lately...

Well I haven't been very good about updating around here {no surprise there} so I'm just going to lump everything into one post.

A couple weeks ago, my mom, aunt, cousin, and I went on a girl's weekend.  We spent two nights at a casino resort and did a little gambling while we were there. I've never really been a gambler, and have actually only played on the machines twice before this trip.  I've never thought it was very fun to sit at a machine and watch your money disappear, but it was pretty fun when I won this at a penny machine.

Last weekend Dave and I went to Palisades State Park to look at the fall colors.  While there wasn't a very strong fall showing, the scenery was still pretty.

I went to my mom's this past weekend.  We worked on a couple projects and did a little shopping while I was home.  We went to a store that is a little piece of Christmas heaven.  The lady who owns it sets up over 50 trees in the store. Love!

Being in there gave me the Christmas itch even more! Only one more month 'til the Christmas decorations come out!

lately

Hmmm....I should have waited until tomorrow to post then it would have been exactly two months since I last posted anything.  Sooo...what's been going on lately? Not a whole lot around here which is why I haven't posted I guess.

I've had a pretty quiet summer for the most part.  I've been looking for a new position but either I'm really bad at job hunting or there just isn't much out there right now.  Maybe both.  I love teaching but we really need more money coming in from my side.  But, since I haven't found anything, it's back to the school I go in a few weeks.  I'm mostly ok with that since I like most of my co-workers and love the students.  It would be really nice to have more money...but who doesn't feel that way I guess.

My class held its 15 year reunion on July 3.  Sometimes I can't believe we've been out of high school for 15 years already.  Weren't we just teenagers a couple years ago?  I wasn't sure I was going to go this year but I'm really glad I did.  It's always a good time.  Twenty-five of us graduated together and we usually get about half that attends.

I've been back to my mom's several times this month.  My brother moved into a house so I've been trying to help out where I can.  I painted for about 10 hours one day and went back last week to hang decorations on the walls.

This weekend was pretty awesome.  It felt like fall around here, which always makes me happy.  60s and 70s in July is a good thing in my book.  Dave and I went to Sioux Falls on Saturday.  We visited my grandma for awhile.  It's pretty amazing to be around her and think about the fact that she's 100 years old.  We also visited my sister-in-law's family and went out for supper with them while we were in town.

That's been about it.  I feel the rush coming on to get everything done that I should have been doing over the summer before school starts.

Oh, and I've been Pinning lots of outfit ideas in hopes of dressing better this school year.  Seriously, I'm about as good as a 7 year old at putting outfits together.

So, anyone still reading this 'ol blog here?

weekend recap/mon.

We started our weekend by getting Chinese food and renting Trouble with the Curve.

I don't always like movies that have a father/daughter conflict theme because sometimes it hits a little too close to home for me but I did like this one quite a bit.

I met my friend, Andrea, and her daughter for lunch on Saturday. We went to BuffaloWild Wings and then to her classroom so I could see their new set up this year.  We hadn't seen each other since last summer when we worked together so it was nice to catch up!

I pretty much spent the rest of the weekend on the couch.  I had/have some weird cold/allergies thing going on that has left me feeling pretty drained.  Then, yesterday, I started my week out with a bang by falling on the ice as I was leaving for work. I landed on my left arm and am pretty sure I sprained my wrist. Today my right midsection is really sore too.  I've fallen on the ice several times before but I've never had so many aches afterwards. Getting old sucks! :o)

weekend recap

Dave and I headed for Mitchell Saturday morning to attend my godson's 8th birthday party.

We went to my mom's house that afternoon.  My brother was an usher in his friend's wedding so we didn't get to see much of him.  Just a quick hi and a picture and that was it.

We spent the rest of the Saturday and part of Sunday hanging out at my mom's house.  It was a relaxing weekend!

Hope you're having a great week!

weekend recap

Dave and I went out for supper Friday night then came home and watched Wanderlust.  I thought it was just ok but Dave thought it was pretty good.

My friend, Tasha, and I went to Sioux Falls on Saturday to do some shopping. We had planned to have lunch with our cousin but she wasn't able to get off work. So anyway, we ate at Johnny Carinos and I got my usual - the endless soup and salad.  I was almost done with my salad (had maybe two bites left) when I looked down and noticed a hair in my salad.  Not only was it a hair, but it looked like the kind that you REALLY don't want to find in your food, if ya know what I mean.  Ew.  Hopefully it was the only one in there.  Anyway, I didn't buy a whole lot while we were shopping but I did pick up some fall scented candles and wallflower refills at Bath&Body Works.

Sunday was a pretty lazy day around here.  Dave went to pick up lunch for us and came home with some flowers for me. :o)

I decided to work on a project later in the day while Dave was at his brother's house.  I had seen some cute fall subway art on Saturday at Gordman's so I thought I'd try to make my own.  I used some wood and paint that I already had so it was totally free....other than the 3 hours of my time and neck/shoulder ache I gave myself from painting on the floor.  I think it turned out pretty cute.

It makes me really anxious to get out my fall decorations!  :o)

Hope ya all have a great week!

five for friday

1. Summer school is over!  We did a 10 week session, which is 4 weeks longer than regular summer school.  I enjoyed it {most of the time} but am so glad to have the next two weeks off before school starts again.

2.  I'm happy to report that I broke the 20 pound weight loss marker this week!  I've lost 21.4 pounds to be exact.  I decided to stop doing the cbdiet posts because I wasn't getting the support from other participants for whatever reason so I feel kind of silly to keep posting about it.  So, I think I'll just update once a month or every two weeks in a regular post.  I haven't had any pop for over 5 months now so that's another another success for me.

3. Tomorrow I'll be heading to Sioux Falls to have a girl's day with my friend, Tasha.  We're planning to do some shopping and meet up with our cousin for lunch.

4.  My mom and I will also be spending some time together next week.  We try to do something together each summer.  We don't have any definite plans set other than to shop and eat. :o)

5.  Fall is coming!!  I'm so excited!  I'm just not a summer person.  I don't enjoy being hot and sweaty.  We're forecasted to have temps in the high 70s the next couple days so it makes me even more excited for fall.  I've been pinning lots of fall pictures and recipes that I'd like to try. Can't wait!

Source: lemonadeandivy.tumblr.com via Nichole on Pinterest

Source: sweetpeaskitchen.com via Nichole on Pinterest

Hope ya all have a great weekend!

a little miscellany

• I didn't write a weekend recap post this week because we didn't really do much of anything over the weekend.
• I had lunch with my friend, Andrea, today and her little girl.  Andrea is the teacher I'm working under this summer.  She has been really fun to work with.
• I can't even explain how happy I was to see this picture on Facebook today from Bath&Body Works.  I'm so ready for fall!

• I spent about a half hour this afternoon looking through this website and writing down ideas for my lunches this school year.  I got pretty tired of sandwiches and apples last year so I'm glad to have some new ideas.
• I'm planning to make one of my bulletin boards into quote/thought area where I'll post a new thought each week.  I've been collecting some quotes and thoughts that I like so I can start making some posters.  A few of my favorites:

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

Be so happy that when others look at you they become happy too.

One person can make a difference and everyone should try.

• That's all I've got.  We haven't had a whole lot going on lately other than work so I just don't have much to post about.  :o)

children's museum

My friend, Tasha, brought her kids to town yesterday to play at the Children's Museum.  I hadn't been to the museum yet so I was excited to check it out too.  It was built in the school that I worked at my first year with the district so it was fun to look around and remember what different spaces used to be.

Our first stop was the outdoor campus to see Mama.

It was hot so we headed back inside and shopped at the grocery store for awhile.



They spent quite a bit of time in the grocery store.  Some other activities they enjoyed were water play, painting, and the spinning sand art.

I enjoyed the various sayings and murals painted on the walls.  Some of my favorites...

It was a good time but I tell ya, I was so ready to go by the time we were heading out.  I was amazed by how some parents just looked at this place as a free-for-all for their kids.  Some of the kid's behavior was horrible and the parents were either not around or just looked the other way.  Tasha had to talk to one little boy who was chucking chunks of wood towards her youngest daughter because his grandparents were totally oblivious of what he was doing.  Overall it was a good day though and it was great to spend time with Tasha and her kids.

Since I've been gone....

Well, my blog sat quiet for 4 months.  While I was away, here are some notable things that happened:

• Dave and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary.
• I walked a 5k with my niece, Sarah.  Pretty sure she was mentally brushing up on her CPR skills as I huffed and puffed my way through.
• After walking the 5k, I decided I'd like to try to run one.  I've been using this couch to 5K app on my iPhone and I love it!  I have to admit though, I haven't been out at all this week.  I had some serious school burn-out {due to co-workers, not my students} and I'm just taking the rest of this week to relax.  I'm sure I'm going to regret that decision next week.

My current mantras to go along with the Couch to 5K training:

• We got a new car.

• And this one might be the best one of all -  I started watching Duck Dynasty.  Oh my Lord, if you haven't watched this one yet you need to! Hilarious!!

• On Sunday, I celebrated my 32^nd birthday.  I had a great day spending time with my mom & dad, my brother, my friend Tasha, and my husband.
• Yesterday was the last day of school for the staff. 

I’m sure there were other things that happened, but since I didn’t blog about them, I can’t remember anything else. ;o) 

Miscellany Monday

- I had an AWESOME weekend.  I rode home with my brother Friday afternoon and spent the whole weekend at my mom's.  I got in a lot of family time and friend time, which makes me a happy girl.  Some things I did while home:
  -- spent some quality time with my brother.  I laughed a lot and learned some things about him that I maybe didn't need to know ;o)
  -- went shopping with my mom
  -- went out for supper with my mom and dad Friday night
  -- had Sunday lunch and supper with my family
  -- visited my Grandma H. and listened to her interesting stories she had to tell that day (she has Alzheimer's)
  -- spent time with my friends Tasha and Trisha


-I took my camera home with me so I could get pictures while I was there.  It sat in the camera bag the whole weekend so I have zero pictures from the weekend.

- My flowers were looking pretty sad today since they hadn't been watered for three days (forgot to ask Dave to do that for me while I was gone).  So, I spent a good half hour watering them only to have it rain an hour later.

- Halloween candy is on the shelves :o)

- I ordered some shoes last week.  They arrived today and they are too tight :o(.  I have the hardest time finding shoes that fit right.

- That's about it.  Nothing too exciting around here.  I'm just enjoying the last couple weeks of summer break :o)



PS - I found out about Misc. Monday over at This Southern Girl's Nest and thought I'd start joining in too :o)

2009

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? went to Chicago
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year? I didn't make any resolutions last year. I did make my 101 list though and have been doing well with it.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? my friend Tasha had a little girl, Waverly
4. Did anyone close to you die? thankfully, no
5. What countries did you visit? none

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? money
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? hmm...nothing is really standing out
8. What was your biggest personal achievement of the year? learning not to compare my life to the live's of others (still working on it)
9. What was your biggest failure? not getting more debt taken care of
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? nothing serious. had my first case of strep throat..that's some rough stuff

11. What was the best thing you bought? my sewing machine, it hasn't gotten a lot of use yet but it will
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? ??
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? all the Obama naysayers... I think people expected too much of him too quickly...he inherited a huge mess when he took office - it takes time to clean up and make things better
14. Where did most of your money go? bills
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? going on vacation with David

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? Poker Face by Lady GaGa and Single Ladies by Beyonce
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer? a. happier, b. pretty much the same as last year, and c. same
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? trusted that I am where God wants me and not stressed so much about where I am (and where I'm not) in life
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? worried
20. Did you fall in love in 2009? more in love with David

21. What were your favorite TV programs? The Biggest Loser, Ghost Whisperer, The Vampire Diaries
22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I don’t hate anyone
23. What was the best book you read? not really sure on this one
24. What was your greatest musical discovery? none that I recall
25. What did you want and get? to be able to move to the new school with the people I worked with during the 08-09 school year

26. What did you want and not get? a house
27. What was your favorite film of this year? The Hangover was pretty good, so was The Proposal
28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 29, I worked...it was the last day of school for the kids...second to last day for us
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? not worrying so much about things I couldn't control
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? pretty casual
31. What kept you sane? David and my family

2007 In Review

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Shopped for wedding dresses.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year?
I can't remember if I even made any resolutions last year! This year I am trying to be more content with who I am and what I have. I am also trying to be more organized and environmentally conscious.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes. Both Tasha and Tonya.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
None.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
A career that really excites me/makes me happy.

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
February 26 - the day Dave and I became engaged

8. What was your biggest personal achievement of the year?
Leaving the daycare for a new position.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not getting more debts taken care of

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Hmm, can't think of anything too exciting.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
?

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
?

14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting engaged and wedding planning.

6. What song will always remind you of 2007?
Hmm, not sure.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer?
a. happier, b. pretty much the same as last year, and c. doing a little better financially, but definately not "richer".

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Tried to see the positives in things instead of dwell on the negatives.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worried.

20. Did you fall in love in 2007?
All over again.

21. What were your favorite TV programs?
The Hills, Rob & Big, The Biggest Loser, Law and Order:SVU, CSI:New York

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don’t think I hate anyone.

23. What was the best book you read?
PostSecret - loved it!

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
No idea.

25. What did you want and get?
A new job.

26. What did you want and not get?
A house.

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
I liked Disturbia, can't think of any others that I really liked.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
28 yrs old. Spent the day in Sioux Falls with Dave.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not worrying so much about things I couldn’t control.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Pretty casual, don't have the money or the body to dress too fashionably.

31. What kept you sane?
David, my mom, my brother, talking with friends.