Silence, Snow, The Bible, and Education

Join me in a brief moment of silence as I hope for a snow day tomorrow.

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Thank you for your support.  This time, my prayer isn't quite as selfish as it typically is.  Since I've had walking pnemonia and a lung infection, I spent most of last week going home and going to bed.  That meant that all of my grading sat in my basket and received no attention whatsoever.  Now I have a LARGE stack of grading that needs some attention and a limited amount of time to grade it in.

For those of you pointing out that I should probably be grading instead of blogging:  please note that I take two hours at home to myself just to relax.  I've found that I have a much better disposition and peace of mind if I will take that time.  Sometimes part of that time is devoted to laundry or general house cleaning.

Today, some of it has been devoted to getting my bedroom together.  My new bed arrived today and that meant I needed to move out the tables we were using for night stands to get the real night stands in place.  Now I'm washing bedsheets so I can make the bed for the first time and enjoy.

I'm also trying to figure out the layout in my living room.  We bought a loveseat, couch and big-man chair because I wanted as much seating in this room as possible.  Now I'm trying to figure out how to arrange everything to make the best use of the room.  Feel free to come over and advise.

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I've been reading 1 Samuel (not with as much dedication as I should have) and I've been noticing quite a bit about that guy named Saul.  He freaks me out...mostly because I'm afraid I see myself in him.  Sometimes I just take matters into my own hands and do what I want because it seems like the right thing.  I don't wait and "keep my appointments with God."  I throw spears.  At people.  Usually ones I love.

I had rather hoped characters like Samuel or David would reflect who I am. 

Saul wasn't always a villain.  David isn't always a saint.  There's a lesson to be learned there.  I'm praying I get it.

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English III has been working through Romanticism and they've just gotten to Gothicism.  I love it, because before I introduce what it is, we read "The Masque of the Red Death."  Then I ask the students to draw the layout of the rooms and explain the allegorical connotations of that layout.  It's hilarious to watch them get frustrated, yell, erase half of their papers and then determine that they are going to beat me at my own game.  Days like this are what make teaching worthwhile. 



Adventures in Home Ownership

Just a few weeks ago, it actually felt like we owned this house.  Today capitalized that feeling.  I've spent most of the day on my hands and knees scrubbing Orange Glo off the floor.  I also finally got around to removing the tape on the bottom of my bathroom cabinets, scraping away excess grout, sweeping all the floors, cleaning countertops, doing laundry, scrubbing other floors and organizing in general.

I'm excited to get this house together in a shape that is recognizable as a home, but I have an ulterior motive.  The rest of my furniture is arriving on Monday and I need to get some things together so Favorite can move our current bed into one of the spare rooms.  I also think it's a good idea to have floors cleaned before furniture arrives.

But I feel a pretty decent sense of accomplishment.  I'm proud of myself.  Now if I could only get that endless stack of papers graded.

Nothing of Substance

My nights have been less than eventful here of late.  Even now, I'm posting this and planning to hit the hay in about 30 minutes.  I didn't realize how crappy I felt.  Despite that, I've felt really blessed for a number of reasons.  The teachers I work with have been so supportive and understanding.  Several of them dropped by to check on me and one even dropped by to make sure I didn't stay very long today.  She was pretty adamant that I needed to go home a rest.  How's that for awesome friends?

My dad informed me, after reading my blog, that of course he's my dad and he's willing to do anything I need him to do.  I'm telling you; I have a great support system.  My in-laws have also called several times just to check on me (Favorite is away on a hunting trip).

Tonight I discovered that Windex is amazing and it does remove Orange Glo from hardwood floors.  You wouldn't believe how different the small part looks that I finished tonight.  I was blown out of the water.  You also wouldn't believe the nasty crap that comes up after you use Orange Glo on your floors.  So gross.

I'm looking forward to the weekend.  Favorite and I are going to hopefully finish some things up for the house (as in ORGANIZE!) and I'm ready to have no obligations and sleep in for a bit.  I don't mean to be a whiner, but I'm really tired.

And on that note...I'm out.

2nd Post: Inspiration

So I'll be heading to bed in about 30 minutes.  Walking pnemonia makes me exhausted.

But before I left, I thought I'd share some things I'm really looking forward to trying.  First of all, I'm looking forward to going to a thrift store and picking up some old brass looking lamp to paint for my kitchen/living room area (or maybe I can jack one of the ones my mom used to have?).  I know I want a yellow lamp to go in the corner of this room of my house, but everything I've found online is about $200.  I'm not spending that for a lamp when I can pay nothing, prime and paint and get the color I want.

I also have an armoire I want to paint for one of the spare rooms.  I haven't entirely decided what color it's going to be (and since I won't be able to take on this ENORMOUS project until summer, it doesn't really matter).  I've toyed with the idea of navy or red.  Either one would look nice in the guest room and it will certainly dress up the piece.

All of my inspiration?  http://projectsbyjess.blogspot.com/  She's amazing.  She makes me wish I could sew (sort of...I still think stapling adds bling).  And her projects don't really seem ridiculous or over the top.  Granted, I could be taking on way more than I can handle, but I'm willing to give that a shot for some of the results she's gotten.

Today I Realized...

I'm 30 years old and I still need my parents.

Today, I took a half day off work to go to the doctor and my dad willingly drove me to the Urgent Care Clinic about 45 minutes away.  15-20 minutes later, I had a diagnosis (walking pnemonia with an aggravated lung infection), a shot and a bunch of antibiotics.

I'll be sleeping early tonight. 

But thank goodness for parents who realize their job isn't done when we turn 18.

The Letter Series: Dear Upper Respiratory Mess

Dear Upper Respiratory Mess,

Leave me alone.  This is the THIRD TIME I've had you in the last month.  The.  Third.  Time.  I have no idea why you find my body to be the perfect host for your little Hamptons get away, but I'm done.

I like sleeping without coughing my head off.  I like breathing without randomly throwing up because I end up coughing so hard.  I especially enjoy tasting food which I can't even eat at this point because it makes me sick.

I don't know what your problem is or why I'm being targeted.  I do know that it's time for you to pick somewhere else to make roots.  I'm probably going to the doctor tomorrow, and even though that didn't work the first time, I'm hopeful that this time the doctor will hand you your packing papers.

See ya.

The Tired of Being Ivalid Teacher Who Cannot Expect Substitutes to Teach Julius Caesar

PS.  Theraflu is not amazing.  But it does clear my sinuses and send you into hiding for long enough for me to sleep at least an hour.  Forget that I've been in bed for 20 hours today.

She's My Friend

This friday at Kelly's Korner, Kelly is hosting Show Us Your Life:  Show Us Your Singles.  Originally, I hesitated to be a part of the posting, because even though I have a great something to post, my friend can be a little on the shy side.  But since she posted about herself first (click here to see what she said), I felt I could do a little more justice to her description.

This is Kate:

I've known her and her beautiful smile for the last 12 years or so.  We met in junior college and became good friends when we started singing together a year or so later.

Kate has one of the most gorgeous voices I've ever heard.  On top of that, she loves all things music and listens to a collection of artists that would keep the most eclectic of people entertained (although, I believe her favorite is the soundtrack from the Big Chill--something about learning all the words when she was 3...).  She probably has one of the coolest music collections I've ever heard.  Plus, she performed in community theatre (musicals) at a community college until she was about 20 (and she was good!).  And I also feel the need to mention that when we go, she's a karaoke staple.

Kate loves pop culture.  She is a trivia guru and would whip my butt at Trivial Pursuit if I didn't get to team with my brothers.  She likes to read and while our tastes vary on that front, she's recently picked up a book that's been on my "to-read" list for the last year (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil).  Don't be fooled by that title, though.  She loves chick-lit, most things funny and biographies in general.

Of course, her love of a good biography might come from the fact that she teaches junior high social studies.  She loves her kids and isn't just a teacher who punches the time card and then leaves.  She volunteers her time with concessions, Beta, Track and a hundred other organizations that I can't even keep straight in my head.

Kate loves resell shops and is a fun decorator.  She has a great eye and has put together some really fantastic rooms in her house.  She laughs at all my jokes (which makes her a perfect in my opinion) and is, in general, entertaining company.

Mostly, she loves Jesus.  Kate isn't about walking someone else's walk there.  She's forging her own relationship with her Savior.  She works in our church nursery (she loves kids) and regularly participates in our Women's Bible study (I should also mention her mother regularly participates and is a great person.  Kate has a fantastic family!).

If you're interested, feel free to contact me or contact Kate through her blog link above.

(I made her wear that crown.  It was my birthday.  I don't care that I was 30; everyone wears a crown on my birthday.  But isn't she cute?!)