So, mentioning the Mr.’s oh-so-amazing memory recalled an incident that occurred a couple of months ago.
We were on our way to the Auburn game I blogged about here, and while driving through Eufaula, Alabama, the Mr. pointed to the Shorter Mansion, a fixture in this picturesque town, and turned to the kids and said, “Mama and I had a wedding shower in that house.”
I looked at him like he was nuts and said, “No we did not.”
He looked back at me and insisted that yes, we had gone. He elaborated by saying that my friends had thrown us the shower.
“Dude,” I said. “My friends did not have a shower for us there. I would have remembered having a shower at the Shorter Mansion.”
Oh, but the Mr. held his ground and maintained that it was I who had the memory problem.
Seriously?
I reminded him that I had never known anyone who even lived in Eufaula. All of my friends had hailed from a city in the opposite direction, way far away from Eufaula.
You should have seen the look on his face.
“Hmmm,” he said, bewilderment in his eyes.
To which I replied, “Exactly who was it you were with at this supposed ‘shower’ you attended? A prior marriage? I guess someone has a skeleton in his closet.”
Sunday evening, the Mr. came into the living room and began a conversation by saying, “In the 20-something years we’ve been married…”
Then, he paused.
I had no idea what he was about to say. It had the potential to be ugly. We’d had a little disagreement a couple of hours before, so my claws were ready to come out.
Yes, I am the perfect wife.
Your husbands should be jealous.
heehee
Anyhow, after his dramatic pause, during which I counted out the number of years we’ve been married (the man can barely remember his home address…keeping up with 22 years is a stretch for him), he finished his statement by saying, “…you’ve never made a meal I couldn’t eat. Tonight was the first time.”
Oh yes.
My cooking skills at their finest.
I’d tried, I really had.
I had seen a menu that Chicky had posted on the refrigerator but had never gotten around to cooking (she was mean to tempt the boys with home-cooked meals).
After opening the Rachael Ray cookbook to one of the recipes listed, I had gotten busy.
I’d worked my fingers to the bone using time I scarcely had.
I’m a second-year teacher, thus I’m constantly working on lesson plans.
I had to make a couple of ingredient substitutions…sherry wine for red, red onion for a shallot.
Nothing major, you see.
Apparently I’ll never make it to Chopped‘s final round. Heck, I’d never make it out of the first round.
I cannot, you see, improvise, which is what you’re required to do if you participate in the above mentioned [Food Network’s] competition.
The sherry was way too strong…it simply never completely reduced.
Oops.
The Mr. told me that the flavor had permeated the large chicken pieces, making them inedible as well. The Mr. commented that if he somehow managed to get down an entire plate of the stuff, he’d be walking around in a drunken stupor, that’s how strong the dinner was.
We decided to play a trick on Rooster, who was at youth group.
We didn’t warn him about the dinner.
Yes, we are loving parents. That’s why our children treat us in such a fine manner.
Feel free to roll your eyes.
Rooster came home, and I’m quite positive that I heard him sniffing around the pot of “stuff,” much in the same way that my dogs investigate something unfamiliar.
Then, I heard him pull out a bowl, milk, and cereal.
Mama didn’t raise no dummies, don’t you know.
At this point, the Mr. and I spilled the beans.
I’m not sure how amused my Rooster boy was, but I cackled none the less.
Honestly, this isn’t the first dish that’s been received in such fashion.
Fortunately for me, the Mr.’s memory is not very good. He doesn’t remember the other time(s).
I’m a second-year teacher with a full plate of activities and a to-do list three miles long.
Anyhoo, it’s been a busy week, and I’m feeling a little random, so here are a few unrelated musings.
Favorite Teaching-Related Moment From the Week
One of my students handed me a notepad at the end of class on Monday. She told me to read it. It contained a message about how glad she was to be in my class and how thankful she was that we had worked things out during a talk we’d had before Thanksgiving.
Oh, how my heart swelled with joy. This little gal and I have a few things in common. Her mother and I are the same age and grew up in the same small town in Alabama (which we discovered before Thanksgiving.) During Christmas, when my family visited the Mr.’s grandmother (who lives in the above-referenced small town), I asked the woman who takes care of her (and cooked lunch for us) if she happened to know a person with my student’s mother’s name. Not only did the lady know her, but it was her daughter, and she proved this by mentioning my student by name (she has a very unusual name too).
I was shocked.
My student and I shared a chuckle when school resumed as we discussed this God-incidence, which is what I prefer to call it over the word “coincidence.” It’s obvious that God put this student in my class.
Puppy Update
Gambit, our new puppy, continues to thrive. He’s making himself quite comfortable…a little too much so as evidenced by some of his shenanigans, which shall go pictureless…for now.
A few people have raised their eyebrows at the fact that we now have four dogs in the house. This doesn’t matter to me. Gambit was meant to find us…I see proof of this every day as he soaks in the love that Rooster, the Mr., and I shower him with. The other dogs are getting their share of loving too as we are working very hard to assure them that they are not being replaced. It’s been a win-win situation.
Another neat teaching moment occurred this week when one of my students asked me to attend his wrestling match. I usually sleep in on Saturdays, but I set my alarm and was out the door before 10. He was surprised to see me. I guess he’ll know that he can count on me to keep my word!!
My love affair with bling is going strong. After we returned home from visiting family during Christmas, I spent my Christmas money on the following…
That, my friends, is Sorrelli…”Gold” to be exact. I had gone in search of a matching necklace to go along with the bracelet and earrings the Mr. gave me for Christmas. Unable to afford the necklace, I started to leave the store when, upon talking to the owner about my love for Auburn, she pointed out the above line, which happened to be on sale for 30% off.
You know me and a sale. It’s hard to pass one up when it smacks me in the face.
I was able to purchase a necklace and a pair of earrings with the Christmas cash I had in my purse…nearly the exact amount. I only had to pull out $.46 from my change purse to finish out my purchase.
It was another God-incidence. 😉
Now, I’ve gotta tell you a little something about bling, in case you’re a naysayer. See, I used to poo poo the affect that bling can have on a person…the addiction that people have with this Sorrelli stuff.
Things changed, however, when I got ready to attend a movie with my family, selected a blue sweater to match my new jewelry, and then put on the necklace…
I actually squealed out loud when I saw myself in the mirror sporting the new jewelry.
It was sparkly, and I felt extra-pretty.
The Mr. asked me what was wrong, and I told him absolutely nothing…that I had just discovered the dizzying effect that bling can have on a person.
He chuckled.
So, totally changing the subject (remember that this is a post titled “Randomness”), my mom always gives my sister and me sets of flat chunks of wax that are individually wrapped. They’re usually holiday-scented. They have no wicks. I’ve never known what to do with them…that is until after THIS Christmas.
See, by the time I was into a week of my vacation, my brain was functioning normally again, and I was able to think straight.
I headed to Bed, Bath, & Beyond and saw these…
Uh huh. I’m sure you’re wondering how the Mr., Chicky, and Rooster have managed to survive having this not-so-bright woman leading the family, eh?
But give me a break. My brain is fried SPECIFICALLY from taking care of the crew, so it takes me awhile to “get” things nowadays.
Anyhoo, back to my story.
Seeing the above items in the store, I started to put the pieces together. But first, I needed to call Super Sis to see what she thought.
We both agreed that we should be able to melt the wax blobs by buying other things that are called “tea candles,” sticking them in the bottom part of the above-pictured items, putting the wax blogs in the top “bowls,” and lighting the tea candles, which would heat the wax blobs above them and then make the house smell wonderful.
I was willing to give it a shot…
Voila!
All of a sudden, I felt smart…
Sorry. Had to throw that in…just could not resist the opportunity.
Ok, so being a reading teacher means that maybe, just maybe, I should actually be doing some reading on my own.
Being a new teacher doesn’t leave much time, but over the Christmas break, I managed to read three books.
Actually, I read more like two full books, three quarters of another book, and the second half of another book.
First off, I read Pretty Little Things, by Jilliane Hoffman…
This is Jilliane’s fourth book, and it is an excellent read! It’s set in Coral Springs and Miami, Florida and chronicles the search for a teenager who, it is discovered, meets a man online through a chat room. It’s quite gripping and a bit scary, if you’re a parent. I read this book in one day…even staying up until 3:30am to finish it.
Jilliane’s style is very similar to James Patterson’s with short chapters and characters you can connect with.
What I love so much is that Jilliane, who the Mr. and I know, combined the names of people she worked with when she was an Assistant District Attorney in Miami. Because I know a lot of the people personally, it was fun to see the various name combinations.
This book is actually the second in a series, although you can read Life As We Knew It after this one and not really miss anything. What’s important is that you read these two before reading the third.
The Dead and the Gone is told from the perspective of a 17 year-old boy who is left to take care of his two younger sisters after a meteor hits the moon, causing catastrophic natural disasters. His parents go missing, and he has to become the man of the household.
One of my students had told me about the book and let me borrow it. This student is a voracious reader, and he frequently checked in with me to see if I’d finished the book. I’m going to return it on Monday. Perhaps we’ll have a little discussion about it.
The book was good, although it was a little difficult to get into. I connected to it by remembering a movie I’d seen a few years ago…The Day After Tomorrow. The book was a little similar.
The other book I finished was Mockingjay, the third in the Hunger Games series…
I loved the third book…so much more than the second one. I think that Suzanne finishes developing the characters well, and I just loved the ending. I cannot wait for the movie to come out!!!
I saw these at Walmart and just could not resist picking up a box. Those who know me know how much I love Angry Birds…
Before Chicky went back to school, we had one last family outing…a movie night!!
The Mr. had purchased new Blue Ray versions of the Mission Impossible movies, and the packaging had coupon codes for free movie tickets, up to $10 off. We decided to watch the iMax version, so we only had to pay $3 for each ticket. Below is what the free ticket vouchers looked like…
I’ve gotta say that I’ve never believed much in the whole IMAX thing, but after watching this movie on that screen…all I can say is WOW! This was the perfect movie to see on that amazing screen. It felt as if we were actually a part of the action.
The movie was very good…very fast-paced. All of us enjoyed it immensely! It was a wonderful evening of family bonding.
Well, that’s all of my random thoughts…for now anyhow.
It’s a new year, and what better way to begin anew than with a fresh set of Hodgepodge questions?! Thanks, Joyce, for hosting!
1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2011?
Hectic – I taught five grades from January through June, completed an entire teaching certification program (nine classes), and began teaching a new subject, reading, at a different school in August.
Adventurous – My family flew to Seattle, WA, and then jumped on a cruise ship to Alaska, courtesy of Coupon Queen and Grand Pooba.
Illuminating – Last school year, I taught at a Muslim school (I am a Christian). Prior to that experience, I’d never had close contact with those of the Muslim faith. Before talking to them, I had no idea what kinds of challenges they face in the United States. It was eye-opening. My year of illumination continued into the current school year. Most of the students I currently teach come from a lower socioeconomic station. In the last five months, my eyes have been opened to the host of problems that my high school students face. These kids face everything from learning disabilities to “unique” family dynamics. Watching my students face their difficulties head-on has been inspiring and illuminating.
2. Do you like shrimp? What’s your favorite way to have it prepared?
Yes, I do like shrimp, but I haven’t eaten it in over a year now…ever since I switched to a vegan diet. I really never had a preference to how it was prepared…shrimp cocktails, shrimp scampi…it just didn’t matter.
3. Is your house de-Christmased? If so when did you tackle that job? If not, when will the decorations come down?
Yes, my has been undecorated. It took a couple of days…off and on. I finished around the 29th or the 30th, I think.
4. Do you like to watch scary movies?
No, I’ve never enjoyed watching scary movies, although the Mr. will tell you that our first date was to a scary movie. What can I say? I didn’t get asked out often, so I wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity for anything. I tend to have very scary dreams, so scary movies intensify my dreams. Honestly, I see no point to scary movies.
5. Ice skating~sledding~skiing~snowboarding~of the four listed which wintertime activity do you most enjoy?
I live in Florida. We don’t do any of these activities. Had I to choose, though, I’d say ice skating. I’ve always loved skating of any kind. I love ice skating Olympic events. I fancy myself (in my silly head) another Kristi Yamaguchi.
6. Did you have a childhood hideout? Describe it.
I don’t think I had a childhood hideout when I was younger. I did spend a lot of time in my room, but what kid doesn’t?
7. What’s a place or space that motivates you?
I would say that a place that motivates me is another teacher’s classroom. Oh, not just any classroom, but the classroom of a FANTASTIC teacher. Seeing what that teacher is doing inspires me to think outside of the box and get more creative with my own students. It makes me long for the time when teaching will become more natural as well, so “hanging in there” becomes my mantra. Time and diligence will help me be a better teacher one day.
8. My Random Thought
I don’t know if any of you read my post a couple of days ago. If not, go on and skim over it. My random thought is a follow-up.
New Year’s Eve, a stray dog wandered up to me while I was walking one of my other dogs, and he followed me home. I didn’t have the heart to put him out, so the Mr. and I decided to keep him in the garage.
He slowly worked his way into the house, but after checking for fleas, we found a few ticks on him, so we put him back in the garage.
We were waiting until Monday when we could take him to the animal shelter.
A funny thing happened during those three days.
We began to fall in love with the guy. The feeling was mutual, and he quickly grew comfortable with us, as evidenced by the next few pictures…
He followed me everywhere…even into the bathroom…
On Monday, the Mr. and I loaded him up and drove to the animal shelter. There was a young animal control officer outside, but he told us the facility was closed. However, after explaining our situation, the guy agreed to check the puppy for a microchip. I wanted to get him back to his owner, if possible.
Well, the puppy didn’t have a chip, and because the facility was closed, we took him back home for one more night.
Meanwhile, the Mr. found two more ticks on the puppy, so we decided to take him to Banfield, the veterinarian facility that Pet Smart stores have onsite. I had called ahead, explained how we’d taken in a stray, and the office manager had agreed to waive the $40 office fee.
The Mr. gave me strict instructions to find out the cost of getting him checked for ticks as well as worms.
It turned out that the few services we were willing to commit to were not too expensive. He’s a healthy guy…a pit-boxer mix…a healthy 55 pounds…and about a year old. The only problem he has is a case of hookworms, which we got medicine for.
The dog was so well behaved while he was being treated…
I took him home, and we watched him, growing ever closer but determined to detach ourselves the next day.
What was actually happening was that Rooster and the Mr. were bonding with the dog.
We decided to think and pray about keeping him and decide in the morning. I wasn’t returning to school until today (Wednesday), so I could take him to the animal shelter.
When we woke up Tuesday morning, the Mr. tried to ease out the door. Rooster and I were still sleeping, but I woke up in the nick of time, caught him and cornered him for a decision.
Financially, it wasn’t a good decision. One more mouth to feed, one more hiney to vaccinate.
Then, the Mr. went to Rooster’s room and saw this…
The Mr. couldn’t say no.
Rooster had already laid claim to the dog.
He gave the okay to go shopping…
It was time for the dog to have his own collar and food bowl.
I think this little guy had known, all along, that he was home (as did all of my friends on Facebook as they followed the saga as it played out)…
Over the last few days, I couldn’t help but wonder if God was in this. Out of all the people to follow, the dog followed me, and he instantly took a liking to me. Aubie, Pele, and Molly accepted him easily, although Molly did have an issue the other night when he attempted to eat her food. We’re now feeding them separately.
I know that some people might call us nuts for taking in another animal.
What can I say? We’ve grown into a family that has a heart for strays. We adopted all of our fur babies from local shelters. Even the Mr., who pretends to be all tough on the outside, has turned mushy where it comes to our animals.
I hope there’s a special place in heaven for people who take in strays. Not that it matters to me. I don’t know that I need the extra incentive. It’s just a part of who I am.
Oh, and what did we name him?
Well, Rooster asked for this privilege since, technically, the dog is his, and he’s never gotten to name one of our dogs.
After spending the entire day agonizing over a name, and I do mean agonizing, Rooster decided on the following, which we had etched on a tag at Pet Smart…
Our little guy’s name is Gambit, after the X-Men character. I like the name because it means “risk,” which is what we do every time we open our hearts to an adopted fur baby.
Happy New Year to all of my Hodgepodge and other bloggy friends!
Yesterday, New Year’s Eve, I decided to take Molly for a walk.
We had not gotten very far when this little guy wandered up, smelling Molly, and keeping pace with us…
I stopped, unsure if I should continue walking. I noticed that he didn’t have a collar on…
I talked to a neighbor who lives across the street, and he’d first noticed the dog the day before, and he’d allowed the dog to stay on his porch that first night. However, the dog was wary of my neighbor and wouldn’t go near him.
Apparently he felt differently about me.
I decided to continue my walk, hoping that someone in the neighborhood would see us as we passed by and recognize him. I felt a little like the Pied Piper.
This sweet puppy stayed with us the entire way.
I made my way back down my street and saw a different neighbor, whose itsy bitsy dogs had gotten out of her house and started running toward the stray…barking the entire way.
The stray, almost certainly a pit bull, acted like he was scared of the smaller dogs and ran from them with his tail between his legs.
I wondered what I should do, figuring that the Mr. would have my hide if I brought him home. The Mr. came out of the house, and we chatted, finally agreeing to feed him and allow him to sleep in the garage for the night.
Meanwhile, I called Animal Control, but the officers who pick up strays were off for the weekend. I had hoped that by getting the dog to my local animal shelter, he could be scanned for a microchip.
It was obvious that this dog was very well trained. Surely he had an owner who had chipped him.
The guy at Animal Control suggested that I call Pet Smart, which has a scanner.
I called, but the vet who has his office there (and, thus, has the scanner) had already left for the day.
Hence, we were stuck for the weekend.
We fed the little guy. He was starving and gobbled down the food quickly.
We fixed a pallet for him in the garage, and he quickly settled in…
What a sweet little guy.
My guess is that he’s about three months old…he still has a lot of puppy in him.
I let him into my backyard a few times to potty before I headed to bed.
I didn’t get up until 9:30 this morning and quickly went to check on him, figuring I’d find an accident or two.
No such thing.
He eagerly did his business in my backyard.
We decided to introduce him to Aubie and Pele, and surprisingly, Aubie took to him quickly. She’s not much on other dogs. He adored her.
Throughout the entire time, I waited for the Mr. to be grumpy.
He did good…real good…even suggesting that I give the dog a bath so he could stay in but not smell up the house.
I did, and he stayed in…
Then, I took him outside and began to inspect him. He’d been scratching…a lot.
I noticed fleas.
Ugh.
Back out to the garage he went while I looked up the recipe for a homemade flea shampoo.
I found one, tried it, and checked him. He still had a few live fleas.
Poor thing.
We kept him in the garage. I do not want a flea infestation in the house, nor do I want my other dogs to get fleas.
Throughout the afternoon, we went outside to visit the little guy.
The Mr. appears smitten.
The dog has tiger stripes…his coloring is very unique.
Then, we found a tick on him.
Sigh.
We looked for more, but we didn’t see any. Still, we’re not the experts, and we’re very leery of getting a tick infestation. Super Sis went through that two summers ago, and it was awful.
So, the little guy is back in the garage.
I feel badly for him, but at least the garage is warm, and he’s been fed.
I’d love to keep him, but with three furry babies in the house already, I just can’t do it. Plus, I think that the pup needs medicine. The fleas probably gave him an infection of some sort. That’s how Molly started her life with us. Veterinary bills are not in our budget, unfortunately.
Until then, he’ll be loved and prayed for. I’d like him to wind up either with his original owners or in another loving home.
AuburnChick's Adventures 