Ten Things Tuesday

1. Gradequick~ Yes, I know this is a random thing to be thankful for, but I have realized recently just how fortunate I am to not have to tally my own grades. I have been reading Up the Down Staircase, which was published back in the 1970's by a high school English teacher, Bel Kaufman. It's amazing how much her life mimics my own! But what amazes me most is how much time she spent (besides grading essays) on figuring grades. It has given me such a fresh appreciation for the technology that not only figures my grades, but weights my tests, averages each term, and sends my grades to parents, all with a few mouse clicks.

2. I am thankful that my classroom is conveniently located across from two men, both of whom I can always rely on to kill the bugs that are always lurking behind whatever I am rearranging.

3. I am thankful that we didn't have any snow days to make up.

4. I am thankful that school is out for the summer, and that I have about two months to regroup, reevaluate, and revise my lessons and units.

5. I am thankful that along with doing the above, I have two months to read, lay out, watch the Today Show, drink iced tea, work out, and do things on my time.

6. I am thankful for our dishwasher. After not having one for the first three years of our marriage, I am amazed weekly at how easy it is to load it, turn it on, and then unload it. Magic!

7. I am thankful for the public library (actually, here in Searcy, the sign currently says Pubic Library, which sends me into giggles every time). It's not the best library I've ever used, but it usually has at least a few of the books on my reading list. And that saves a little money!

8. I am thankful for the rain, because it has made everything so green. As my friend Shannon observed, "This must be what Ireland looks like!" Well, maybe not exactly, but close.

9. I am thankful for the firefly show we have been having in our back field every night! It is simply AMAZING. It looks like something Disneyland would create, only better, because it's God's light show! The fireflies are EVERYWHERE, and it's just magical. I have tried to take pictures, but it just doesn't do it justice.

10. Finally, I am thankful for being a child of God. I am thankful for the avenue of prayer so that I can talk to him whenever I want. I am thankful for the struggles, however tough they may be, because they bring me closer to Him. He has blessed me so much.

A Post from Bailey

I have had such a tiring day! Mom, Dad, and Uncle Garret worked all day in the house and outside, and I spent the whole day supervising their progress! I had to make sure that they have everything perfect for my Grandpa and Grandma's first visit in a year! It was very hot outside, and between the heat and all my supervising, I got very hot. This is how I cooled down:

And then I spotted a pretty sunset:


I have been so tired tonight that I have taken over the recliner:


Whew! What a day! Good night everybody!

More Favorites

1. My Earring Holder~ I got this from Hallmark when I was working there, and I am starting to run out of room! I love it though~ I can see all my earrings all at once, and they don't get tangled with other jewelry. I have some necklaces on there, but I keep most of those on a hanger (see second pic). Eventually, I would like to get one of these mirrored jewelry cases. Then I would have a full-length mirror and a ton of jewelry storage all in one!




2. Bed Head After Party: I have only been using this for about 4 months, but I love it! I told Tiffany (my hair girl) that I needed something to smooth my hair without making it greasy, and she recommended this. And she was right! I put it on the ends of my hair right after I get out of the shower, and my hair is much less frizzy and fro-like because if it. And it doesn't get oily like most hair products do. Plus, it smells really good!

T.G.I.S.

Thanks goodness it's SUMMER!

Here are a few things I am thinking about today:

1. I love cleaning out my classroom. It's so... liberating. Except for finding brown recluse spiders... I don't love that.
2. My husband is THE BEST. He gave me last-day-of-school flowers, and is making me dinner as we speak!
3. The Goody's Memorial Day Sale is really good.
4. I am really looking forward to catching up on my sleep.
5. I take it as a good sign for the future that Shannon's kids seem to genuinely like me.
6. My in-laws will be here in 48 hours and my house is in complete disarray.
7. I wish the humidity would wait just a little longer to rear it's ugly head.
8. I am not as squeamish as you would think: I watched every minute of my toe procedure!
9. August Rush has been sitting on top of our TV for over a month. We should probably watch it soon.
10. I am really looking forward to this summer. I think it's going to be great. I am enrolled in two grad courses: British Romantic Poetry and Foundation in P-12 curriculum, which is an online course. Other than classes, I plan to spend my time reading, organizing, laying out, drinking iced tea, and seeing a lot more of my family and friends. Yay summertime!

Ten Things Tuesday-- Our Adopted Family

God blessed me with one of most amazing biological families ever, and I hate that I am so far from the vast majority of them. Because of this, we have managed to construct what I like to call our "adopted family". There's the family you're given, and the family you find. Luckily, ours are equally amazing. This week, I will tell you what makes the "adopted family" so special to us...

1. My students: they may drive me mad, exasperate me, and steal my classroom decor (jokingly), but they are so special to me. It's amazing how protective they cause me to be. And they always know how to make me smile:


2-6~ My "Lunch Bunch"~ None of these women read this blog (at least, not that I know of), but they are my saving grace on a daily basis. I cannot tell you how inspiring and hilarious these women are. They are solid, encouraging Christian women, with whom I have shared side-splitting laughter and mascara-eliminating tears. They are so much more than the women I eat lunch with... they're like fairy godmothers. They each got their own number, and an example of why they're awesome.

2. Bobbie~ fighting her 3rd round of breast cancer, and still has only missed about 8 days of school. Queen of Searcy and the most devoted teacher at SHS, she is always ready to listen to / help me when I fly into her room at any minute of the day.
3. Shannon~ manages to teach English, sponsor and create the Yearbook, and raise three model children while looking like she just stepped out of Glamour magazine. She also lets me park myself at her pool all summer long, and sometimes leaves chocolate in my mailbox. She always has an encouraging word.
4. Mica~ one of the funniest people I have ever known. She is also a role model for me in that she is so solid in her relationship with God; you can see Him in all that she does.
5. Carla~ I love when she laughs. She has been so kind to me in so many ways.
6. Becky~ my 'pale and proud' buddy! She always has a smile, a compliment, and an inspiring outlook on any situation.


7. West Side Young Marrieds~ I know without a doubt that God placed these precious people in our lives at the exact moment we needed them most. I have never been a part of a group like this before: they desire so much to serve God in every way possible. I love being with them and growing in Him with them. I cannot put into words how much this group has blessed us in the short time we have been at West Side.

8. The Bennett Family~ We could not ask for better neighbors. They are always willing to help out no matter what we need. And we (Bailey included) are always welcome in the tornado shelter, which is much appreciated!

9. Darrell and Kerri Hickman~ They helped us put up our fence, they moved us into this house... they are always so much fun to be around. They helped me to realize that being close in age is not a friendship requirement.

10. The Austin's and The Phillips'~ Both of these families welcomed us into their homes on a weekly basis when we first got married, and they continue to pop up and check on us.

Bonus Thing to Be Thankful for: Friday= summer. BRING. IT. ON.

Ten Things Tuesday (Excessive Exclamation Points Ahead!)

It's been a long week~ but there are still so many things to be thankful for!

1. Our rosebushes are blooming! Pretty, hearty blooms! Look:
2. I am thankful for my Post-It holder. Make fun all you want, I cannot exist without that thing within 8 inches of me. I need to go to Post-It Notes Anonymous, because I have developed a dependency.

3. I found Vanilla Chai creamer at WalMart today! I haven't tried it yet, but I know it's going to be good! And they have started carrying my favorite pretzels again~ Rold Gold Honey Wheat Sticks! I was starting to miss those things!

4. Jason's Aunt Claudia called me this afternoon. I love talking to her! And I know she is reading this, so Hi Aunt Claudia! Can't wait to see you all!

5. We had some very scary weather here on Saturday, and our house is among the few not damaged. Our fence needs a little fixing, but we are blessed that that is all!

6. I just won some cute pink Gap capris on Ebay for $11.00 TOTAL. SHIPPING AND ALL. Seriously, if you don't shop on Ebay, you need to start.

7. I have been showing the Great Gatsby movie while I grade research papers (all 103 of them!) and I love watching my kids watch this movie. Because they already read the book (well, most of them did), they know what is going to happen, and they talk to and warn the characters. It is so fun to listen to them. I also heard this very funny comment: "Dude, he is going to pee in your lemonade if you keep messin' wit his girl."

8. I saw one of my old students at WalMart this afternoon. She just graduated on Saturday. She ran up to me at WalMart and said, "I don't have to call you Mrs. White anymore. I can call you Trish now! Hiiii Trish!"

9. Garret is staying with us until the end of May. Jason and I both enjoy having him here. He's my favorite person to watch Friends with, and we've been doing a lot of that since he got here!

10. We get to go to Jonesboro this weekend! We have not seen the girls in forever, and we are so looking forward to spending the weekend with them! Woo-hoo!

And a bonus photo: another beautiful country sunrise:

A Day in the Life

Jason says that I don't write enough about "what goes on in our day", so here is what a typical day in our life looks like:

5am: My alarm goes off, and I hit snooze. This pattern repeats for about 30 minutes until one of two things happen: I either get up on my own, or Jason pushes me until I get irritated and get up.

5:30am: I get up and shower. Jason gets up and takes Bailey out to pee and play.

6:35am: Jason leaves to drive the bus.

7:15am: This is when I should leave for school; typically though, I am drinking coffee and staring out the window.

7:20am: Bailey tries to hide from me so I won't put her outside. I usually find her in the closet or in the spare bedroom. Then I bribe her outside with a treat.

7:30am: I run out the door with various pieces of my outfit in hand; I drink more coffee and finish putting myself together on the way to school

8am: Jason gets to Harding and my first period class begins.

Our days at work are really somewhat similar. We both spend a lot of time explaining things, making decisions, reprimanding wayward youngsters, solving problems, replying to emails, listening to various whines and complaints... so insert any combination of these things here.

2:55pm~ Jason takes his lunch break at work to drive the afternoon bus route.

3:05pm~ School gets out. This means the kids leave, and I stay to prepare for another day.

Anywhere between 4pm and 5pm~ I leave school and go to the gym.

5pm~ Jason gets off work and does something exercise-ish~ gym, bike, run, whatever.

between 6pm and 7pm~ I get home, start dinner, play with Bailey, check Facebook, etc...

between 7pm and 7:30~ Jason gets home and we have dinner.

8pm-11pm~ Activities include arguing over the computer, watching Friends, cleaning up the kitchen, making lunches, making phone calls, grading papers, tidying up the house, updating Quicken, posting on the blog, taking baths/ showers, reading, etc...

11pm~ Bed. And we are both asleep in 3 minutes or less.

Let me say that this is a typical day. Days that fall into this category are usually Mondays, Tuesday, and Fridays. Wednesday mornings I leave for school at 6:30 because I monitor detention on those days, and Wednesday nights we have church. Thursday nights I have prayer group and Jason usually rides bikes with Garret. And I have been tutoring on Mondays as well.

So there you go! A day in the life of us!

Ten Things Tuesday

1. Apparently today is Teacher Appreciation Day! I did not know this until a student came up to me, handed me an envelope, and mumbled, "Iamsupposedtogiveyouthisitisfrom mymomwellreallymebutanywaythanksforbeingmyteacher." There was a nice card inside, along with a Sonic gift card. Woo-hoo!

2. Both the boys and girls soccer teams won state for the 2nd year in a row! So proud of them!

3. I planted a pink peony in the yard yesterday, and it's very pretty. I hope it lives.

4. One of my favorite parts of living where we do are the sunrises and sunsets. See what I mean?

5. Even though she is an animal who can't speak or express emotion, Bailey makes me smile almost every morning. Like today, when she laid like this for about an hour.

6. I am thankful for the people I work with. We have fun. We belly laugh. We laugh until we cry. I found this particularly hilarious this morning: Science teacher Mica walks into the teacher's lounge at 7:55 and sees the strange-looking teacher appreciation cake. She says to me, "My door is locked and the kids are lining up outside of it waiting for their free education, but there's a cake here that appears to have been sprinkled with pollen, and that makes eating a piece of cake at 8am a priority." I work with fun, Christian people.

7. I am thankful for my husband, who let me oversleep this morning because he knew I needed it.

8. I am thankful for this commercial by The Discovery Channel, because it inspires me.

9. I am thankful for those little moments when my students see that I am exasperated, so they make me laugh.

10. I am thankful for the opportunity that has dropped into our laps the past few weeks. Jason was offered a job as the Mail Center Supervisor, which means a pay raise (yay!) and most importantly, free grad school FOR BOTH OF US. We have been thanking God ever since we got this news! We both wanted to go to grad school, but didn't even know how to start paying for it (since we're still paying for our last diploma), and now this comes along. We are very excited, and very, very blessed. There is so much to the story of all this and how it happened and what it means, but I will save that for another day. Suffice to say that God definitely answered our prayers.

Irritated with Blogger/ Anecdote

Let's try this again...

Two posts in one day! Try not to lose your chonies in all the excitement. My students are in the typing stage of their research paper (also known as the PANIC, ohmygosh, what-is-all-this stage), and I had some free time, so here is a little anecdote for you:

When I was little, I loved singing in church (I still do). I loved hearing all the different parts, loved the different tempos, loved it all. I ALWAYS sang along, even before I knew how to read the words in a songbook. I figured out that if I listened well enough, I could figure out the words on my own. Once I did learn to read well enough to read the words myself (around the age of 5), I didn’t bother, because I thought I already knew them. Around the time I turned nine, I realized I’d been mistaken on a few of the lyrics. What follows are the original lyrics to the song, followed by what I had been singing:

Original lyrics: “He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood.”

What I sang: “He socked me and bopped me with His redeeming club.”

Original lyrics: “Now let us have a little talk with Jesus...”

What I sang: “Now let us have a little chocolate Jesus…”

Original lyrics: “Roll the gospel chariot along…”

What I sang: “Roll the gospel cherry on the lawn…”

*EDIT* And one from my dad:

Original lyrics: "I once was lost in sin, but Jesus took me in, and then a little light from heaven filled my soul..."

What I sang: "I once was lost in sin, I wish I was again! and then a little light from heaven spanked my soul!"

There's this saying that I love: “If you can’t sing good, sing loud.” Yes, there were times that some of us youth group girls made fun of the loud (bad) singers around us, but now the loud singers are my favorites, because they're not at all concerned what they sound like to the other worshipers; they are singing praise to God, and they only care that their worship is pleasing to Him. And I am willing to bet that it is.

Favorite Things Friday (on Monday)

Sold by Patricia McCormick~ I read this novel about Nepali girls being sold into prostitution this weekend on my trip, and it was both heartbreaking and captivating. As a high school English teacher, I try to read quite a bit of adolescent lit, for obvious reasons. Sold is easily one of the best I've read recently. This book is written in free verse vignettes (similar to Out of the Dust) In a slew of one-word titled books by various authors (Cut, Crank, Massive, Smack, Speak), that I've read, this one stands out. I don't think American teens can relate to it as well as some others, but it will help them realize how lucky they are to live in a free society. Very good book.

Rachael Ray's Honey Lime Chicken Sandwiches~ I've made these three times now, and can officially say that they are delicious. I don't bother with the slaw, just the sandwiches and some avocado wedges. Yum! And it's actually a 30-minute meal, unlike some of hers that I have tried. Great with chips and salsa!

Biolage Smoothing Conditioner~ Up until last year, I never used conditioner. NEVER. My hair was too greasy for it. However, my stylist (that makes me sound snobby) hair girl expressed concern last August that while the top of my head was greasy, the ends were dry and gross. I started using a leave-in conditioner, which worked okay, but not great. My mom (ever the Beauty Supply junkie) recommended this stuff, and I love it. I only put it on the ends of my hair, so it lasts forever. It's really made a difference, and I love that it's not greasy.

Magic Erasers~ these are my saving grace when it comes time to clean the bathtubs. Actually, this is how I clean almost everything. I'm convinced that the Magic Eraser us the best cleaning product EVER. You must try it.