To be or not to be . . .

house poor? That is the question.

Patrick and I have never been incredibly careful with our money. I know that sounds awful, but we don't really have a budget. I mean we know what we can and can't spend overall, but most of the time if we want it we buy it.

Enter" over-budget" house plans that could lead to a house payment that messes with our budget free way of living. Fact is the house is over budget. We still don't know by how much. What we do know is that we don't have a lot we want to cut. We don't want to compromise. This may not be the house we plan on dying in, but we do plan on living here for many years.

Sometimes when I think of all the money we've spent on vacations, computers, etc. I think, "well, that was our down payment." But then I think about how great all those vacations were, and I don't regret them for one minute. Even if it means we don't have as much cold hard cash for the house as we would like.

So what's the solution? Well, the obvious solution is to wait for a little longer and put more in savings. Of course, the obvious solution stinks, but it also makes the most sense. The only other solution would be if by some miracle the final numbers came in lower than we think they will, and we can continue to move forward without delay.

We have the lot to build on. We have the plans. So now I guess we just wait. Hopefully, we can work this out. Because y'all I have a shopping addiction, and I don't want to be house poor.

House Plans

We reviewed our preliminary house plans today. Unfortunately, I'm not able to show them to you, but I love them. I love the layout. I love the openness. I love the size. But (there's always a but right) it's a little more square footage than we had originally planned. How is it that a few extra feet here and there turns into an extra 300 sq. ft? Of course this means it's coming in a teensy bit over budget. Nothing like busting the budget right at the beginning.

Anyway, we are waiting on the builder to crunch the numbers and see how bad the damage really is. Bleh. And then the games begin. The process of give and take to make sure we keep it in (or at least close to) budget. Patrick and I both have strong opinions of what we think should be in the house. To be honest, we don't agree 100% on everything. I know shocking. I tend to forget that not everyone is five feet tall. I could happily and easily live in a house built for little people. Sad? Yes, but extremely true. Of course, neither of us wants to budge on our "needs" so I'm sure their will be some "discussions". But we'll come out of this alive . . . at least I hope we do. ;)

Just another day in paradise . . .

The First Day

22 nervous faces watching you. Wondering what you're going to say . . . what you're going to do.

Will you be kind or mean?

Stern or permissive?

Easy or hard?

Funny or serious?

Miss Nelson or Miss Viola Swamp? (book reference anyone?)

Wondering what they can get away with . . . how far they can push you before you snap . . . how easy it is to get you off on rabbit trails.

It all goes with the territory of the first day of school.

And as first days go, it was a good one. There were no tears. There was an appropriate amount of chatter . . .  and giggling . . . and trips to the restroom . . . and redirecting. And everyone went home with a smile on their face.

All in all, I'll call it a success.

This Week . . . (catch all and catch up)

This week was one of those weeks that seems to drag and fly all at once. On Tuesday I felt like it should already be Thursday, but by Friday I didn't know if I was coming or going (enter overuse of worn out cliches . . . can't blog without them). I think it was because I crammed about three weeks of work into one. I also have two new teachers on my team that I know are going to be awesome, but I'm missing one of my best friends that deserted me at the end of the year. I'm just kidding (about being deserted not about missing her . . . I really miss her even though I've seen her twice this week), but getting two teachers acclimated to the lesson program program from you know where has not been fun. And I feel sorry for them because it really is the worst program ever and takes ten times as long to do lesson plans as it should (and it's not like they have anything else to do). But we made it through, and I'm ready (or as ready as I'll ever be) for Monday morning. And for all my teacher friends who have started or are starting next week, as they say in Hunger Games (because let's face it, I'm a nerd), "May the odds be ever in your favor."

On Wednesday night, I realized that I hadn't seen or even talked to my sister since Saturday. Talk about withdrawals. That should never happen. I went by her shop on Thursday just so I could see her.

I haven't worked out since Monday. Between work and soccer practice and well . . . there's really no excuse except laziness. I unearthed the treadmill from beneath the garage sale stuff, and I plan on jumping on here in a minute. I think . . .

Speaking of soccer practice. It's going really well. And the kids are hilarious. I'll take pictures soon and post them.

We met with the home planner and the builder on Thursday. I'm really excited. The plans are being drawn up this weekend. I'll describe it in detail at some point, but in a nutshell, it's a two story plan with two beds and a game/media room up and master and guest bedroom/study down. We do have a dining room (mostly for the extra seating because I doubt we'll use it much), but the main living area is completely open with living, kitchen with bar, and breakfast area all being one big room. I am so looking forward to having one huge living area. The living room will have ceiling up to the roof line, and the upstairs will overlook the living room. I have most of the interior ideas in my head, but we will pick as we go so that should be interesting. Patrick and I don't always see eye-to-eye on interior design. So yeah, he'll we'll have to make some compromises between the two of us. ;)

I think that pretty much covers this week. We're off to the circus this afternoon, and Andrew can't wait. Have a great weekend all!

Busy-ness . . . An Update

My posting has been awful lately. I got up early so I could work before going to work and decided I'd also do a quick  post.

Do y'all know how many times on this blog I've said that we're insanely busy? Probably more times than I can count. Aside from the fact that I overuse the word insane (and every cliche known to mankind), we are once again crazy busy. But it's a good busy. We are back on a routine. We are up and going early every morning and try to wind things down by 10:00 every night (it's more like 8:00 for Andrew).

Andrew will be five in a couple months. Boohoo . . . I'm sad about my baby growing up, but there's no stopping the forward movement of time so birthday party plans are underway. And in all seriousness, I know that there are those of you that would tell me to be thankful that he's growing and thriving, and I am. I really am.

Tonight Andrew starts soccer practice. Patrick's the coach. Once again coaching sport we know zilch about. Have I mentioned we are not the most athletic people? This should be interesting. :)

We also get to meet with the home planner and builder soon. We're moving forward . . . yay! Now just praying that the timing of the house selling and everything else works out.

And of course, work is on the brink of sheer mania. We're in the time crunch before the first day, but teachers work well under pressure so it will all get done . . . the alternative isn't even thinkable. We'll be ready to welcome those sweet little faces come Monday morning.

I know I'm not alone in all the busy-ness. I know that there are many of you that are just as busy with back to school, sports, church, etc. Enjoy your busy-ness, but don't forget to stop and cherish the little moments. The really do fly by.

And now I have work to do. Have a great day!

Adoption Fingerprints and Annoying Salesman

Yesterday we got our biometrics (fingerprints) done for NBC (USCIS). These prints are electronic and much easier to get than ink prints. The computer tells you on the spot if the print isn't good so it can be redone if necessary.

I have to say that the people in the San Antonio USCIS office are always super nice and accommodating. If I had to deal with fingerprinting people all day, I don't think I'd be nearly as patient or helpful as they are. But they are patient and helpful, and they are always smiling.

So what's the point in getting our fingerprints done? I honestly don't know. I mean if they want to make sure that we haven't started robbing banks in the past year I would think they could just rerun our previous prints. But just like our homestudy expires after approximately 13 months so do our fingerprints. And the government (ours? theirs? both?) says they must be redone. So we redo them. It doesn't shorten our wait. The only thing that shortens the wait is time. And each day is one day closer. ;)

Last night the doorbell rang. As a rule, I don't answer the door if I don't know who it is. I don't care if the dogs are barking, and Andrew's running through the house yelling, and it's obvious we're home. I don't answer the door. But my husband . . . he can't resist. So he answers. Of course it was a salesman. He was selling a security system that connects with your phone. I didn't go outside to talk with him. And the next thing I know he's walking around my house . . . not alone with Patrick but still . . . come on in. I tried to ignore the man, but he wasn't to be ignored. I hate the way salesmen are pushy and basically assume you're gonna buy their product without asking. Oh. My. Gosh. It was virtually impossible to get rid of him. No wasn't (isn't) in his vocabulary. Dude, give it up. Maybe Patrick learned his lesson . . .

Dropping By to Say "Hello"

Second day back at work, and we hit it full force right off. I'm up to my ears with training, and planning, and timelines, and lessons, and decorating. I know I'll get it all done. But until it is done those moments of sheer panic are what keep me moving.

I am glad to back on a routine again. It's nice to be without one for a while, but I thrive on routine. I get more done when I'm on a schedule and have deadlines.

I wish I had something really earth shattering to share, but I'm completely brain dead at this point. I don't know if I can put together two coherent thoughts. So instead I ramble aimlessly. I'm sure you appreciate it. You don't have to thank me.

Once I get back into the swing of things, I'll have plenty to say. Until then, I just thought I'd do a quick check-in.

Hope everyone is having a great week.

Freezer Meals Part One (Recipes Included)

Also Entitled: How I Totally and Completely Destroyed My Kitchen

Disaster Zone (click to see it in all it's horrific glory)

Before returning to school, I wanted to put a few meals in the freezer to have handy for those days when we are busy with soccer and other activities. I looked for casserole recipes all over the internet, but everything I found was extremely heavy on the butter, "cream of soups", and American/processed cheese and light on the veggies. While I occasionally use all (okay, I more than occasionally use butter), I'm not a huge fan of "cream of" soups and American cheese (I know . . . I'm positively un-American in this regard). I decided to make up my own recipes and make them healthier. Notice I said healthier and not healthy. I still ended up using some "cream of" soups. I also added in more veggies and used whole wheat tortillas and pasta and brown rice, but in the end, I probably used more cheese than I should've, but at least it was real cheese . . . as if that makes it okay.

I started by boiling five large chicken breasts. This gave me the benefit of having both the chicken and the broth, but if you wish you could use rotisserie chicken and canned broth. I also cooked three cups of brown rice (1 1/2 cups dry), a bunch of whole wheat angel hair pasta, and steamed carrots and broccoli. Any extra rice, pasta, and veggies can be bagged and frozen for later.

All of these recipes are mine and are free for the taking. Just please don't take credit for them. Unless they're awful then take all the credit in the world.

Brown Spanish Rice and Chicken

*If cooking immediately, preheat oven to 350⁰F.

1 cooked chicken breast cut up

1 ½ cups cooked brown rice

1 tablespoon of olive oil

¼ cup diced onion and jalapeno (optional)

1 tsp. cumin

1 ½ tsp. chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 can diced tomatoes

Two large serving spoonfuls of chicken broth

½ cup sharp cheddar cheese grated (optional)

Heat olive oil in sauce pan and add in onions and jalapenos. Stir around 2-3 minutes and add in rice. Stir in rice well. Add in cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper, diced tomatoes, chicken, and chicken broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for around 10-15 minutes. This will thicken the sauce and blend the flavors, but the rice is already cooked so it is not necessary to cook for longer.

*Optional Step for freezing or baking with cheese: Pour into and 8x8 pan sprayed with Pam. If desired top with grated cheddar.

If eating immediately with cheese: Bake at 350⁰F for around 5-10 minutes. Everything is cooked and hot so you only need to bake long enough to melt the cheese.

You can also take this straight from the pan and put in on a plate and top with cheese. No baking is necessary.

If freezing: Let cool. Wrap in two layers of plastic wrap and two layers of foil. Freeze up to three months. Thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours and bake at 350⁰F for 35-40 minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas

If cooking immediately, preheat oven to 350⁰F.

2  cooked chicken breasts cut up

¼ cup diced onions

1 diced jalapeno (optional)

4 medium sized tomatoes diced

½ can cream of mushroom soup

½ can cream of chicken soup

1 large serving spoonful of chicken broth

½ cup sharp cheddar cheese grated

2 oz. fat free cream cheese

1 tablespoon of chili powder

½ tsp. cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

2 ½ whole wheat tortillas cut into small strips

½ cup sharp cheddar cheese grated for topping

In a bowl combine onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, broth, ½ cup of cheddar cheese, cream cheese, cumin, and chili powder. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and add in chicken. In an 8x8 pan sprayed with Pam layer the chicken mixture and tortillas starting and ending with the chicken mixture. Top with ½ cup of cheddar cheese.

If eating immediately: Bake at 350⁰F for 35-45 minutes.

If freezing: Let cool. Wrap in two layers of plastic wrap and two layers of foil. Freeze up to three months. Thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours and bake at 350⁰F for 45 minutes.

Chicken Spaghetti

If eating immediately, preheat oven to 350⁰F.

1-2 large Chicken Breasts cooked and cut up

2 ½ -3 cups of whole wheat angel hair pasta cooked

1 small red bell pepper diced

1 small yellow bell pepper diced

¼ large onion diced

1 heaping teaspoon of minced garlic

½ - 1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 medium sized tomatoes diced

½ tsp. sweet basil

1 tsp. spicy spaghetti seasoning

4 oz. fat free cream cheese

½ can cream of chicken soup

½ cup of grated mozzarella and parmesan cheeses

1 cup lowfat or skim milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated cheese (any kind) to top

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or stock pot. Put in the garlic first, and then sauté the bell peppers and onion until the peppers are soft and the onions are translucent. Add in the basil, spaghetti seasoning, and tomatoes. After 2-3 minutes, remove from heat. Add in the pasta and stir well.

In a separate bowl combine the cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, grated cheese, and milk. Mix well. Next, mix in the chicken and stir.

Combine pasta mixture with the sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Stir everything well. Pour into a 9x13 pan sprayed with pan. Top with the grated cheese.

If eating immediately: Bake at 350⁰F for 30 minutes or until hot all the way through.

If freezing: Let cool then wrap in two layers of plastic wrap followed by two layers of foil. Freeze up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours and bake at 350⁰F for 30-40 minutes or until hot all the way through.

Brown Rice with Chicken and Veggies

If cooking immediately preheat oven to 350⁰F.

1-2 cooked chicken breasts cut up

1 ½ cups cooked brown rice (just cook per package directions)

2 cups of fresh broccoli and carrots steamed (you can also use frozen)

½ cup of sliced mushrooms

½ can Cream of Mushroom Soup

¼ cup Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt

¼ cup grated Mozzarella Cheese

¼ cup chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated cheese for topping

Mix together Cream of Mushroom soup, Greek Yogurt, chicken broth, and mozzarella cheese. Once it is all well blended add in the cooked chicken, vegetables, and rice and stir well. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour into an 8x8 pan sprayed with Pam. Top with grated cheese as you like.

If cooking immediately: Bake in oven for 25-35 minutes until hot all the way through.

If freezing: Let the casserole cool. Then wrap in two layers of plastic wrap followed by two layers of foil. Freeze for up to three months. When ready to cook, thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours, and bake at 350⁰F for 30-40 minutes.

Final Results

I was able to put away five meals worth of food. On Monday, I'm making lasagna for dinner so I'm going to make two extra lasagnas and put them in the freezer. That should get me through a large portion of soccer season.

Another Random Post

I've had a lot of random posts lately. I'm sorry. I can't come up with anything better.

I tweeted/facebooked (new verb: facebooked) this yesterday, but I think it bears repeating (at least in my world it does). It's so funny to me that us Texans always act shocked that it's ridiculously hot in Texas in August. As if one summer the weather's gonna change it's mind and decide to be cool in August. Which made me then wonder, do Alaskans act shocked when it snows in January? I mean are they like, "What the heck?!? It's snowing in Alaska in January! What's this about?".

It could be much worse. Last summer was.

Anyway, either way I'm over the heat. I decided to go running last night while it was still too hot for any sane person to run. I think it was around 98 but it might as well have been 198. I ran two and a quarter miles, and then had to walk a quarter. My face felt like it was on fire, and I was in a hole with absolutely no breeze. But I never walk until I finish at least three miles. I made myself finish running the rest of three miles, and then I quit. I walked the rest of the way home. I did walk it quickly, but I walked none-the-less. So yeah, I'm a quitter, and I'm not too proud to admit it.

I put a load of towels and sheets in the washer this morning and threw in some bleach for good measure. I'm sure it will all come out with pink spots, but I like the way stuff smells when it's washed with bleach. I'm insane, and I should be banned from buying bleach. I'm the queen of bleaching stuff out. Every checker at every store in the free world should have my picture with a note to the side that says "not allowed to purchase bleach . . . ever".

Before I go back to school, I'm determined to make a bunch of meals to put in the freezer. Between work and soccer and laundry and everything else, we have an insanely busy couple of months coming up. It's nice to have healthy meals in the freezer so we don't have to eat out as much. Also, the scale's been creeping up and that's got to be stopped.

We finally got our USCIS fingerprint appointments. They are set for August 17th. I prayed that they would come on this date because it's the only day I'm off work once we start back next Tues., and they did. I never cease to be amazed at how God has worked on our behalf throughout this whole process. Sure we've had a few bumps in the road, but honestly, it's been pretty smooth. And the truth is when I pray about things dealing with the adoption, it seems like God always answers. So when fear and doubt and frustration start to creep in, I look back at all the answered prayers, and I know that it's in His hands.

Like I said, random (and probably somewhat pointless) post. I didn't have any pictures so I put in our forecast and a "no bleach" symbol to break it up. You don't have to thank me.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Mad Rush & Adoption Stuff

Leave it to me to leave things that I had all summer to do until the last week. That's the way I work best. Under pressure  . . . in a mad rush (hence the title).

I finally finished Andrew's second scrapbook today. I don't like scrapbooking. I'm not artsy crafty or creative, and to me, it's a chore. But I do it because the memories are worth keeping, and once it's finally done, I enjoy looking back. I let Andrew pick out the scrapbooks, and I guess this time around he was feeling the love for the ocean.

Now I just have to price all the stupid garage sale items, complete an online autism training that I've had since last April to do, and iron clothes (that's a never ending task). Thankfully, Andrew's much better so I shipped him off to school today. I'm a good mama that way. If someone would just come motivate to get my work done and make sure I'm not sitting on the couch watching the Olympics, looking at house plans, and reading that would be awesome! Any takers? 

Speaking of funny things Andrew says . . . This morning I was taking him to school, and he asked, "Mama, do we live in a town or a city?" I explained that we lived in a country town. Seeing as how we were driving past a pasture of cows, I felt this was fairly accurate. His response was, "I'm sure glad we don't live in a city because they're wild places. Especially at night. They get real wild then." I have no idea where this comes from. I would love to get inside his head sometimes.

I also promised I'd talk adoption stuff (again see the title), and I said "stuff" because frankly there's not much to update. Bulgaria (and most of Eastern Europe) is on summer vacation, and we are still waiting. Right before the break we did see quite a few referrals for young, "healthy" children so that's always good news. At the moment, we're waiting for USCIS to contact us to redo our fingerprints for immigration. That I really don't get. My fingerprints don't change so why the heck must I redo them yearly? Can't these people just run my prints again? 

Anyway, specific prayer requests (sure beats griping about fingerprints, right?). Please pray that our fingerprint appointments come at a good time (i.e. not on the first day of school or during "meet the teacher") and that Bulgaria speeds things up. At this point we're still looking at around 1.5-2 years to a referral. Then we make a trip and wait another six months to bring her home. Geeze, that's a long time. Also, pray that Allison is well taken care of and loved. While we'd love to be the ones loving on her, it always helps to think that someone somewhere is loving her. Also, pray for Andrew. It's really hard for such a little guy to wrap his mind around such a long wait. He asks everyday when his sister is coming home, and that's one of the hardest things for me. 

Thanks for all your prayers and support. And if anything major happens you'll be the second ones to know. ;)

And Before You Know It . . .

it's Monday . . . again.

It's also my last "official" week of summer. I use the word official loosely because in the past week I've had two meetings and worked on getting my classroom up to par for the start of school. But next Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. my summer will end, and I'll be back on the clock for another 187 days.

This last weekend turned out to be a little crazy. We had plans, and well you know, "the best laid plans . . . ". Friday evening Patrick and Andrew went to the soccer fields to practice a little bit. Have I told y'all  Patrick is going to be Andrew's soccer coach? That's a whole story in and of itself, but let's just say if we thought we weren't qualified to coach baseball then we are even less qualified to coach soccer . . . so Patrick and Andrew headed to the soccer fields to kick the ball around. They came home around 7:30. Andrew was hot but feeling great. No runny nose. No congestion. He went to bed and to sleep no problem. Then about 1:00 a.m. Saturday, he woke up with full blown croup. Out came the humidifier, the breathing machine, the saline spray . . .  He was really upset, not so much because he couldn't breathe and sounded like he could be hanging out with the sea lions at Sea World, but because he had plans to spend the night with my sister, and he didn't want anything to mess up those plans.

I managed to get him settled down and back to sleep, and I laid down in his bed to grab a few more hours of rest. We were up by 6:15, and headed to the doctor (thank goodness they have Saturday hours) by 8:45. The doc. checked his lungs just to be on the safe side, and since they were clear, and the croup came on so fast, we came to the conclusion that his chronic croup (he's now had croup five times) is mostly allergy induced. I know exciting stuff. The doctor gave him the green light to go ahead and spend the night with Sarah, and that's all he really cared about.

So Andrew headed to Sarah's, and Patrick and I headed to The Cheesecake Factory. Anyone that knows us, knows that Pat and I don't do "date" nights very often. Andrew is usually in tow wherever we go, but every once in a while we do get away for a few hours. We ate until we were sick, and then headed to the mall so Patrick could check to see if they had a grass catcher for his lawn mower at Sears. Try not to be too envious of our hot date. Not everyone can be so lucky . . .

After we were done, not finding a grass catcher, we rented "Wrath of the Titans" from the Redbox. The movie was . . . well, it was . . . not much else to say about it. And I was in bed and asleep by 11:00. Like I said . . . hot date . . .

Sunday morning was church, and then Andrew spent most of the afternoon laying on the couch because he still felt really crummy. I wasted spent all afternoon looking at house plans. Originally, we thought we were going to build out in the country, but that idea's been scrapped, and we've now decided to build on a lot in town. That means that all the plans that I've collected have to be tossed because they're too wide. After, spending hours searching we finally came up with a couple plans we really like. Now we just have to come up with a timeline for selling one house while building another. I don't want to think about it.

Sorry there are no pics from the weekend. In spite of the croup it turned out to be a pretty good weekend. I'm sure before we know it Monday will be here again, and time will have completely run out on summer. : /

From One Christian to Another

(Be forewarned. I'm writing this post as a conservative Christian from a conservative Christian standpoint. I'm writing this from the standpoint of someone who takes the Bible literally, and my intended audience, in this case, is other Christians with a somewhat similar worldview as my own. Please don't waste your time trying to tell me how I'm wrong to believe the Bible and/or take it literally. Please don't waste your time outlining the problems with or your arguments against Christianity. It's not going to change my mind and most likely, won't even elicit a response from me. If you don't like it, you may want to stop reading . . . now. How's that for honesty?)

If I hear one more Christian say, "It's not my place to judge. It's God's," when referring to things that Bible obviously and blatantly calls sin, I'm going to run from the room screaming and pulling my hair out. I kid you not, I've seen and/or heard this more in the past couple weeks than you can imagine. I'm sure some of it was brought on by all of the Chick-Fil-A insanity and the foolish accusations and ridicule aimed at Mr. Cathey. That's not what I'm addressing here. My question is, since when did calling sin what it is, sin, become judgmental? God already did the judging, that's why it's called sin. But as Christians, I believe that it's our job to use the Bible as a litmus test for everything around us. If it doesn't line up with the Bible, it's wrong, and it's okay to call it wrong.

Now, I'm not saying you should walk around condemning people right and left. I'm not saying spend every waking minute telling people what they are doing is wrong, wrong, wrong. I'm far from perfect. I do plenty of wrong. I'm aware. I have to seek forgiveness daily. I am saying we need to stop being afraid to stand up for what's right. There are people in my life, whom I love dearly, that I do not agree with some of their life choices. They know this. They know where I stand. I love them - that's not in question. I haven't ostracized them, but I will not change my beliefs or pretend that I believe differently just to keep them from being uncomfortable. That's not helping anyone.

If you know the Bible then you know two things (1) the Bible is about honesty plain and simple. It is the most blatantly honest book you will ever read, and if you let it, it will show you your life for what it honestly is, and (2) the Bible is about love. Love like none other. Pure, unconditional love.

So what I'm saying (or trying to say in this somewhat convoluted post) is we need to speak the truth in love. But ladies and gentlemen, like it or not, we need to speak the truth (whatever that may be). We need to stop worrying about others thinking we are judgmental when really we are just telling it like it is. We need to realize that if we want America to move back to a place of morality, then someone (ahem . . . Christians) needs to speak the truth.

Give us clear vision, that we may know where to stand and what to stand for - because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything. 

~ Peter Marshall, US Senate Chaplain 1947 

Thoughts On . . .

The Olympics

Because, whether you're a fan or not, the United States rocks.

The women's gymnastics team is unbelievable as far as I'm concerned. They didn't just win the gold because they made less mistakes than the other teams (as is often the case). They earned the gold. Yeah, there were some minor mistakes, but y'all those performances were awesome. And as a side note, maybe we should start calling them the "young" women's gymnastics team, because all of them said their earliest memory of the Olympics is 2004. I was out of college, married, and working in 2004. I'm old.

Then there's Michael Phelps. The most decorated Olympian of all time. Now there's something to be proud of. As if he didn't already have reason to be proud. And I like Michael Phelps. I know he's made some mistakes, but you can't help but like him and root for him.

I haven't even mentioned beach volleyball, women's soccer, synchronized diving, the rest of the swimmers . . . lovin' every minute of it.

Not directly related to the competition but in relation to the Olympics, have y'all seen this U-verse commercial? (If you've watched any of the Olympics then you can't have missed it.)

Patrick says that's me on the side of the pool. Ummmm, thanks hon . . . that's not a compliment.

Work 

Most Texas teachers are on 10 month contracts. Meaning we essentially get paid for 10 months a year. I choose to have my paycheck spread out over 12 months, but you get the point. Despite the fact that we're 10 month employees, it doesn't stop the school district from calling us in for meetings starting at the end of July.


Part of the reason is because I'm a team leader, and so I do need to do some pre-planning with other team leaders. I don't think most people realize the enormous amount of planning and paperwork, aside from lesson plans and grading, that goes into teaching. It's a full-time job in and of itself. Generally, I don't mind, but I've already had one meeting this week, and I have another one in the morning. We only received 48 hours notice for tomorrow's meeting yet we are expected to be there. Such is the life of a teacher.

Anyway, I spent yesterday morning in a meeting with a few other teachers and our new principal. Really liking our new principal, and I'm hopeful we're going to have a great year. Yesterday afternoon, I spent working in my classroom. We are officially back on contract on the 14th of August, and from that point on our days are filled with a lot of meetings and trainings so classroom work time is limited. 

I had already planned on working tomorrow so it's not too big of a deal. I'm excited about this year. There are lots of changes (two new members on my team plus a new principal and head secretary), but sometimes, change is a good thing. I'm one of those rare people that loves change. I get bored easily and change alleviates the boredom.

Garage Sales

I hate them. But I need to have one. So I'm gathering stuff, and pricing stuff, and dreading the impending garage sale.

Cleaning Blinds and Baseboards

I also hate doing this. In particular the blinds, but I did it. It's done and doesn't have to be done for another six months or so. Woohoo!

Working Out

I'm getting tired of it. I'm burnt out and bored with it, and well, I'm trying to keep it up. I've been really consistent for six months, and it would be a shame to quit now. I just need to get over this hump.

And I think that's enough of my thoughts for one day.