... you only work 9 months out of the year!!".. true... BUT in those 6 1/2 hours that I work a day... I have about 13 people asking me questions about 45 minutes of every hour...I have 77 decisions every half hour, I have at least 10 emails every hour, I have about 13 forms to fill out a day, and I have about 87 things I need to remember every day... my brain needs to click off so I can take in all of this information and process it come August... so this is summer me... and hopefully it will make a good Fall me for all of those little first graders coming my way!!!

A happy post to offset my deep one...

Hey y'all!!! This gal.. Bri.. from workclothesisuppose.com has graciously allowed me to be a guest blogger on her blog in July!!! Girlfriend is going to Alaska and put out a call for guest bloggers... (to be honest I practically BEGGED her to let me do it...) and my little tiny blog will get hella exposure!! sooo excited.... so all of my 13 followers.. go to workclothesisuppose.com and show Bri some lovin....

The late night ramblings of an insomniac...

"
I've been writing a lot about books lately and this one sticks out in my memory because of one particular part... theres this aunt in the book who is always sick and dying and the family members go to see her toward the end and one asks her, "Are you afraid of dying?" and she said, " I was... I was really afraid and then I just got so sick of being afraid that I stopped"...  this sticks out to me because for a long time I was soooooooooo afraid of dying and for no other reason other than I just thought of it and it terrified me...but now, its different... My mom passed away last year and my dad who was her primary caregiver through multiple different life threatening conditions was left utterly alone... he is soooooo lonely.... He is almost running to death because then he wouldn't be so alone... I know that sounds super depressing, but it takes away that fear that so much of us have for death... Now don't  get me wrong, hes not suicidal or anything, he just seems like hes ready for the Lord to take him and that fear is gone... He tells my sisters and me that he talks to my mom all the time and at one of the last visits she told him he didn't need to visit her as much because she was so euphoric where she was... I believe she is... she is with God and only happiness can abound... that's the thing about death... you go somewhere so wonderful and the people who are here are left alone... So what I guess this post is about.. is fear of the unknown is useless... fear of a job, a move, a decision, of death... it doesn't help... because we're all headed somewhere better...

For all you "Gone Girl" fans...

I just finished Gillian Flynn's "Dark Places"... great book... nice follow up to "Gone Girl" I'm now reading, "Before I Go to Sleep"  by S.J. Watson... if any of you have read it.. let me know if its good.. so far so ehhh it reminds me of Momento... .I also have "Night Circus" and I just got "The Kill Room" if anyone has a book to recommend let me know... I would love  a good one!!!

Five for Friday on a Saturday...

I am linking up with doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com for her Five for Friday.... (a day late..)

My hideous face!! I look like I have a flesh eating disease with my treatment... you know when you see like a burn victim? Thats what I look like.. People are trying to not look at me after they see me...

Now that I sleep later than my hubsband I have to take my own pics.. I discovered why he takes good pics of me.. hes taller... my son is shorter and when he takes pics of me... I look so old and fat.. Higher is better..

Our Beloved Blackhawks WON GAME 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals......GO BLACKHAWKS!!!!!!!!

Our Deck needed a big makeover... so many bloggers take pics on their deck and I would love the natural light... so 300.00 later... now I can take pics on it...

My toes were in desperate need of a pedi... I mixed it up.. .yellow....

Suzanne was right....

I don' t know if y'all remember.. but a couple weeks ago I had an argument with myself about this comforter..

I told myself that t would be ok.. I could wash it  and even if the dogs dragged mud all over it (which they did) the comforter could handle the stress... well..... I was wrong.... Suzanne was right (my inner voice Suzanne) that comforter is about tattered... I will try to wash it again.. but all the washing I have done has kind of diminshed its wear  and its not the bright shiny comforter from the Country Homes magazine that I envisioned when I bought it... the dog pictured has done MOST of the damage!!! Suzanne said he didn't care about that comforter.... she was right...
so I present... my NEW duvet cover I put over  another comforter and for 12.00 I got a second chance at a nice bed...see what Goodwill will get you...

the quote... lives...

"Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortunes, but great minds rise above them"... Washington Irving
I put this quote up on June 1 and today is June 15... Remember I told you the quote had a way of working its way into my life? Well it has!! I told y'all about my back taxes from 2009 and we moved in in 2011 and how my lawyer was all like, "NO you don't pay the back taxes, the seller pays them, or the title company"... well I call to find out what the progress was on that happening and the title company is like, "oh.. yeah.. you should just go ahead and pay them"... so I call my lawyer and hes like, "oh. well.. let me find out whats going on.." of COURSE this is like at 3:30 on a Friday and the day ends at like 4:15 on a Friday so no resolution... and I know sooooooooo many people are going through these dramas.... people barely work in the summer and Friday in the summer people take the barely and cut it in half... so people who are waiting for a phone call about a job, a loan, a grant, a scholarship, an acceptance into a school, or in my case, a tax mixup.... so I cannot let my mind be little and be tamed by misfortunes... I have to have a great mind and rise above... and if you are waiting for a phone call... I feel for you.. I am with you!!!

A new summer blog;;;

My look what I got!!!  over at thetinyheart.blogspot.com andthepennilesssocialite.blogspot.comThis week... all these shoes are from Target... got em at Salvation Army  all my size.. can you believe that?? Me either...two of them were 4.05... one for 5.06... not bad right??

Top: Target bought at Target for 6.88

jeans: Tommy Hilfiger skinney rolled up about 6 times

shoes: Aeropastale bought at Aeropastale for 7.00

Hey y'all... I summered up my blog a little...I needed some cheering... my tax situation has not been resolved much to my dismay... my lawyer may have to file a claim against the title company so I hold on to God.. what He can see and what I can see are two different things.. He has never led me astray and Hes not about to start now.. so my faith is entertained....

Since this day has started my deck got a makeover, my lawn has been mowed and my poor dogs cant go outside because the deck has a new stain on it.... poor dogs...  UGGGGGGGGHHHHH I hope y'all are having a wonderful day to offset my very stressful day....

A new game...

 First off.. I must take a pic of myself every day no matter how horrific I look to document how my condition is going... if it is successful I will recommend it to everyone...

Next, there is this game I play where I put something new out and then dont' tell my hubsband I got it and see how long it takes for him to notice it... the table has been changed multiple times and he never notices... the pillow has been on the couch since Monday... he noticed yesterday... He looked at it and said, "What is this??" ( he has this thing with my "letters".. he thinks I'm trying to turn our house into a kindergarten classroom) So Jack goes, " Oh, Mama got that at Goodwill.." which is our standard answer to anything... "Oh, got it at Goodwill.. it could be anything from a pillow to a phone to a car to a dog... doesn't matter... got it a Goodwill... so my hubsband is like, " WOW that is really amazing.. a pillow that has all our names on it in order of oldest to youngest... that is CRAZY!!!".... I dont' think he was convinced....