• Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 78 other subscribers

  • “Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers” — Isaac Asimov

  • Recent Posts

  • Pages

  • Categories

  • Archives

  • Blog Stats

    • 197,145 hits

The Hodgepodge Ushers in Spring

Posted on March 21, 2012 by auburnchick

It’s Hump Day, also known as Wednesday Hodgepodge!  I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have Joyce around to ask fun questions.  This weekly meme makes this day of the week fun instead of dreary!  Hop on over after you post your own answers, link up, and make new friends!

1.  The first day of spring is here…do you enjoy working in the yard? Weeding, raking, mowing, planting-your favorite springtime garden chore? How about your least favorite?

I used to enjoy working in the yard more when I was at home full-time.  Now, I just cannot manage to fit this work into my hectic schedule.  My favorite part of yard work is planting flowers…especially sunflowers, which I have a knack for growing…

My least favorite task is pulling sticky weeds.  I have yet to find a pair of gloves that completely protects my hands from the prickles.  Ouch!

2.  What puts a spring in your step?

  • The final bell on Fridays
  • The final bell on the last day of school
  • Knowing Chicky is on her way home from college
  • Incorporating a visit to a yarn store into my schedule
  • Finishing a certification class
  • Hearing kind words from a student
  • Watching a student’s eyes light up when he or she has an “aha” moment
  • Receiving validation of a job well done from those I respect
  • A satisfying workout at the gym
  • Bling
  • A good hair day

3.  Describe a time when you had to spring into action.

A number of years ago, I’d taken the kids to the pool in my apartment complex.  It was a Saturday or Sunday, so the pool was crowded with a TON of children.  Being the watchful mother, I had my eye on my own babes (they were old enough to be in the shallow end by themselves).  All of a sudden, I watched as Rooster disappeared under a floating lounger, and when he didn’t emerge within a couple of seconds, I jumped out of my chair, dove quickly into the pool (mindful of the depth), and retrieved him.  He’d gotten lost/stuck under that floating chair and couldn’t find his way to the surface.  Poor baby.  Scared him half to death.  I’m so thankful that I’d had my eye on him.  It only takes a second to lose a child to drowning.  How well I know this having witnessed a coworker lose her young daughter to a drowning incident in her own pool a few years ago.

4.  We’re having carrots for dinner…would you prefer yours raw or cooked?

I’ll take mine raw, thank you very much.  Cooked carrots have little nutritional value, and they just taste nasty!  Raw carrots are sweet.  By the way, have you ever had freshly extracted carrot juice?  Delish!!

5.  Do you take the shampoos and other sundries from your hotel room when its time to check out?

It’s hit or miss for me.  We’ve traveled a LOT because of soccer and other vacations (wait, I think soccer trips WERE our vacations).  Sometimes, when I’d take the shampoo, I’d feel guilty.  But, if we happened to be staying some place nice, and the stuff was extra good, I didn’t feel too bad about it.  Plus, it was always nice to have these small bottles available when I didn’t make it to the store quickly enough to replenish my own stock.

6.  What’s the most enjoyable team or club you’ve belonged to and what was it that made it so?

Gosh…this is really hard because I’m not really a team/club kind of person.  I guess I’ll have to stretch this a bit and say that over the years, I’ve enjoyed being involved with my children’s extracurricular activities.  For Chicky, that was soccer.  I’ve really enjoyed the camaraderie and the lifelong friendships I’ve made.  I can travel almost anywhere in the state and run into soccer parents and former players.  The same goes with being involved with Rooster’s band.  When you spend so much time raising money and traveling together, seeing people at their best and their worst, you can’t help but enjoy yourself.

7.  Is cloning a sign of progress?

In my opinion, cloning is a sign of desperation.  People want to play God and “create” something.  Well, they can’t.  They can’t duplicate that which He created to work perfectly…life.  I have a feeling that God is on His throne laughing at the futility of man’s efforts.

8.  My Random Thought

I went to the dentist yesterday.  It was time for my biannual cleaning.  All seemed to be going along just fine until I noticed that the hygienist was spending a lot of time cleaning around the front of one of my front bottom teeth.  When the dentist came over for a look, he informed me that the gum in front of that tooth is receding, and I need to have a bit of gum surgery.  He gave me a referral to a periodontist.

Not being one for anything related to medicine, shots, or surgery, I asked, “Do I really need to go?”

“Only if you want to keep your tooth,” was his reply.

The procedure involves taking a piece of skin from the roof of my mouth and grafting it to the gum surrounding the front of the tooth.

Lovely.

Recovery time is about a week with the pain being compared to eating a piece of pizza that’s way too hot.

Lovely.

I adore mouth pain.

You might remember that I had two teeth pulled, during one visit, a few short years ago.

I think I”m going to schedule this appointment for summer.

I don’t want to deny my students the right to listen to me teach with all of the gusto that I can, nor do I want them to see me a little extra happy from any pain medicine that might be prescribed.  I’m happy enough as it is…way too happy for a teacher, they tell me.

All of a sudden, I’m beginning to feel older.

Sigh.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 4 Comments »

Plans C and D

Posted on March 20, 2012 by auburnchick

Having children who are almost adults truly is fun sometimes.

I especially like the fact that I can have grown-up conversations with my chicklets.

Rooster is 17.  He’ll be 18 the end of May.

These days, he’s keenly interested in politics.  He and Chicky will be able to vote, for the first time, in November’s election, and he couldn’t be happier.

Thus, he’s made it his mission to learn as much as he can about the candidates, their positions, and the issues themselves.

Rooster isn’t one to jump on a bandwagon without doing his own research.

Once he learns something, he’ll talk about it.

And talk.

And talk.

And talk.

Now, you must understand that while I do enjoy American government and history, my brain is on overload with all of the things I am learning how to do in this teaching profession of mine.

So, a lot of what Rooster says, though he tries to dumb it down for me (a bit humbling if you ask me) goes over my head.

Still, I listen, nod my head, and smile.  I’m content with listening to him share.

Saturday evening, Rooster, the Mr., and I went out to dinner.  As we talked (mostly about politics), Rooster said, “You know.  I really like political science.  My third and fourth plans are to maybe study political science or law.  I would even like to be a congressman.  Either that or go into the military.”

My boy, you see, has a Plan C and a Plan D.

When I said as much to him, he said, “Mama, there’s a lot I want to do, but I can’t do everything.”

What an aha moment, eh?

I told him that unfortunately, life is about making choices like this.  We can try to do as much as we can, but I don’t know that we ever can do ALL that we want.

Our conversation got me to thinking about the things I’ve wanted to do and the things I’d like to do.

Things I wanted to do and actually got to do include:

  • Staying at home to raise my children
  • Working part-time from home
  • Working part-time outside of the home (I didn’t really want this, but it was necessary and was a good compromise)
  • Being a room mom when my kids were little (there was a lot of competition for this coveted role)
  • Go back to college
  • Earn a college degree
  • Become a teacher

It’s a great list to look at, but there are still things I want to do, including:

  • Learn to play an instrument…probably the violin
  • Open my own yarn store
  • Work from home (if the yarn store thing didn’t work out)
  • Write a book
  • Attend Sock Summit
  • Meet the Yarn Harlot and Cookie A
  • Attend a Dancing With the Stars or So You Think You Can Dance finale
  • Be a contestant on Dancing With the Stars (course that means I need to become famous for something before they’ll invite me)
  • Visit Israel

Yeah.  I know.  Lots of plans.  Guess I have Plans E-M covered, eh?

God is probably chuckling right now.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

Whew! That Wasn’t Easy!

Posted on March 19, 2012 by auburnchick

The other day, Chicky and I spent some time catching up over the phone, and she told me that she’d recently made $50.

How?

She and a teammate had spent four hours scraping glue off of a floor.  They were helping someone prepare to lay new flooring, and the glue had to be scraped off.

When she’d agreed to the task, she didn’t know exactly what it entailed.

Nevertheless, she and her teammate worked hard and earned accolades from the person in charge.  She also earned that $50, which, for the record, she’s now going to have to put toward the purchase of a new phone because “someone” wasn’t using her phone cover.  Add to the record that this is the third screen that’s been cracked.  *ahem*

Anyhoo, I digress, as usual.

Her hard work reminded me of a task I signed up for years and years ago when Chicky was in kindergarten and Rooster was about four years old.

I was a stay-at-home mom back then, and we lived in an apartment complex.  I met my best friend when she moved into the third floor apartment…two floors up from me.  She had a daughter smack dab in the middle of my children’s ages, so we all got along marvelously.

Money was tight back then.  We were definitely living hand-to-mouth, even with no credit card balances or mortgage payment.

That is why I jumped at the chance to earn some money.  It was a job that was temporary, and my best friend agreed to watch the kids while I worked for a couple of afternoons.

What was the job?

It was…

Hold on to your hats…

Delivering phone books.

I think the ad looked something like this…

After attending an orientation/training session, I was all signed up.

The way it worked was that you were assigned an area close to where you lived.  This was back when I lived in Broward County.  It’s in south Florida and HUGE!

What you did was you went to the main facility, picked up your load of phone books along with your list of addresses, and delivered the books.

Sounds easy, eh?

Yeah.

Right.

I think that someone loaded the books into my car.  I had to make several trips because I did not have an SUV.  I stacked those phone books under the storage space by my apartment’s door.  The storage space was created by the steps leading up to the second floor.  You can imagine, I’m sure.

The first area I was assigned was a residential neighborhood.

It wasn’t too bad, at first.

I had to look at my list, grab the correct number of phone books, and drop them at the door.  Some houses had quite a few depending on the number of separate phone lines registered to them.

As the hours slowly ticked by, my angst grew, along with my fatigue and the amount of grime under my nails and all over my hands.

It was the middle of the summer.

Have I mentioned that this was in south Florida?

Oh.

My.

I finally got the neighborhood done and maintained some shred of dignity even as kids rode their bikes past me and made fun of the phone book delivery girl.

I’ve never thrown a book at a kid before, but I’ll admit that I came mighty close.  They were good targets riding by like that.  That was back in my 20’s when I was buff and in shape.  I probably could have hit one or two.

heehee

I returned for my next list and scratched my head a bit at the addresses on it.

This was the day before GPS and Google Maps.

Then, I realized something.

The list was for…

Get this…

My apartment complex.

I kid you not.

Guess what I had to do for an entire day.

Scale those buildings, whose steps were on the outside.

Every building had at least six to eight sets of stairs.

There were only so many phone books I could hold at a time.

Meanwhile, my children were in the air conditioned comfort of my friend’s apartment…visiting the cool pool…while I sweated it out in 90+ degree heat and at least 90-something% humidity.

It was ugly, and my ire grew with every step.

Did I think of quitting?

Nope.

I wanted my paycheck at the end.

Plus, the folks who hired me were randomly calling to spot-check…to ensure that phone books had been delivered properly.

Sigh.

It was one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever done.

And the paycheck?

It was maybe $200.

Peanuts.

When they offered me another list, I told them no thank you.  I was ready to go back to eating bon bons on the couch and resume my life as a lazy stay-at-home mom that those who work outside of the home perceive that population to be.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

A Glimpse into the 4-Legged World that Surrounds Me

Posted on March 18, 2012 by auburnchick

Have you been wondering how Gambit and all of the other dogs are doing?

Well, everything is going quite well, thank you very much.

Gambit is getting along marvelously with the other dogs.  He’s finally adjusted to his crate and goes in without our having to shove him in or coax him with treats.

He’s quite the smart young guy, eager to please, and still completely needy for attention.  He thrives on it and must be next to or touching someone or something, whether that something is two or four-legged.

He adores Aubie, as Pele does, and considers her to be his mama.  He’s playful but backs off when we tell him to.

Molly and Pele have gotten after him a few times when he’s ventured into their personal space or too close to their bowls.  He’s never been the aggressor and has only inflicted damage in the effort to protect himself.

Things have straightened themselves out, and we have quite the happy crew.

Here’s a little bit of video I shot on Friday evening.  This gives you a glimpse into his personality, although it doesn’t fully capture his playful nature.  You can tell, though, that he’s very smart.

Filed under: Pets | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Right Outside My Window…

Posted on March 17, 2012 by auburnchick

I’m the type of person who is so busy that I’m usually oblivious to the things that are right in front of me.

This morning was no exception.

I sat at the table, not content just to sit.  I picked up a book and turned to where I’d left off a few days ago.

For some reason, I looked outside my window, and that’s when I spotted a squirrel.

He must have known that the dogs were locked away safely inside, thus granting him free reign of the yard.

I watched as he hopped back and forth, pausing now and then to listen or to think about his wonderful life, I suppose.

That’s when I got out my camera and snapped a few photos…

I found it a little funny as I watched him begin digging in my yard.  Gambit has dug a number of holes around the yard, so to see this little creature dig his own hole made me think that digging must come with the furry body gene…

I kept my lens trained on him and managed to get off the next shot, which I especially like…

I’m so glad I put down my book and was just…well…still…even for a little while.

In those few minutes that I watched one of God’s smaller creatures enjoying his own somewhat relaxed life, I, too, found myself relaxing a bit.

I love this time of year and the promise it holds.

I love that Spring Break whispers of a summer break in the not-too-distant future…a time when I can let down my hair for a longer span of time and simply take time to just be.

If only I’d stop…for just a little while…and allow myself to enjoy the view that exists right outside my window.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Work First, Play Later

Posted on March 16, 2012 by auburnchick

That was my motto for my Spring Break.

I was determined to get my lesson plans and classroom ready early in the week so I could relax the rest of it.

Turns out that I was a little slow on my feet the first couple of days.  I don’t exactly remember what I did those days, but I think it involved working out in the gym (more details forthcoming in a future post) and reading (I’ve already blogged about the new books I recently purchased).

Tuesday evening, I hunkered down on my couch and got busy with some lesson planning.

As a good reader, I’ve taken my ability to read to granted.  Now that I teach intensive reading, I have to think critically about what I do, exactly, when I read and comprehend.  Hence, the lesson planning is slow going for me, breaking down the steps into understandable bits for my students to process.

I hit a wall and put away my plans.  Wednesday, I got up, and God zapped me with a great site on the internet and good ideas.  Thank you, Lord!!  I went into my classroom for about an hour or so, talked to a few of the other teachers who were also there, and got the low-down on how to use the new technology that had finished being installed while I was gone.

Then, I went to lunch with the gals.  It was impromptu and fun.

I worked hard on finishing up things that evening and went back into my classroom on Thursday morning, spending a solid four hours straightening my room, setting up my stations, practicing with my new technology, and brainstorming with a fellow teacher who had stopped by.  I took a few things home with me to finalize and worked hard that afternoon.

Thus it was on Friday (yesterday) when I was able, finally, to play.

First, I stopped by my classroom and dropped off what I’d finished the night before.  I didn’t hang around long, afraid to get sucked into the world of work.  I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t and that what had not gotten done wasn’t going to.  Sometimes you just can’t do everything.

Then, I headed out for some fun.

First, my nails.

As you know, I’m very eager for the movie, The Hunger Games, to come out.  I read all three books in the series.  The reading teachers are taking our students to see it on the 27th.  I’m giving serious thought to attending the opening night.  Yes.  I know that’s midnight, but that’s part of the fun.  Barb has suggested that I take a half-day of vacation.  We shall see.  I’ll probably just suck it up and nap during my planning.  😉

In honor of the movie, I walked into my nail salon with a plan and a couple of pictures.

After being told that no, she could not draw a bird (ahem…it’s a mockingjay…sheesh), I settled for Plan B…

Those are flames.  She did her best…refusing to do the red that was in the picture I’d printed out.  Although a couple of the nails on my right hand messed up a teensy bit when I left, I’m pleased with the overall result…

After lunch, I headed to the beach.  I had a coupon for the store, Ulta, and my friend Jane had agreed to meet me there.  You might remember that Jane and I taught together last year.  She says that I left her when I took the job at the public school.  I’d offer the suggestion that she didn’t follow me.

Semantics.

She had never been to Ulta, so it was my pleasure to introduce her to this fun, girly store.

Jane is 61 (or is it 62), but you’d never know it from talking to her.  She’s incredibly young at heart and pushes herself to the highest standards in everything she does.  She’s got such a wonderful sense of humor, so we laugh CONSTANTLY when we’re together.

She’s the person I took with me when I won free tickets to the Christian Concert last August, and it was so funny to watch her jumping around to the music…even commenting on how cute the guitar player was (for the record, he was butt ugly and looked about 90.  She needed her eyes checked.  heehee).

Anyhoo, though Jane and I are friends, there are times when she feels like a mother to me.  She has a daughter close to my age, and according to her, the daughter and I are very similar.  I just love having this friend/mother figure in my life, so today was especially fun as we shopped and discussed nail polishes (she refuses to go wild, unlike me with my crazy nails).  We ate lunch at Panera and talked the entire time.  Then, we returned to Ulta because I’d forgotten something.  She had to buy a little something for the road.  Parting from her is always bittersweet.  Though we talk weekly, we only get to see each other every few weeks.  Life is NUTS for both of us.

By the time I got home, it was 4:30.  As soon as the Mr. got home from the gym, he asked, “Who wants to go to Kohl’s?”

Um, hello?  That was on my to-do list but I was so busy that I hadn’t gotten to it.

I had been carrying around 20% coupons all day!  He informed me that I needed to check my email for a $10 off of a $10 or more purchase coupon.  I finally found it…in my spam folder!

Off to Kohl’s we went, expecting to be back home shortly.

Two hours later, we finally returned, with me sporting a few new things…

Those are shoes designed by Jennifer Lopez.

In case you’ve had your head in the sand and have not been watching TV much lately, J. Lo is the new spokesperson for Kohl’s.

As I had walked around shopping, I realized that I had not hit the shoe department.  The Mr. was actually shocked when he’d gone looking for me fully expecting that to be the FIRST place I visited.

heehee

Anyhoo, I spied the black heels first and had to try them on…

Let me tell you…though the heels are high, the bottom is thick, so it doesn’t feel like your feet are arched very much.  I have no idea what kind of leather they used, but it is COMFORTABLE!  Trust me.  I have much experience with these things.

The shoes are very well made.  The heels actually mold around your heels, so there’s none of that foot-coming-out-of-the-shoe thing.

I love these and knew I was going to buy them as soon as I walked around in them.  I didn’t care how much they cost.  For the record, they were roughly $31, down from $75, and I had a 20% coupon.

The second pair only cost $21, and I love them almost as much as the black pair.

They have some sort of suede-like covering…definitely not your smooth leather.  I love how thick the soles are, which makes walking in them much easier than you’d think.

Please excuse my white legs.  Apparently, working and Spring Break do not add up to much time to tan.  I’ll try to fix that in the next couple of days.

Anyhoo…

I tried on lots of other things at Kohl’s and came home with a couple of new tops for work…

That’s not the best picture.  It doesn’t show off each top to its best.  I love both of them!  The black one is a similar style to a few others I have, but it’s just so doggone pretty!  I love, love, love the pink one.  It’s made out of some sort of rayon or something, and it is just so “blousy.”  It’s thin…perfect for hot Florida weather, but it’s very dressy.

One thing that’s really caught me off guard this year is how observant students are.  They notice EVERYTHING (except for due dates written in all UPPERCASE red Expo markers on the whiteboard).  When I wear something they’ve never seen, they comment.  They have their favorite outfits, and they don’t hesitate to tell me.  So, finding new things to wear to work is fun because I know that they will appreciate my effort to be professional, stylish, and a bit whimsical.

My day of fun ended with a dinner to a local Japanese restaurant where I had Miso Soup and cucumber and asparagus rolls.  Yum!

Work is going to slap me in the face next week.  I think I’ll take the next day or two to relax, recharge my batteries fully, and count my blessings.

One thing I was reminded of as I talked to Jane today was how different my life is this year compared to last year.  Last year at this time, I was a very hurt and angry gal.  I felt betrayed by people I had trusted, and I had some major regrouping to do.  It was during this time last year that I knew that I wouldn’t be returning to that school…that the fit just didn’t fit any more.  I knew that God had other plans for me.

He was true to the nudging I felt in my heart and here I am…in a place where I fit in completely…content and as thankful as I can be.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

No Ordinary Drive-Thru Conversation

Posted on March 16, 2012 by auburnchick

Yesterday, I decided to run by Burger King.  I needed to feed Rooster, and being the devoted mother that I am, I figured that a little bit of grease wouldn’t hurt him one little bit.  Plus, I had a hankering for BK’s veggie burger, sans mayo, which is delish.

As the young woman working the drive-thru was taking my payment, she complimented me on my nails.

I thanked her but assured her that they looked awful.  In my typical, long-winded conversation manner, I continued by adding that I was planning on getting my nails done on Friday…in a style befitting the debut of the movie The Hunger Games.

She smiled and said that she’d read all three books and was eager to see the movie as well.

Then, I told her that I’m a teacher, and my reading team is going to take all of our students to see the movie.

That little opening was all she needed, and she poured out her soul to me.

She explained that she’d attended a school across town.  It’s an alternative school.  I nodded.  Then, she told me that she’d recently gotten her GED at yet another school.  I complimented her.

Still, she wanted to talk more.

She told me that she’d been really messed up…gotten sidetracked when she got into drugs…often skipped school because she was content staying home and being high.

Poor dear.  My heart hurt for her…until she finished her story by telling me that one day, she looked at her drugs and decided she was finished.  That’s when she got herself back in school and finished six months ahead of her peers.

I told her that as a high school teacher, I know that a lot of students do drugs, but that I’m also concerned about the teenage pregnancy that’s causing the young women to stop going to school.

She told me that nine out of ten of her friends are pregnant or have had children…multiple children.

Sigh.

This is real life, people, and I live in a small, yet decent town.  I’ll admit that at times, I’m still a bit naive…or maybe I’d just like to think that my town is different from others across the nation…that these issues don’t affect us as badly as others.

Yeah.  Right.  Remember, I do live in the state that’s home to Disney World…where we go to escape from reality.

Sigh.

I asked this gal if she planned to go college, and she told me that she’s going to become an RN, but she has to wait until January to apply for nursing school.  She’s already filled out her FAFSA, so she’s all set.  She’ll become eligible for a grant in January.

Before I drove off, I told her I was proud of her for choosing to change her life around.  Her smile was amazing!

I left encouraged that though many teenagers might lose their way, there are a few who do figure things out.

I’m going to share her story with my students, and I hope they’ll take the message to heart.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

Going Green With the Hodgepodge

Posted on March 14, 2012 by auburnchick

Yay!  It’s Wednesday, which means that it’s time for Joyce’s Hodgepodge!  Hop on over to her blog, link up, and do some visiting!

With this being Spring Break, you can BET I’ll be making my rounds!  I’m psyched that I’ll finally have the time to check in with my hodgepodging friends, and I apologize that I haven’t been as faithful in recent weeks.  Blame it on my overachieving teaching self.  🙂

1.  St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated this coming Saturday…what’s a favorite article of clothing you own that contains a touch o’ the green?

My children attended a high school that had green as one of its colors, so I spent six years wearing green!  I actually do like the color, even though I wear different colors now that I teach at a high school across town (and the colors are WAY different).  What would be my favorite green item?  Hmmm…maybe my green cargo pants?  They’re light and fun to wear.  I pair them up with shiny sandals and a cute top.

2.  What’s a favorite ‘green space’ in the town, state, or province where you live?

If by “green,” you mean environmental, then I’d have to say that my city is famous for its beach.  North Florida is famous for its white sandy beaches…beaches that are free from rocks, shells, and other debris that permeates the sand on the other side of the state.  It’s fun to eat at a restaurant on the beach.  Nothing beats the ocean breeze and salty smell of the water.  I drove to my favorite yarn store yesterday, and I could not have picked a better day.  I have to cross several bridges to get to this store, and I was transfixed by the shallow, bright blue water.  It’s one of the prettiest pieces of scenery I know of (and I’ve lived in several different kinds).

3.  Do you wish you were taller, shorter, or think you’re just about right in the height department?

Hands down, I wish I was taller.  I love wearing my high heels and the ease with which I can reach things.  I also like being eye-to-eye with my students instead of having to look up at EVERY one of them!!  Rooster is about six feet tall, and we’re still trying to figure out how we managed to produce a giant of a child when I’m 5’3″ if I stand on my tip toes and the Mr. isn’t much taller than 5’7″.

4.  What’s the surest way for someone to pick a fight with you?

I think the surest way to pick a fight with me is to put me on the defensive.  Nothing makes me madder than being called lazy or whatnot.  I have confidence issues, and making me feel inadequate puts me in a defensive stance and is sure to stir my wrath.

5.  Broccoli-Spinach-String Beans-Peas…of the four, your favorite green veg? (Or the one you dislike the least if that first option’s too hard. I just know there’s some veggie haters out there.)

Honestly, I can tolerate all of the above; however, if I could choose to leave something off of my plate, I’d pick the peas.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I love a good split pea soup; however, eating peas on a plate…well, it’s not really my thing.

6.  March is National Women’s History Month…besides friends, neighbors and the women you’re related to, who’s a woman in history you admire and why?

I admire Corrie ten Boom, the wonderful saint of a lady who was held in a concentration camp during WWII.  She was a Christian whose family helped hide Jews.  They were ousted by a friend-turned-traitor.  Though her sister and father died in the camp, she never lost her faith.  When she was let go (due to a clerical error), she helped establish a home for others who had been in prison camps.  What endears her to me, though, is the way she forgive one of her guards when she came face-to-face with him after one of her speeches.  In one of her books, she wrote about actually choosing, in the moment he held out his hand to her, to forgive.

When I get to heaven, I first want to meet Jesus, and then I want to meet Corrie.  She completely inspired me when I first read her story when I was a teenager, and her legacy inspires me even today.

7.  Keep Calm and _KNIT_on.

Speaking of knitting…I went yarn shopping yesterday and picked up these glorious skeins…

Did I need them?  Nope.  Did I enjoy splurging?  You bet!

8.  My Random Thought

On Monday, I called a friend of mine who I taught with last year. She and I usually phone one another at least once a week to stay in touch. She’s 61…a solid twenty years older than me, but you’d never know it. It’s her second year teaching, just like me, so we have a lot in common.

I know that God brought us together last year for many reasons, one of which was because she’d gone through the alternative teaching certification program the year before I did. Without her empathy and support, I don’t know what I would have done.

Well, Jane is near the tail end of the Reading Endorsement certification program that I started in January.

Folks, I thought the other certification program was hard.

This reading program is a bear.

The first two classes aren’t bad, from what I hear. I just finished the first one, and it was pretty easy. I only had to redo one assignment. The third one, Assessment, nearly does everyone in. I’d never heard that much about the next one, Differentiation, except that Jane had mentioned that it was challenging. The fifth one, though, is something else, and Jane was eager to share her angst with me after completing her first assignment.

As I listened to her tell me the assignments were worse than any EPI (the other program) assignment, my heart fell, and I started feeling sick.

That’s what lies ahead for me, and I am dreading it.

It was so bad that I had to nap after we hung up, that’s how stressed I became.

I’ve been in school, almost non-stop, since 2006, and quite honestly, I am burned out. My brain is fried from all of the thinking I am constantly required to do.

And now, with this new program, I have to do that on top of create lesson plans for my own classes.  It’s no wonder that I sometimes boo hoo from exhaustion.

You could say that I had myself a grand old pity party, oh yes I did.

When I woke up from my nap, I made a decision.

I am not going to worry about the classes.

I’m an overachiever, yes I am, and I demand perfection from myself, yes I do.

However, God is going to be there for me WHEN I REACH THAT POINT. I had stupidly allowed myself to wallow around in stress over something that’s not even here yet!!

So, not only will I stress when my turn comes to do these assignments, but I’m WASTING time right now stressing over the future.

For a teacher, I can be pretty stupid sometimes.

So, I’m leaning on God’s promises and letting today worry about itself.

He brought me into this profession; I know that for certain.

He led me to the disadvantaged students who walk through my door each day. I also know this for certain.

He will strengthen my brain when the time comes and provide the assistance I need…WHEN I NEED IT.

Random thoughts? Yes. Deep? Yep. More life lessons for Nathalie though.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 7 Comments »

A Smorgasborg of Books

Posted on March 13, 2012 by auburnchick

I’ve been on a buying spree.

No, I haven’t been spending all of my hard-earned cash on lip gloss.

Wait.

I did buy one more tube.

Um.  Yeah.

No, seriously though, I bought something of more worth.

BOOKS!

I’ve been buying a few here and there, but over the last few days, I managed to pick up six books!!

First, I found these when I visited Books a Million…

They were on a clearance cart outside of the store with a sign that said Buy 2 Get 1 Free.

These days, I’m too busy to hunt for coupons, so a deal right in front of my face makes me happy.

The first book on the left, The Long Shot, immediately drew my attention.

Yes, you could say it was the picture of the tattooed hands…

I was instantly drawn in when I read the back cover.

It’s a story about a martial arts fighter and his trainer who travel to Mexico for one last fight.

I am sure that my students will love it.  I started reading it Sunday evening, and I just don’t want to put it down!  I’m about halfway finished and will do a book spotlight when we return to school after Spring Break.

The middle book is part of the Elm Creek Quilters series.  Yeah.  I know.  The third, which is why it was discounted.  Who cares.  A few years ago, I read a series of books that had quilting as its theme.  I have no idea if it was the same author…can’t even remember the names of the books.  I enjoyed those books, so I figured this would be good, clean reading for my students.  Of course, I’ll have to preview it by reading it.  😉

The third book is 29, and it’s about an 80-something year old grandmother who longs to trade places with her 29 year old granddaughter.  Through the magic of birthday wishes (think 13 going on 30 only in reverse), she gets her wish.

With my educator discount card, I got two of the books for $3.18 each, and the third was free!  Yay!

On Monday, I received an Amazon order I’d placed for the following books…

At the beginning of the year, I had a student in one of my classes who was an avid reader.  I quickly discovered that he did not belong in my class.  He wasn’t a struggling reader and had only been placed there because he was a transfer student, and the school didn’t have his records.  After he got placed in another class, he returned to me one day and said, “Mrs. AuburnChick, you have got to read this book.  It’s fantastic!”  He loaned me the middle book, The Dead and the Gone.  Though, technically, it’s the second in the series, it can be read before the first one, Life As We Knew It, without missing anything.  The third book needs to be read at the end.

The premise of this series is that an asteroid has hit the earth and caused catastrophic natural disasters that leave the main characters, teenagers, to take care of their families.  The first two books focus on one major character each (a girl and a guy).  In the third book, they meet up.

It’s a little like the movie The Day after Tomorrow, but I enjoyed reading about dealing with such a disaster from a teenager’s point of view.

Naturally, I’ll read the first and third books before putting them on my bookshelves, but I’ll introduce the second book to my kids.

One other book I just finished, which my friend Barb had purchased from the Reading Department’s money, was Split, by Swati Avasthi.

This was a good but tough read.  The main character is a 16 year old boy who gets kicked out when he steps in between a scene of physical abuse that his father is inflicting on his mother.  He fights back, hits his father, and leaves home.  On his way out, his mother hands him his brother’s address and promises to go to him at Thanksgiving.  His older brother, it should be noted, made a stealthy escape five years before and left no trace behind, save for a letter he sent his mother.

Jace, the teenager, finds his brother, moves in with him, and begins his life anew; however, he has secrets about what happened before he left his former home.

The story is told from Jace’s point of view, and it gives a very candid view of the lasting effects that abuse leaves on a child and how it affects that child afterward.  Jace is split between loyalty to his mother and the desire to begin afresh.  Split can also be taken to mean that Jace is split between not repeating the abusive behavior and becoming more like his brother, calm and controlled.

I read this book in two days and cannot wait to share it with my students!!

So, this is how I’ve been spending the first couple of days of Spring Break…reading books in preparation for getting my students excited about reading.  Comments such as, “Mrs. AuburnChick, I’ve never read as many books as I have since coming into this class” really motivate me to keep on keeping on.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Lip Service Love

Posted on March 12, 2012 by auburnchick

Did you go to church yesterday?

I did, and the sermon I heard was so very convicting and powerful that I wanted to give you the gist of it.

Tom, one of my church’s pastors, preached from John 14:15-26…

John 14:15-26

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Tom spoke about how, after he became a Christian, he discovered that a few of his closest friends were Christians already.  This surprised him for a couple of reasons.  First, they had never told him anything about Jesus.  Being a new Christian, Tom couldn’t wait to tell people about God’s redeeming love.  Another reason why he was surprised was that his friends’ lives were not reflecting the fact that they were Christians.  They were doing things that were not exactly Christ-like.

Thus, even though Tom was new in his faith, he felt a pull, confused with what he felt was true with what he was seeing acted out.

As he spoke, I thought about how many people I see, on a daily basis, who are Christians (or claim to be) yet live in ways that go contrary to the Lord’s teachings.

Then, I thought about myself.  What are the things that I do that confuse people.  Yes, I am a Christian, but what about the times when I get angry and yell?  What about the times I allow crass or profane language to exit my mouth (rare, but it does occasionally happen when I speak with close friends and am frustrated about something).

The question begs to be asked:  What evidence of Christ is there in a Christian’s life?

In the above verses, Jesus connects love with persistent obedience to his commands.  A lack of obedience indicates a lack of love.

Tough, eh?

Here’s the thing.  When you encounter Christ, you don’t get to walk away and live life as before.

We always hear sermons about God’s love for us and how He demonstrates that, but how often do we really hear about the role we should actively take in the relationship?

Staying obedient to God can be tough though…especially given that there’s no physical “presence” to hold us accountable.

It’s like being a parent or some other adult in authority who holds a child accountable.  An adult’s presence is sometimes enough to keep a child’s behavior in check.

However, before Jesus departed the earth, He told his disciples that He would be leaving another, the Holy Spirit, who would be a counselor…someone to walk beside us.

So, in reality, we DO have God with us, watching us, desiring that obedience, and watching closely as our decisions play out.  When you think you’re alone, you’re NOT!

That’s a convicting thought.

When I’m frustrated with my students and raise my voice, the Holy Spirit is there with me.

Sigh.

When I fuss at my own children or get angry with a stupid driver and throw my hands up in frustration, the Holy Spirit is there.

Sigh.

Genuine Christians have the Holy Spirit.  You receive Him as soon as you give your life over to Christ.

Hard but needed truths were spoken today.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get to heaven one day and be accused of paying lip service to God’s love.

What about you?

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: | Leave a comment »

« Previous Page — Next Page »