10 for Tuesday, let's keep it random.

Today's post is going to be super random. I think that my life feels kinda of all over the place- son in Miami, making summer plans, full days of tackling projects, hanging out with my hubby- it is easier to keep it random than to try to make some sense out of it all. Does that make sense? So ten things that are floating through my mind are:

1. Operation celebrate my sweetheart D is going great. So far,

I have done about 2 things on my list and a bunch of other niceties. So that quest continues.

2. This overcast sky, kept the temp pretty ok as I did my am walk. I still managed to sweat profusely but I was not miserable the whole time.

3. I am amazed by how much paper two people can accumulate. How long do you have to save pay check stubs?

4. I am making progress on my strip quilt. I will post pictures soon. I used to think sewing straight lines was easy ;P

5. The Casey Anthony trial. It sickens me that that little girl was taken from the world. I do think the mother is the culprit and I wish she would just confess and serve her time.

6. I am not looking forward to the 4th of July this year. All of our close family is out of town so it will be VERY low-key with just D and I. Blah.

7. Baby Kamryn is 2.6 lbs. She is doing very well. I am so happy for her parents. I can't wait to hold her once she is released from the NICU.

8. Where do you donate all of your used electronics? Ugh, cords galore!

9. Baby fever, I haz it. Saw this lady nursing her little one and it made me quite nostalgic.

10. The BET awards were great. The best in a long time. I have a love/hate relationship with awards shows. I love the performances that are well planned an

d showcase their talents but I hate the performers who think that I want to see their underpants. I love the women who look stunning but I hate when people are trying too hard, think Lady Gaga in the meat dress.

Enough of me. What random thought are running through your head?

Awesome Day!

First things first, I slept in this morning. Past 8 am! Woo-hoo. I actually woke up at 9:08. That is a miracle. I always wake up early,early, early. I convinced D to head to a local yard sale to search for Pyrex and vintage sheets. We found neither. D was convinced that instead of heading to a yard sale we should have a yard sale ourselves, silly guy. I like our stuff and it is not heading out of here ;) After our quick and unproductive trip to the yard sale we went on a nice morning walk. Having D made the walk more bearable and we even walked for longer. (I think exercising with him was on my list of things to do w/ D and I hope we do it again really soon). Anyway, we walked and talked and challenged each other. Great start, right?

My day just kept getting better. My cousin Jamie wanted me to go shopping with her and since there was a Goodwill in the same shopping center we went in and took a look around. Well Jamie and I are not the best thrift store shoppers. I swear it is a gift that some folks have and some folks don't....we notice the closed up, yucky smell. The racks of stuff that seem too daunting to tackle. The whole place is just so much. (There are many stores that we feel this way about, so I am not convinced it is just a thrift store thing but I digress.) This Goodwill was rather neat and organized. We were off to find some Pyrex. Well o well, we found 2 pieces. One was a divided dish that was a little too floral/shiny and the other was a cute fridge one that was too scratched to really get....two duds. But we were there so we pursued the china section and left empty handed. I want to collect Pyrex but am I not cut out for this chase? Time will tell, huh.

We also ate at this awesome Mexican restaurant. Yummy! Guac and chips to die for! Our day continued with a mall run but I was too stuffed to do more than look around. So far my summer is off to a great start!

Summer: Day One

Well it is finally here. The start of summer. Last night I fell asleep super early. I mean like 8pm in the bed getting comfy so when I drift off to sleep I will be where I want to be. Yeah, I sleep like a baby who actually sleeps ;P I am so excited to have the freedom to do what I want for a little bit. I woke up at 5:20 which was not really appreciated but on well. I went for a walk at 6 am and it was great to get out before the heat of the day, say hello to fellow walkers and look at all of the recycling bins lining the streets. You weren't expecting that huh? Now I am really glad that people are recycling but if you could see the amount of waste that we generate it is really mind blowing! My look into the recycling bins (so to peak, I did not actually look in them...moreso noticing the stuff that was overflowing):

*people consume a LOT of bottled water- bin after bin was filled with those little bottles

*Pampers/Huggies- literally house after house had those grande size diaper boxes. Yikes! That is a lot of diapers...come over to the cloth people ;)

*The Fisher Price Bubble Mower is big in the burbs...3 houses had the boxes for those on their bins.

* A box of books? Really? I always thought you should donate unwanted books. These were not tattered books from the 80's, these were hardback James Patterson type books (I admit I did a little bit closer inspection of these- I wanted to rescue these jimmies.) They certainly could have been put to better use.

*People buy a lot of convenience foods: hot pockets, capri sun you name it. Individual chips, cookies etc.

*Some little girl had a birthday party that created a lot of waste. Her folks had two bags next to their bin with all of the packaging for her gifts. She must be a Barbie fan :)

Very interesting stuff in these bins. It was my diversion from noticing the distance, my sweating or the fact that I think walking makes my feet swell. Well it was a great am walk. The overcast sky, the greetings with the fellow walkers, the folks heading off to their jobs, getting one thing checked off of my to-do list. Hello Summer! It is nice to have you here!!

Ten for Tuesday. Celebrating D!

Ok, D and I are very lucky that our little one is hanging out with the grandparents. N being away should be a time to get super connected and nurture our relationship in ways that we can't when we have to wake up at the crack of dawn! So now that the school yr is finally coming to a close, I am starting operation celebrate D. Today's post is a list of ways that I can nurture our relationship. Feel free to add any suggestions and while it may not get your hubby's goat, all of these things are things that I know D would appreciate.

1. Clean/declutter our bedroom. Gotta set the scene for romance :)

2. Wake up before him and make him breakfast... a real sacrifice when I don't have to wake up at all.

3. Movie night. Get the movie he mentioned today and pop some stovetop popcorn, use our cute popcorn containers and throw the pillows on the floor.

4. Exercise together. Lay out his clothes and make some yogurt parfaits to eat when we get home.

5. Dinner on the deck.

6. Spa night. Create an at home spa experience after he has had a long, hard day of work.

7. Back in the day. 80's sitcoms and Milk and cookies.

8. Explore X day. Find a nearby community that we have not gone to and see their Main Street.

9. Cooking together. Find a menu and cook it from start to finish together.

10. Computer free day. Spend the day enjoying him and not spend a second on the internet.

How do you celebrate your mate and your relationship?

Two days

I am hella antsy. This yr needs to wrap it up. While I appreciate the luncheons and half days with the students, I would appreciate the awesomeness of summer much more. SO I doubt I will be too productive but I will be done and that my dear friends is what really counts! Wish me luck as I try to keep a wee bit of focus.

Ice Cube as ART!

What I would not give to have a music room to hang this lovely piece. Heck, I would hang this anywhere ;)

It is available on June 22nd, so if anyone has an extra $500 bucks laying around, you don't have to wait until Christmas to give it to me.

Baby Kamryn is here!

Yay, Cousin Kim's little angel Kamryn is here! This is the baby girl who they prayed for...we have all prayed for her safe arrival. This little one decided she could not wait until her due date and so she joined us about 2 months early. I am so excited to get to see her tomorrow. She is still in the hospital but she is such a fighter that we know she will be home soon. I made her a little baby blanket today (it felt good to be at the machine!)...the pink and cupcakes scream girl but the other side is a subdued green gingham. I hope Kamryn has a lot of fun times on her little blanket!

To make the blanket I followed this tutorial at julie-k. 5 easy steps....I can do that :)

ETA: I went to see her and she is beautiful. A head full of hair and the cutest little lips. She is doing so well, breathing on her own. They are trying to get her to gain weight, she is still shy of 2 lbs. They are amazed that she is doing so well, she is eating a good amount and they predict that she will be able to go home in 4 weeks. AWESOME indeed!!

Swagbucks

Are great! I love 'em. I got 30 bucks in my amazon account for doing nada. So this great little boy is going to get a special delivery at his Grammy and Papa's house. He is going to be super excited.

But that is all, I am back to my papers :P

well, well, well

I spent a good portion of my day reading research papers so the light at the end of the tunnel is in my grasp. I wish I didn't have to go to work tomorrow but alas the freaking never ending school year continues! I hope that my day flies by so that I can return to my silly stack of papers.

Because I was busy reading the research papers with no research I did not get a chance to hang out on the interwebz. I missed it.

Tell me please what did I miss? Any sites I must check out. Late breaking stories of infidelity, births, erratic behavior by celebs...give it to me! But if you are a parent or a person who loves some parent/child related humor. Check out Samuel Jackson's reading of Go the F* to Sleep on audible. It is free and so worth it! I am still chuckling! Go, go now and check it out!

Summer!

Summer To Do List

Blow bubbles *Make popsicles *see a movie at the park *go swimming *write on the sidewalk *take a nature walk *go to a concert in the park *MAKE A FORT *go to Sesame Place *play with water balloons *PAINT WITH WATERCOLORS *shaving creme fun in the bathtub *STORYTIME AT THE LIBRARY *swimming lessons *play in the sprinklers *bake cookies *ride bikes *make rainbow jello * dance to the music *make ice-cream sundaes *read books *take lots of pictures * plant something *go to a farm *Eat Maine Lobster
* visit with family *sight-see in DC *go to Build-a-Bear *go to a farmer’s market *fingerpaint *go on a picnic *go to Disneyland *have our family reunion *EAT DINNER OUTSIDE *do some thematic learning units *take a road trip *relax and LAUGH

What is on your summer to do list?

now that was awkward

I work with some loons. Plain as that. Yeah, there are some great folks there but the scales are unbalanced and unfortunately the crazy ones prevail. And what is worse these folks are influencing fragile teen minds. Yep, they are touching lives alright. But anyways. Just so you know I am not a Facebook friend collector...I like to keep my "friends" to a minimum. So I often ignore friend requests from people who I don't want in my biz. So put all of the above together and what do you get.....a conversation with a loony coworker at a retirement party where she wonders why we are not Facebook friends. She feels like we are but when coworker X is mentioning some of my Facebook stuff she is lost. That brings her to informing me that we should be Facebook friends and she will friend request me later that night. Ugh, ok. Luckily she hasn't done that because 3rd request or not she won't be on my short list. I like to leave the work crazies at work and not have them/their status updates interrupting my home/sanctuary time.

just in case you have forgotten

http://mylifeisthejackpot.blogspot.com/2010/07/historical.html

it is always about the HEAT!

these days

are simply spectacular

bliss filled

lazy days

in touch with my inner

reflective

introspective

self

ice-cream for breakfast

maury

for lunch

sew, sew

laugh, talk

share

indulge in

the things that

make me smile

hello summer

days

My Life Rocks!! Ten for Tuesday.

My life is pretty amazing. It really is and I am so grateful. So this week's edition is a celebration of my fabulous life :)

1.I have the best parents. Not even considering all of the awesome things they have done for me while growing up, they are still spoiling me. As in come pick up your grandson, hang out with your daughters and help us get our ducks in a row, fly back with your grandson, plan all kinds of wonderful stuff with him, keep him for 5 weeks and return him home... awesome. Yeah, they rock like that!

2. My house is clean. See #1.

3. I have so many great friends. I am so in demand. Dinner plans, I gotz them :)

4. I have checked so many things off of my to-do list. One thing was on there since Friday and I took care of it in less than 5 mins. Yay! But why didn't I do it sooner.

5. My son is the best, he cuddles and kisses me until my heart can't take it anymore.

6. I am taking a me-day tomorrow. Cue the sewing, the relaxing and the feet up!

7. New clothes. I love getting them. I have some cute tops that my Momma treat me to, go me.

8. Summer is right around the corner. I tell you I love this teaching stuff.

9. NBA playoffs. No game time widow here, I love that game. The highs, the lows, the sprouting grey hairs. Miami Heat all day!!

10. Accessories. I think I am addicted to accessories. Lucky me, my jewelry box is overflowing!

Oh the possibilities

Today was graduation. The kids looked great and were all aglow. I couldn't help but thinking about the possibilities. These kids are on the cusp of greatness or tragedy. There really is no way of knowing which way they will go. Made me pretty reflective. It was really a lifetime ago that I stood in there shoes and thought that I would conquer the world, not really I was never a conquer the world kind of gal BUT I do remember thinking about all that was out there. That big open place that was mine for the picking. Has it lived up to the hype? Nope. But could it have ever been as grandiose as I imagined. All I know is that the possibilities are still there. My mind is still hungry for learning. I want more and I expect more. There is still enough of that 17 yr old gal in me to stand and hope and I am so grateful for that....I treasure the possibilities.

Pyrex Love

Ok, I really, really love vintage Pyrex. I do. I have decided to bite the bullet and start my Pyrex collection. Oh, me oh my I found a gorgeous Sunflower Divided Casserole dish. After a lot of hemming and hawing (is that how hawing is spelled, seems weird to type it) I bought the dish. It is in pristine condition, no nicks or scratches. Love it! Sooooooo it has started. Where will this Pyrex love take me? Who knows?