Friends

Here's pictures from my card club Tuesday night. I thought they turned out really cute. Such a fabulous group of friends. We had a lot of fun. Card club is always something I look forward to each month. The only one missing is Stephanie. She moved to Texas last year and still sends her cards each month. We miss her tons!Denise, Laura (my sister), and TrishaNicole, Cydne and Pam
Meridith and Me

Orange Almond Tea Cake

Last night I had my card club. This month everyone brought a dessert and a 6x6 recipe card for everyone, and also a Christmas gift to exchange. It was a lot of fun. It's always great to get together with my friends for a girl's night. The following recipe is the one I brought last night. It's delicious!


Orange Almond Tea Cake

3 tablespoons milk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 ½ cups flour
¾ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter
2 cups orange juice

Heat oven to 350. Brush 3 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans with butter, and dust with flour. Whisk together milk, eggs, and almond extract. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the room temperature butter and half the egg mixture, and beat to combine. Scrape down sides and add remaining egg mixture, beating to combine. Spoon batter into prepared pans and smooth surfaces with a spatula. Bake about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes on a wire rack. Turn out of pans and cool completely. Meanwhile, pour orange juice into a small saucepan and set over mediumheat. Let simmer until liquid is reduced by half and is thick and syrupy, about 40 minutes. Remove from heat, cool, and pour over cake.

Thanksgiving Fun

Tomorrow after work I'm heading with my parents down to St. George. We'll be staying in their house this weekend until Sunday. Thursday we're going to Las Vegas to spend Thanksgiving with some childhood friends of my dad's. Never met them before, but I've heard they're great people. I'm looking forward to going somewhere warmer than here, and relaxing this weekend.

My classroom is freezing today! The past few days when I get here in the morning it's ice cold as I walk in my room. Our custodian is thinking it's broken, cause the heat isn't turning on when he turns the temperature up. I think I'll be leaving my coat on for a while so I don't freeze to death. Luckily I only have one more week in the room until I go off track. I just hope it doesn't get any colder than it is, or we might be warmer having class outside.

Excellent Date!

My date on Friday turned out fabulous! We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Yummy! Then on to see James Bond at Jordan Commons. He's adorable and a ton of fun to talk to. Did I mention that he's taller than me? Just by a few inches maybe, but still, that's taller. I didn't get home until after midnight, was quite tired since I'd had conferences the same week. But it was all definitely worth it. He's a great guy, and we're probably going out again. It really felt kinda weird at first to be going on a date with someone besides Matt. He got divorced recently, just like me, so we had some of that stuff in common, which was kinda funny. He's so easy to be around, that it wasn't too awkward. It's nice to have someone to talk to, relate with on certain things, and feel comfortable being myself around.

Looking Forward to the Weekend

I signed up for LDS Singles Online about a month ago, mostly just for entertainment value more than anything. I haven't been all that into meeting people or really wanting to. I've been getting a bunch of emails and such from different people, but something is always wrong with them, well in my opinion anyway. I seem extra picky, not saying it's a bad thing, I just find something wrong with everyone. Too annoying, too pushy, not aggressive enough, too old, not old enough, not tall enough, not cute enough.

About a week ago I started chatting with a guy, cute by the way. I don't talk to people without pictures. Haha. Someone who actually wasn't annoying me, and I wasn't finding things wrong with yet. He's actually been meeting most of my criteria, so far. We talked on the phone the next night, and he even sounded normal. Amazing. We ended up talking for 3 hours that night, 1 the next, and so on. We've talked every night since. It's fun getting to know him and finding someone I enjoy talking to. We're going out this coming Friday to dinner and a movie. I am a little nervous, but kind of excited to meet up and put a real face with the voice. I'll have to give an update when it's all over.

Great Flick

I'm so excited for this movie to come out on DVD today! I'm headed over the the WalMart after school to buy it. Hooray! I saw this in the theaters with my mom a few months ago and loved it, so of course I've been waiting for it to come out. If you haven't seen this one, I'd recommend it. It's a great chick flick.

100 Things

This is a fun one. Just copy it into your own blog and bold the items that you've done. Fun stuff.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band- Does color guard count? Ya know, the people that twirl the flags?
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted- I had my portrait sketched. That's close.
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own

I've done 41 things. Not too bad I guess.

High School Memories

All about High School...

1. DID YOU DATE SOMEONE FROM YOUR SCHOOL? Yes, nothing serious though.

2. WHAT KIND OF CAR DID YOU DRIVE? I didn't usually drive a car to school.

3. DID YOU PASS YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE TEST YOUR FIRST TRY? Yes

4. WHERE YOU A PARTY ANIMAL? Not really. Had my close group of friends that I'd do stuff with.

5. WERE YOU CONSIDERED A FLIRT? Sometimes

6. WERE YOU IN BAND, ORCHESTRA, OR CHOIR? Nope. Does Color Guard count?

7. WERE YOU A NERD? I hope not. Maybe some people thought I was. :)

8. WERE YOU ON ANY VARSITY TEAMS? Nope

9. DID YOU EVER GET SUSPENDED/EXPELLED? Nope

10. CAN YOU STILL SING THE FIGHT SONG? nope

11. WHO WERE YOUR FAVORITE TEACHERS? Can't remember names very well anymore. Probably my English teacher.

12. WHERE DID YOU SIT FOR LUNCH? On the floor by my locker. Sometimes outside.

13. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S FULL NAME? Brighton High School

14. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S MASCOT AND COLORS? Bengals. Blue and orange.

15. DID YOU GO TO HOMECOMING AND WITH WHO? Nope

16. IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND DO IT AGAIN WOULD YOU? Some things yes. Other things no.

17. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT GRADUATION? It was raining and started lightening and thundering. It was outside on the football field so it was really quick so we could get out before the storm hit. After I had some friends over and we ordered pizza, watched movies, and had a sleepover.

18. WHERE DID YOU GO SENIOR SKIP DAY? I don't remember

19. WERE YOU IN ANY CLUBS? PLT. Peer Leadership Team

20. HAVE YOU GAINED SOME WEIGHT SINCE THEN? Some, yes. Not exactly a size 4 anymore.

21. WHO WAS YOUR PROM DATE? Jeff

22. ARE YOU PLANNING ON GOING TO YOUR 10 YEAR REUNION? Nope. I didn't really have any desire to see most of those people.

23. DID YOU HAVE A JOB IN HIGH SCHOOL? Nope

I tag: Anyone who wants to play!!

Scary Spider Alert

Last night I went to visit a good friend of mine. On my way home, in the dark, on the freeway, inside my car, a scary spider started crawling down from the ceiling right in front of me. I'm deathly afraid of spiders, if you didn't know this already. I screamed bloody murder, and began looking for ways to get out of the car and away from the spider. Remember how I'm on the freeway? My exit is coming up soon, but not soon enough. Luckily I didn't crash my car in the process. As I was screaming, the spider crawled back up and onto the windshield. Somewhat better since it wasn't hanging in front of my face, but now I was worried it would get lost in the car and I'd never be able to safely get in again. I found a water bottle next to me, and decided to try and squish it with that. By this point I'm now exiting the freeway, not very conscious of other cars around me. Oh geez, I was quite lucky I didn't get in an accident. I smeared the spider with the bottle, and chucked it out the window. Sorry, I usually don't litter, but with a spider now attached to the water bottle I wasn't about to leave it in my car. Ick!

I pulled into a Shopko and jumped out. I was still worried that there was a half alive spider somewhere in my car. I was quite paranoid still, and couldn't stop thinking he was still alive somewhere. I think this drive home was the longest ever. I couldn't get home fast enough or out of the car quick enough. Maybe now would be the time to trade in my car for a new, spider free, one?

Blah Ditty Blah Blah

Today is going to be one of those days. I woke up this morning to an overcast sky and rain pouring down. I'm not the greatest morning, not a morning person at all actually. I miss the sunshine when I don't see it all day. Of course I enjoy a rainy, cloudy day every now and then to cuddle up with a blanket and turn my fireplace on. However, today is not one of those days. I didn't want to go to work in the rain, knowing it was going to be an inside day. It better stop by lunchtime for these little kiddies to go out and get their wiggles out. I feel more down and dreary today. I need something to cheer me up. I guess we all have days like this, hopefully it'll pass soon.

Sad Days

My Uncle, that I mentioned in a previous post passed away last Thursday. They had a funeral service for him yesterday in Arizona, and will be having a funeral service here on Friday, as well as the burial. It was quite a shock to all of us that he passed so quickly, though I guess it's not always easy to let loved ones go. I can't comprehend how people who do not believe in the hereafter can cope and deal with losing loved ones, not believing they will ever see them again. I'm so grateful for my beliefs and the hope and comfort we all can receive at such times.

Animal Crackers in My Soup.....

How adorable are these circus cookie cutters? They look like so much fun and easy to use. Check them out here. I love Williams-Sonoma. I think I could spend a fortune at that store. I'm really wanting these cute cookie cutters and thinking I should add them to my Christmas list. It's not too early, right? After all, Santa is always watching.

Pumpkin Dessert

Tonight is my card club. This month it's at my house. We're to have made Fall cards (Halloween, birthday, whatever). I'll try and post a picture of mine later. They're fun. I'm always excited for card club nights, but it's also great to have everyone come to my house and be able to make something fun for dessert. I was glad to have this month since I'm going to make my favorite pumpkin dessert. Yummy! Perfect time of year for this kind of treat. The recipe is below. Try it out and let me know what you think.

Pumpkin Dessert

1 lg can Easy Pumpkin mix
1 sm can evaporated milk
2 eggs
Mix together & spread into 9x13" pan.

Melt 1 cube butter
Mix into 1 pkg yellow or white cake mix.
Crumble on top of pan.

Bake 45min-1 hr at 350 degrees.

Serve warm with ice cream! :)

Fare Thee Well Dear Friend

Has anyone else heard this. Mother's cookies has gone bankrupt and closed. What?! No more frosted circus animals? No more yummy cookies? No more different colors for holidays? Those are my favorite. The world must be coming to an end.

Lookie What I Got

Remember how my sister gave me a gift card to Aeropostale. Well, lookie what I got this weekend. I headed over to the Aeropostale in Jordan Landing on Friday to find something fun to get. I found this fabulous white hoodie, only they didn't have it in my size. I had the sales girl call other stores for me, but no one had any. Blast! Just my luck. I went home and checked online, thinking maybe my luck hadn't quite run out yet. Nope, no white ones. But I did find this just as adorable black hoodie. It's got faux fur inside the body and hood. How fun and cozy is that? I called all the stores, and finally found one at Fashion Place. I had them put it on hold until Saturday.

My Friday night wasn't the best I've had, considering everything went wrong. Let just say I forgot to bring my gift card when I went over to pick up the hoodie. Sure was glad they were holding it until Saturday. I finally made the trek again Saturday afternoon and purchased it. Thanks Laura, Greg and kiddies for helping make my purchase. Hooray!! I'm now looking forward to some cold weather so I can sport this baby.

And it Goes On....

I just received another birthday present from a great friend of mine. I love when your birthday is spread out. I think it's fun to get presents on different days, and not all at once. It definitely draws out the excitement and fun.

Has anyone else seen this movie? I love it. It's such a great chick flick. I think I'll be enjoying this one tonight. If you haven't seen it I'd suggest renting it. Fun flick.

Win a Purse!

I'm quite the purse addict. Click here and you can enter to win a free handbag. Hurry and do it now. You may enter more than once if you post it on your blog, or send to friends.

Fantastic Weekend

I had a great "birthday" weekend. Hooray! Friday night I went to Red Lobster. Yummy, I love fishes. Saturday night I went with my mom to Zupas for soup and sandwiches, and then we went back to her house and watched a good chick flick. Sunday we had my family birthday dinner at my parents house. I got some fabulous gifts from everyone.
I got this sandwich maker from my brother and sister in law. I love me some grilled cheese. Mmmm!
These cute shoes I've been wanting since forever, plus a fun Christmas plate I've been wanting since last year from my parents. Yay!!
This adorable stamp set and a $10 gift card to Aeropostale from my sister and her family. How spoiled am I?!

Thank you to everyone that wished me a great birthday. I have such wonderful friends and I feel so loved.

It's My Birthday Today!

I have the cutest kid's in the world this year! As they came in this morning after the bell rang, a bunch of them had got me birthday presents. How sweet! I got a plant, some lotion, chocolate, etc. I feel so loved. It's cute how excited they get to give you things or make little cards or pictures. I treasure some of those cute letters and homemade gifts.

Tonight I'm going to dinner with some great friends. I'm so grateful that my friends have been so supportive for me at this time. Some days are still hard for me of course, and it's great to know I have such wonderful, caring friends that are there in my times of need!!

Who Would've Thought

As some of you know I'm not the "sewing" kind of gal. Growing up I dabbled in cross stitch, crocheting and those hook rug things, but that's about as far as my expertise would stretch. There are many projects that I never finished because I would get too impatient that it wasn't done or I just found it too boring. I commend those of you that do enjoy sewing, etc. My sister and mom are huge fans of quilts and such. They have their own sewing machines and find it relaxing and enjoyable to work on things. I however am not one of those people.

About a month ago I went with my mom to the fabric store. Let me just add that this was a great feat in itself, I dread going to such places. Walking around with my mom I was admiring the cute holiday fabrics. They had the most adorable Halloween panel thingy. My mom was saying how you could quilt it, put backing on it, and it could be a wall hanging that could be finished in short amount of time. This was definitely not one of those intricate, piecing, laboring, fancy schmancy quilts that would take me decades and then some to complete. Who knows what got into me, but I found an interest in it, and bought it. I spent 2 weeks of my time while I was off track working with the help of my mom to sew it all together. It's now hanging in the hallway of my house. It's quite my accomplishment.

My sister has found it quite entertaining that I made a quilt, considering I've been quite vocal about how much I hate to sew, and it's boring, blah blah. I bought myself another panel thing to quilt, this one being a Christmas one that will hang on my inside closet door at the top of the stairs. Who would've thought I'd like doing such things. But don't think I'm going to become an addict now, my sewing experience will be coming to an end after this Christmas one. I don't think I'd have the patience or interest to do too much of this stuff. I'll have to take a picture when I get home from work today and post a picture of my Halloween quilt.

It's All About the 8

I found this on Natalie's blog. Fun stuff.

8 Favorite TV Shows
1. Lost
2. The Office
3. Dancing with the Stars
4. Priviledged
5. Rachael Ray
6. 90210
7. CSI
8. Gilmore Girls
9. International House Hunters
10. Hidden Potential

8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Cafe Rio
2. Training Table
3. Chilis
4. Red Lobster
5. P.F. Changs
6. Pei Wei
7. McGraths Fish House
8. Rumbi
9. Kneaders
10. Zupas

8 Things That Happened Yesterday
1. Alarm went off WAY too early
2. Texts with some favorite people
3. Went to work
4. Realized how much I love my class compared to others
5. Dad came to hang up my Halloween on the wall (hooray, I'll have to post pictures)
6. Ashlie and Garrett came to visit (of course Laura came too....)
7. Went to Chik-fil-a with Ashlie and Garrett (not sure how to spell that)
8. Watched Dancing with the Stars. Love it!
9. Went to Barnes and Noble with Laura
10. Went to sleep by 11pm. Hooray!

8 Things to Look Forward to
1. My birthday in one more week!
2. Going to St. George this weekend
3. Not going to school on Friday because of before mentioned #2
4. Going off track in December
5. UEA holiday in another weekish
6. Hopefully getting recessed lights above my couch soon
7. Oh crap, I'm running out of things
8. Yup, definitely ran out

8 Things I Love About Fall
1. Cooler weather
2. Perfect for jackets, but not too freezing yet
3. Cuddling up with blankies
4. I can get away with drinking hot chocolate without being made fun of
5. It's almost time for my birthday
6. Opening the windows in the evening to cool off the house
7. Leaves changing colors
8. Oh, and did I mention my birthday

8 Things on My Wish List
1. Making healthy dinner at night, even though it's just for me
2. Working out
3. Organize my craft room
4. No more scary spiders surprising me first thing in the morning
5. Find a new cell phone
6. Meet more people in my neighborhood
7. Wake up on time in the morning, so I'm not in such a rush
8. Make my cards for card club before the last minute

8 People I Tag
1. Liz
2. Angie
3. Arianne
4. Kim
5. Julie
6. Brekke
7. Erin
8. And everyone else who wants to. Go for it!

How I Hate Fire Drills

This morning started out as a crappy morning. I woke up with a tummy ache. I couldn't eat breakfast, just the thought made me want to puke. I had one of those emotional moments. Everything was making me want to cry. Seriously, what is up with that?

Coming to school I forgot my ID badge and had to go back out to my car, I didn't want to be locked out you see, that would just be my luck today. Then I was reminded we have a fire drill. Ugh! I hate those so much. They terrify me I tell you, it's the loudest, most obnoxious noise ever. It makes me jump about a mile every time, even when I know it's coming. It's now over of course, so I'm hoping my day can start getting better. Maybe my tummy will feel better by lunch. Wish me luck.

Back to School Again

Here I am at school, suppose to be working on my classroom and getting ready for my cute kiddies on Monday. To give myself credit, I have got a ton done today. Yesterday afternoon as a team we moved the other teacher's furniture into the closet and all of my stuff where I wanted it. Hooray! It's so great getting help moving things where I want them. This morning I worked with a vengeance on getting all my things on the walls and start planning for the coming week. I think I lost steam about an hour ago. Now I want to go visit my favorite niece and nephew or just play for the rest of the day like I have been for the past 3 weeks. Sometimes I struggle getting back into things. Oh geez, wish me luck.

Movies Anyone??

I'm off track for the next 3 weeks. Hooray! I love being off track. Catching up with errands, relaxing, playing with my niece and nephew. Great times! This past weekend I went with my dad to find my TV. I've been looking for a nice big one to fit in my family room for quite a while. It's on a payment plan, so I'll have 6 months interest free. This is the one we got. It's a 42 inch, Panasonic Plasma. I love it!! It fits great above my fireplace in the cubby thing, and I'm loving the big screen. Anyone wanna come over and watch some movies? Now I'll have to work on changing my Dish satellite receiver for an HD one....hmmm...that'll be my next project.

Midnight Sun

Has everyone heard this news about Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer? I was checking her website earlier and found it. I felt bad for her for such a betrayal. I'm quite sad that we won't be getting another book from Edwards perspective, but you can read the first 12 chapters on her website.

Why?!

My Uncle Jerry, that I mentioned in my previous post has Sarcoma. He will be going in for surgery to remove the fast growing tumors in his abdomen. He was so malnourished from throwing up and not being able to keep any food down that he was hospitalized and given an IV before the surgery could take place. Jerry is not much older than my mom, and it's quite upsetting that someone still so young, in my mind, would have to go through such a thing. I can only imagine what his own family is going through right now.

Ouchie Ouch!

This morning as I was putting in my contacts my right one was having some issues. I took it out a few times and rinsed it off, inspected it, found nothing wrong with it and put it back in. I should've got the clue and given up after about the 3rd time. Well, I went to school thinking it would figure itself out and stop bugging me already. Nope, as of now it is still freaking out. It feels like I've got something in there, only I don't.

Lucky for me I live close enough to work that I'm going to run home during lunch and take these babies out and change to glasses. I'm somewhat not too excited about the idea of wearing my glasses since I think I look like a dork, but I guess it's better than being miserable all day, right?

UPDATE: I went home for lunch. Oh boy what a fiasco. First of all the road was shut off because of some accident or something, which made me have to go a completely different way, which took an extra 15 minutes. I barely had time to eat, put on my glasses and go the bathroom before I was rushing out again. Then on my drive back my mom called with news that my uncle has been hospitalized. They found growths in his lower abdomen and who knows where else and they're worried it's cancer. He's been extremely sick the past month, which I guess gave them the clue. Oh geez. This day needs to be over, and quickly.

Don't Cry Over.....a Broken Clock?

The other night I had my parents over for dinner. My dad was working on my TV, trying to get the Dish wires to understand that yes, it was connected to a phone line. I moved this anniversary clock over that I got for my wedding from 2 of my uncles. I wasn't so bright since I stuck it on the ledge. It toppled over, and the wires for the bottom spinning thing of course snapped off.

Now the question is, do I order a new one to replace it, or just say too bad so sad, and save my money for something else? I'm sad since I really liked it, and it's sentimental coming from my uncles. It's only about $35, so not too expensive, but what would you do?

UPDATE: I found out it would be just as expensive to fix it at a clock shop as it would to buy a new one. I found one that I ordered online for $39 including shipping. That's not too bad, right? I've really missed my clock and hope it comes soon.

Photobucket Challenge

Anyone can have fun like this.
No tag necessary.

1. Go to photobucket.com
2. Type in your answer.
3. Pick an image you like.
4. Copy the html and paste here.

Favorite Hobby



Favorite TV Show




Crush when you were 15





What did I want to do when I grew up




Favorite Day





Name ONE song you sing along to





Favorite Drink





Favorite Food



Favorite Dessert



Favorite Place





Favorite Movie





Favorite Film Star









Favorite Book



Where you want to visit




Favorite Color

These Boots Were Made for Walkin'...

How cute are these shoes? I've always liked Sketchers, and these look fun and wintry, not to mention quite comfy. It makes me anxious for the change of seasons again. I know I probably already have more shoes than the normal person, but hey, I'm not exactly normal right? hehe. I'm just thinking these look like some great shoes for standing and walking all day. Once again I wish they weren't quite so expensive.

Sigh, I wish I wasn't such a shoes, purse, etc. etc. fanatic. I could seriously spend my entire budget on such fun items. It's a good thing I have some self control, most of the time anyway. I think I might have to be saving for a little birthday present, to me from me.

Girl's Night Out

Last night my momma and I went to see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. We had a great girl's night, gotta love those. I love the first one and was very excited when I saw the previews of this one. My mom came over for dinner and then we headed out to the movie. Very cute! We also loved that there were like 10 people including us in the theater, that's always the best way to see a movie. No stupid, obnoxious loud talkers sitting behind us this time. I would recommend it to those of you that have seen the first one. And if you haven't, go out there and rent it. The books are also a great read if you haven't tried them. Find the first one here.

Scentsy Party Coming Soon

I'm having a Scentsy party in a few weeks. Thursday, September 4th at 7:00pm to be exact. If you're reading this, count yourself invited (let me know if you want directions to my place, or more details). I'm seriously so excited! I think I've become addicted to the stuff and need lots and lots more. I heard their new catalog is coming out the first of September, just in time for my party. Hooray! Check out their website here.

Dream a Little Dream

My mom called me last night about a fun catalog she got in the mail with some cute skirts. Here's the website. I especially loved this skirt. Who couldn't use a new denim skirt, right? I really like the black denim, I sorta already have a skirt in the basic denim, though they're both so very cute. And how fun that it's a pencil skirt, love those. I'm just wishing it wasn't so blasted expensive. Oh well, I can dream, right?

Yummy Cupcakes

I love the Verve Visual website. It's got such cute stamps, and not too expensive either. My sister gave me some for my birthday last year. I've become addicted since then. How cute are these cupcake do it yourself stamps? You can find them here.

These babies just might be going on my birthday "want" list. I'm already thinking up fun ideas of cards I could make with them. Too much fun, and delicious besides!

What Have I Done?

Yesterday morning as I was walking around and getting things ready for school to start I got horrible pains in my lower back. I didn't do anything, just normal walking and moving. All day I was in major pain, not being able to sit, stand or do much without hurting. I seriously thought I would cry a few times. I was so thankful that I live so close to my school. I thought I just might die having to drive home. I spent most of the evening lying in bed and not moving. As long as I was horizontal it gave me some relief. I was taking Motrin ever 4 hours, icing off and on, anything to help me feel better. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much last night. Anytime I'd slightly move it'd wake me up. Ugh!

I'm still hurting today, and I'm so frustrated not knowing what's wrong with me! I found out it helps somewhat to walk. If I stay in one spot too long I'm in pain. But as long as I'm on the go (or lying down of course), it's better. Strange.

Breaking Dawn

I finished Breaking Dawn today. I was quite disappointed in myself that it took me a whole week to get it read, I'm usually much better at that. I liked it overall. I wanted some things to go differently than how they did, but it was a good book, and I'm glad that I read it. I would recommend the Twilight series to any of you who have not read them yet. They're great, fast read, books.

Love Pier 1 Imports

Hooray! I made the trek up to Park City this weekend, and bought my beautiful pillows. It was quite the trip, mind you, since everyone else in the world seemed to be up there as well. Not to mention I had to be back before 4pm, when they were closing the bottom of the canyon, and then I would forced to take the LONG route around. I did make it however, unscathed by those other "back to school shoppers" and I'm so happy and excited that I got my pillows. I love them, and they look so great on my couch. What do you think?

Need Pillows

I've been in search of red throw pillows for my chocolate colored leather couch. My sister told me quite some time ago that Pier 1 had some really cute red ones. Of course it took me until yesterday to make my way over there. I found the cutest pillow ever, but they only had 1, and I need 4. They don't have them anywhere else in Salt Lake. The closest I think they said were in Park City, or St. George. Here they are, and that's a picture of it up above. What do you think? I sure wish they had a way of shipping them to me or something, it'd make life so much easier.

What's Your Definition?

Melanie --

[adjective]: Sexually stunning

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Thanks Natalie! This was fun. Try it out for yourself here. And let me know what your definition is.

Hate Mondays

I feel like such a whiner sometimes. I'm sure you read my blog and think, oh my gosh!! How boring and pathetic is this girl?! Seriously though, I've already come to terms with that. Today is one of my Crap days. I've been having so many good days recently, I guess it was about time for a downer.

I didn't sleep well last night, tossed and turned, had strange dreams that kept waking me up, was too hot, then too cold...etc. etc. I woke up this morning and started crying, definitely not a great way to start out my day. I seriously considered calling my mom while I was getting ready (I hate being alone when I cry). It helps sometimes to just talk to someone on the phone, or have someone over to keep me company, ya know?

Tonight we're celebrating my dad's and Natalee's (my brother's wife) birthdays. We're going up the canyons for a bbq. Sounds fun, right? Well, I'm not so much in the mood for it. Holidays are hard for me, I shouldn't be complaining because this isn't really a holiday like Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc. that really really suck, but it's still hard to celebrate things on my own right now. I feel like such a loser sometimes when I whine or complain about things, or even when I start crying randomly and uncontrollably. Thanks for putting up with me and for those of you that actually made it through reading this post. What great friends you are!

Happy Days

I know, 3 posts in one day, I must be sick or something. Haha. I'm so much happier this year with our wonderful 3rd grade team. I still can't believe this will be my 8th year in teaching. I feel like I'm getting old or something. We've got 3 new teachers this year, and I must say how absolutely darling they all are. I have a much better feeling about our team this year, hooray. It's nice to have new teachers that are already fitting in and trying their hardest. I just love them! It'll be a relief to not have problems and contention in our grade. I was having a hard enough time dealing with my personal life, not to mention problems with work life as well. I'm so happy the ways things are starting to turn around and get better, or at least heading in the right direction in all aspects of my life.

So Excited!

I'm so very excited that Breaking Dawn in coming out tomorrow!!! I got a gift card from one of my student's last year to Barnes and Noble and will be using that to get my book tomorrow. I was thinking about doing the camping out thing tonight at midnight, only being as exhausted as I am today from my long week, I'm not sure if I'd be able to stay awake that long.

I decided to re read the 3 previous Twilight books to refresh my memory in preparation. With this week being so crazy with school I haven't had a lot of time to read. I'm almost done with Eclipse, and I hope to finish it before tomorrow morning. Anyone else as excited as I am?

Back to School

I think time seems to get away from me sometimes and then I realize I haven't posted in quite a while. School started this past Monday. I miss last year's kids, but I'm enjoying getting to know these new cuties. I've got some really sweet ones (so far anyway). I'm trying to whip them into shape this week, get them used to my rules and discipline. The first week of school always seems to last so long for teacher's. I'm so glad it's Friday so I can sleep, sleep, sleep this weekend. I definitely need to catch up on some of my sleep deprived nights I've been having. Crazy times.

Last night we had Back to School Night. I hate having to stay here until 8pm, but it's a nice opportunity to meet all the parent's and get to know more about my kiddies. Sadly, last night, I only had 6 parents show up, out of 25. Goodness!! I am B track, which is usually the smallest turn out, but still, 6? I don't remember ever having that few. This year I have a whopping 18 girls and 7 boys in my class. Don't quite know how I feel about that. I love girl's of course, but sometimes they can be so dramatic and such that I'm not too thrilled about having a class mainly made up of girls. Wish me luck.

My Days

I don't know what it is with me lately. I seem to have a lot more of the "down" days recently. Maybe it's because my divorce is almost final, maybe it's because I hate change, maybe it's because things don't seem to be going my way, or maybe it's just because and there is no specific reason.

Some days I just have a bad day and am very emotional and sensitive and just don't really want to have to deal with people. It seems random things can trigger bad days as well.

Sometimes I feel trapped and unsure what to do or what to feel. I don't always know what will make me happy anymore. It's almost as if I've forgotten myself at times. I was so caught up for so long with "fixing" and worrying about everyone and everything else I sorta lost myself in the process. Maybe it's about time I started taking care and thinking of me first. Whether that means I have those heartrending, aching days or just days to find out small things that will make me happy again.

Not sure what it is about this song, but every time I hear it, it touches me and usually makes me cry. I don't know if it's a good thing or not that I can relate to it somewhat, but here ya go anyway.

Theater People

Have I ever mentioned how people just annoy me? Seriously, I don't know if it's just my attitude, or what, but people get on my nerves and I get quite pissy at times. The other night I went with my parents to see Hancock. We really enjoyed it. I was unsure at first since I hadn't heard much about it, but I would definitely see it again. I really like Will Smith.

Once the movie started this couple sitting behind me immediately started being annoying. They were Asian, probably in their 40's or 50's, and this stupid lady couldn't shut up talking to her husband. Not just whispering, but full out talking. I turned around a few times to glare and give her a hint, but I just don't think she got it. I started adding "Shhhh" or "Shut up" to my glares, which also didn't sink in. Other people around me were also getting quite annoyed. Then she would kick my seat or stick her foot on it or something. Moron!

After the movie, during the credits we started to leave, but it had another little scene. Most people were sitting back in their seats, I decided to stand, directly in front of this lady (I know I was directly in front of her cause I turned around a few times to make sure she couldn't see) Ha! See how do you like that you little beeotch!

I've Been Tagged

I've kinda fallen off the face of the earth the past few weeks since school ended. I'm trying to catch up on everyone's blog, and haven't got around to posting much on mine. Brekke tagged me with this a while ago so I'm finally getting around to it today. Here are pictures from my townhouse.
Here's one of my bathrooms. I have 2, but the other one, my master bedroom one, is more complicated to take a picture of with the glare of the sun and the layout and whatnot.
This is my walk-in closet that I love love love so much! It's fabulous that I can finally see what clothes and pants I do have to wear each day.
And yes, those are ALL of my shoes. My brother-in-law laughed at me and said if my shoes didn't fit on all of those shelves I definitely had some issues. So see Greg, they do all fit and none are on the floor. Haha!
This is my super awesome new washer and dryer. Can I just say how much I love them! And see, I didn't clean up before I took the picture, the drawer thing on my washer is still open from doing a wash earlier.


Here is my new fridge (not that I wanted to buy one if you remember, but since the other one died I didn't have much of a choice).

The inside of my fridge is somewhat scary to me. It doesn't have a lot of tasty choices to choose from, unless you want a frozen meal. It's all about quick and easy at times right? But do you notice my two apples, I can be healthy when I chose to be.
This is my kitchen sink, obviously. It was sorta difficult to find an angle where the sun wouldn't wash it all out.

This was fun to do. And I didn't do any cheating by cleaning up beforehand, I swear! I tag Liz, Jori, Jan, and whoever else wants to do it.

Memories

Here is a fun little game...Leave a comment on my blog of a memory that you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if you've known me for a short time, or a long time, anything you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Oat-Rageous Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these cookies a while ago when I had a card club party at my place. They're delicious. Liz asked me for this recipe, and I remembered to go look for it the other night. Here it is. Enjoy!

Oat-Rageous Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup oats
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars; beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Makes 6 dozen cookies.

I Ordered It!

I'm so, so, so excited for Breaking Dawn, the 4th book in the Twilight series, to come out on August 2nd. I ordered it this morning on Amazon. I seriously love that place. I love that if you order $25 or more it's free shipping, and I love that you don't pay tax. They have such great prices on most things. Has anyone read The Host, also by Stephenie Myer? I've loved the Twilight series, but have heard mixed reviews about The Host.

Day O' Sun

Yesterday our school had field day. Each grade was given about 45 minutes to play on those blow up toy things. The kid's have a blast of course. The 3rd grade time was 1:15-2:00. Needless to say it was stinkin' hot outside. Not being the smartest person I didn't think about putting sunscreen on my arms and feet and such. Yes, I know, I'm stupid. I wear spf 25 on my face each morning, so at least I didn't have to worry about that.

At the end of the day for an hour a few teachers from our grade also had a water day. Each teacher was in charge of a water game, and then the students would rotate. I was ready to take a very cold shower by the time my day was over. Last night my arms and feet went from pink, to red, to really red. Ouchie! I ran over to WalMart and got me some Aloe Vera, ahhh....much better for the few minutes it took before it soaked in. I didn't sleep much during the night, since every time I'd move I'd wake myself up in pain. I hate being stupid.

Book Swap

Hooray, my book from Heidi came today!! The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear is such a darling story. I'd never read it before yesterday. It made me laugh and smile and I'm excited to read it to my students today. Thanks so much Heidi for such a great book. You and your daughter made a wonderful choice.