Silence is Golden

Yes, Easy Street has been ignored (neglected?) lately and so has Facebook.  After my stroke I remember thinking that life is too short to deal with rude people.  Facebook is just depressing sometimes, and even the blog can make me an easy target for rudeness.  I do a pretty good job of avoiding the negative and thoughtless people in my daily life; it is harder to avoid through social media.  However, kid sister in California has been bugging me about blogging again, so here goes...

*Teaching is hard work this year; new textbooks, College and Career Readiness Standards, and Standard Based Grading all seem to be kicking my buns. (This is also the year of my formal evaluation.)  I spend quite a bit of my time at home working on formative tests and teaching activities.  I'm hoping that all of the work this year pays off next year.  I hope I won't have to reinvent the wheel every year.

*Christmas decorations are up on Easy Street.  Last year I threw out my 30 year old, incredibly awesome artificial tree.  (Branches were breaking off, and it was time to go.)  Several years ago K had purchased a $30 pre lit tree and hated it.  I bought it from her and used it at school.  This year, I brought it home, and now it looks like we are sporting a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  It kind of cracks me up, but the tree is growing one me and it looks great in a dark room!  The outdoor lights just went up today. The Mr. is quite handy with a staple gun. I need to take pictures of his handiwork. (Now if I could remember where I put the timer for the lights...!)

*K, L, CB, and I all did a little Black Friday shopping at 10:00 Thanksgiving evening. The Mr. and CT made the "sacrifice" and stayed home.  All the children were in bed, and the Mr. babysat on Easy Street, while CT was in charge of the Bug.  I managed to do the majority of my shopping that evening.  We missed the early crowds. The stores were relatively empty, with no lines and front door parking. The clerks were cheerful and helpful. Today, I managed to wrap those gifts, too. 

*A month ago at a routine Dr. appointment, they discovered that I have some microscopic blood in my urine.  They sent me on to a urologist who insisted on a CT scan of my kidneys.  That showed nothing, so they did a cystoscopy of my bladder.  That cystoscopy was less than pleasant, but they found nothing there either.  I'm pretty sure I have met my medical deductible for the year, but the bills haven't arrived yet.  I think they checked the two major things they were worried about, so that might be the end of testing.

*The Mr. is working on his deductible, too.  He met with his heart Dr. and had a good report; however, a pinched nerve in his leg is really bothering him.  He is looking into that this week.  (A blood clot has already been ruled out.)

*My new boss (K) has organized a month of Christmas fun for the faculty.  "We'll Have A Blue Monday" means the teachers can wear blue jeans on Monday.  "Frosty the Cookie" means sugary treats.  There are several others that are all linked to Christmas songs.  We have only ten days left in this semester.  I wish my new boss could figure out some way to make writing and grading finals fun.  There is still quite a bit to do before the two week break.

*The grandkids were so much fun at Thanksgiving.  E loves playing "Night night----Morning!"  L loved it when she was little, too.  His laugh is so contagious.  The Bug has been singing Frozen songs to wake up her mommy: "Mommy, are you in there?  People asking where you been...."  She's a little nut.

*In the hearing aid saga, I finally decided to suck it up and buy them.  (Yes, that sounds like my HS kids.)  I'm on the payment plan, and it is almost like having a car payment.  *sigh   On the other hand, the day before my month trial was up I didn't wear themt at school.  (Just wanted to see if I really needed them.)  It was a miserable day.  Sooooo...buy them I did.  (So much for a new iPhone!)  Maybe my students will hold a bake sale to help me pay the things off! 

As for some fun...
       House of Eliott, a series somewhat like Downton Abbey (borrowed the box set from the Mr.'s cousins)
              Mom's carrot Christmas ornament hanging on my tree
                     Gingersnaps--oh how I love them!
                            Pumpkin spice coffee creamer
                                      a charm for my bracelet to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Girls Weekend
                                              Zumba workout to Christmas music
                                                      Snowmen glasses and Reindeer plates
                                                              Seat warmers in a cold car
                                                                          Evening drives to see the Christmas lights of Tiny Town
                                 
Now if it would just snow...