Play Days

The last week has been full of playing.  Yesterday was no exception.

Since Mr. was off, we took a drive to Big City to see Baby E and family.  We shopped a bit on the way up and back to justify a couple of hours of snuggling that little guy.  (Spent a whopping $19.00.)

Little Man was quite happy to see his Nana and Papa. (Well, that's what I think!)  He endured a lot of kissing and some singing. He is starting to do a lot of "talking" and smiling. So sweet.  (He's changing so fast, I hate to miss a week.) 

The drive home was a bit treacherous with blowing snow and cold temperatures.  We seemed to be driving in a snow globe!  Temperatures are to remain frigid with dangerous wind chill. 

As cold as it is, any playing on this last day of break is going to have to be indoor playing. Might be time to dust off the cribbage board and look up the rules again.  Or I could pop in another season of Downton Abbey. The Mr. would be so thrilled. (Though I think it is growing on him!)

Oh, and I might break down and do a few things to get organized for tomorrow.  About 80 sophomores would be so disappointed if I didn't have some work for them to do! 

The View, Callouses, and Dragon Tattoos

Just random bits--

1.  My fingernails...acrylic so I can't bite them.  (I'd gnaw them down to the quick if I could.)

2.  Exercise?  Three days a week:  swim 1/2 mile.  Two or three days a week:  jog 1 mile.  Five days a week: walk for 50 minutes.  Yeah, and I still have to watch calorie intake.  *sigh*

3. Least favorite show on TV?  The View.  They talk over each other, interrupt, and could be a model for poor communication skills and bad manners.

4. Favorite book of the summer?  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  Some readers said it took them a hundred pages to get into it.  Not me.  I loved it.  The journalist in trouble with the law sucked me in from the first.  It was almost a nail biter. See #1.

5. Best song of late?  I love Zac Brown Band's "Knee Deep."  ("Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair?")  Best song I've heard in the past few years is going on the bottom of this post!

6.  Looking forward to?  A weekend escape with the Mr. in August and the arrival of the Lady Bug in later August.

7.  Working?  Only two days a week for two more weeks at the RV pool, and then... Back to School!

8.  Dealing with?  Callouses on the palms of my hand and on the bottoms of my feet.  I know the dog walking is responsible for my hands, but as for my feet...I have no idea!  I walk on them all the time, so it can't be that.  Who knows??

9.  Needing...?  I could use the AC working in my room at school, so I could work at school.

 10.  Wishing...our federal government would get it together.  They are playing with our lives, and I resent it. And I'm tired of them saying that they are only doing what their voter's want--when every poll says otherwise.  If we had a one-term-and-out rule, a politician would never have to worry about re-election--and that might be better for everyone.

On a happier note... this is just the best song.  K shared it with me.  It is a lullaby called "The Blessing" by Celtic Woman.  I think all Moms will love this song.  (I love songs that say exactly what I would, if I were a lyricist.)
 


In the morning when you rise
I bless the sun, I bless the skies
I bless your lips, I bless your eyes
My blessing goes with you

In the nighttime when you sleep
Oh I bless you while a watch I keep
As you lie in slumber deep
My blessing goes with you

This is my prayer for you
There for you, ever true
Each, every day for you
In everything you do

And when you come to me
And hold me close to you
I bless you
And you bless me, too

When your weary heart is tired
If the world would leave you uninspired
When nothing more of love's desired
My blessing goes with you

When the storms of life are strong
When you're wounded, when you don't belong
When you no longer hear my song
My blessing goes with you

This is my prayer for you
There for you, ever true
Each, every day for you
In everything you do

And when you come to me
And hold me close to you
I bless you
And you bless me, too

I bless you
And you bless me, too

True Confessions

Not a lot of time to blog. I'd like to blame school, but I really can't. I hate to admit it, but the season finale of "Big Brother" is responsible for my misspent evening. (Sorry Dad. You tried to get our minds on something of more value than TV, but I was your dismal failure! Can you give me a few points because I went to a library board meeting prior to the show? DVR makes all things possible.) The show ended just the way I hoped. (Yea Jordan!) "Big Brother" is one of my guilty summer pleasures. And so now the summer is officially over.

The sad thing is..."Survivor" and "Amazing Race" are about to start. Yep. I love these reality shows, too. So...

"Hi. My name is Mrs. E and I'm a reality show junkie."

A Guilty Pleasure

Someday, I will create a list of my guilty pleasures. There are quite a few of them. However, I have to share this one: the "Big Brother" reality show. It started this week. Thank goodness for DVR. It is on three times a week, and I don't always have time to watch it during the time it runs.

I think that I like this show because it is all about relationships. Granted, most of the relationships are shallow and manipulating. Think back on your Middle School or Junior High years and you'll get the picture.

As if it isn't bad enough that I watch the show three times a week, there is also a website that I haunt. There are cameras everywhere in the house and yard that run live feeds of what these people are doing. If you're willing to pay, you can watch the people in the house 24 hours a day for the course of the show. I'm not willing to pay, but someone buys the 24 hour a day feed for the show and then tells what is happening in the Big Brother house on an hourly basis on this website. It is kind of a spoiler for the TV show, but it is fun to "see" and "hear" all the things that aren't included on air.

Yep, that is my guilty pleasure. (And don't get me started on "Amazing Race" and "Survivor!")

December Delights

I love Christmas! The month of December is full of things I love:

Snow, lights, candles, sleds, the Christmas tree, Santas, wreaths, candy canes, Christmas stockings, snowmen, fudge, nativity scenes, yule logs, bows, mistletoe, peanut brittle, popcorn strings, outdoor light displays, sugar cookies, ornaments for the tree, Christmas carols, and jingling bells

Favorite Christmas shows: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudoph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Christmas in Washington

Favorite Christmas movies: It's A Wonderful Life, Meet Me In St. Louis, A Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas Vacation, White Christmas, Love Actually, Home for the Holidays, A Christmas Carol, A Muppet Christmas Carol, The Holiday

Favorite Christmas Songs: too many to mention but I love Amy Grant, Manheim Steamroller, and the Carpenters Christmas Albums

Favorite Christmas Stories: Two From Galilee, A Christmas Carol, The Christmas Box, Skipping Christmas

I even love Christmas fruitcake! (I think that makes me the one person in the USA who actually likes them.)

Grey's Anatomy

Is anyone else getting sick of the Grey's Anatomy show? They have gone off the deep end with Izzie sleeping with the ghost of her old boyfriend and interns doing surgery on themselves. I used to love that show, and now...? I hope it rebounds soon.

Extremes

There are so many exciting things going on with Extreme Home Makeovers here. As people pour into town to help, I find myself getting choked with tears. I'm not really sure why sometimes. I am so glad that people are getting the help they need to return to their homes. The family chosen, while not a family I know, are certainly deserving. The young Dad was shot in the throat after spending just a short time in Iraq. He was awarded the purple heart. They had a baby just a week or so before the tornado. They huddled in a closet, sheltering their kids with their bodies while their house was destroyed. No, they may not be long-time residents, but anyone who has gone through what they did, certainly deserves a new home.

Another family being helped lives right on main street. Their small cottage house has always been a charming part of our downtown area. They have been active in this community for years. Their house, while still standing, needed gutting. And that is what is happening this week. The entire interior will be repaired and remodeled for them.

A big perk for the entire town is taking the center empty area right on the edge of downtown and creating a park and community shelter. This town has been depressing to look at, so I am hopeful that this area will be a beautification project that may give all of our town a needed shot in the arm.

All of these wonderful things are going on, and yet our school is a different story and I still find myself in tears at times. It is depressing teaching out of our trailers, never seeing other teachers or even some of our students. There is no place to gather daily. I hate being in the HS office. It is crowded and unwelcoming. And this is what we have to work with for the next two years. I guess, in a perfect world, a new school would go up in 7 days and life at school would seem somewhat normal again. As happy as I am for those families receiving help, I wish it was our schools getting a new "home," too.