PJs and Packing

So I went to work on Friday and I forgot my camera!  Gasp!  Me? Forget my camera?!  I know!  Shocking!  So I took this picture with my cell phone.  Not the best, but what can I say.  I hate a blog entry with no pictures.  Friday was absolutely NUTS.  It was CRAZY do you hear me? Crazy!  My students were out of control and ready to party!  Thankfully I had already prepared myself for it to be a nutty day so I was able to just go with the flow. Yep.  Just another day in my 3-ring circus.  I am very glad to say that I don’t have to worry about Frog, Toad, Mimi and Lola for the holidays!  Kai and his mom are toad-sitting for me – yay!

Saturday was spent packing up my old apartment.  I got through with the bedroom and most of my studio.  I still have a little left to do in there as well as pack up the bathrooms and kitchen.  The livingroom is already done.  I am so excited!  I can’t wait to get into that new apartment.  Beth…if you are reading this, I am still waiting on a response about that paint color.  (imagine me standing with my hands on my hips and tapping my foot right about now. lol)

On a side note I finally read Twilight.  I started it yesterday and finished it today.  I really liked it and am eager to read the second book in the trilogy.  I finally took a day for just me today.  I did a lot of nothing.  Surfed the internet and read…oh and wrapped a few Christmas presents.  I haven’t had any time to myself lately.  It was very nice.  Tomorrow is sure to be a whirlwind of a day.  I am going Christmas shopping with my mom.  She wants to leave at 7:00 a.m.  and we probably won’t be done until the stores are closed.  Natalie you are more than welcome to join us if you don’t want to shop by yourself!  Normally I like to get most of my Christmas shopping done early, but this year has just been busy busy and more busy.

Well dahlings…I am off to do other things…like start reading a new book or perhaps work on cutting out the fabric for some Christmas gifts.  Yes, I still have some sewing to do before Christmas.  No I am not telling you what I am making.  You will just have to wait and see.  Maybe I will give you a sneak peak on Tuesday or Wednesday.  Maybe.  lol

A New Lease on Life

I haven’t posted in a while because of all of the strange things that have been happening in my life over the past two months. It all started out when the aliens kidnapped my soon-to-be ex-husband.

He started going through some sort of quarter life crisis and I think he lost his mind. I won’t get into all of the hairy details on the web. We all know what he did and I don’t feel the need to waste my time rehashing it. (If you don’t know, and are dying to, email me.) I am a strong woman and I am handling this well. He has pushed me away for the past few months and it has made life so much easier for me. My family and friends have been supporting me and keeping me busy since I left him on Tuesday. I am so thankful for all of them! They really helped me get through my first holiday as a single gal.

On to the positive and fun stuff! I am very excited about my new lease on life! I have so many things that I want to do and I started out by finding my own apartment! That’s right! I am officially out of the ghetto!! I have a FABULOUS new apartment in a gated community near my school. (Hey Lisa!  We are going to be neighbors!)   I have a two bedroom, on the ground floor.  I can’t wait to get all moved in, decorate, and have everyone over for a housewarming party! I won’t be moving in until the end of December, but I can handle the wait. =o) It gives me plenty of time to get everything organized, boxed up and ready to move. Thanks Mom and Heather for helping me pick out the perfect Princess Pad!

I have taken over as Lead Teacher for second grade. This is something I am happy about because, well…you know me…I like a little extra responsibility and being in charge. =op They don’t call me the Princess for nothin’! Congrats to Anne on her new little bundle of joy! I can’t wait to meet little Macie!

I am graduating with my Masters of Arts in Teaching next month! I am VERY excited about this! I have worked so hard and will graduate with a 4.0 gpa in addition to getting a HUGE pay raise! This is going to be a major season of celebration!

So here is to changes, celebrations, exciting new beginnings and buying all the shoes and fabric I want!

P.S. Happy Be-lated Thanksgiving! This year I have a lot to be thankful for!

Oh and I just can’t stand it! I have to add one more thing for your entertainment! I had a child poo, not just a little bit….I am talking a big old TURD on my the floor of my classroom on Tuesday! Wow that was really a metaphor for the entire day! At least I can look back at it and laugh!

Bewitched

Alas…my dream did not come true.  *sigh*

Usually I stay late on Mondays to get everything in order for the week, but I had to make a trip over to AASU today to take care of some graduation paperwork.

I came home and started cleaning up a storm.  I do not know what came over me.  Maybe it was prompted by my dream. lol I was such the 1950’s housewife this afternoon!  I started a roast last night and let it simmer in the crockpot all day today so it was nice and ready for supper tonight.  Mmm!  All the while I had the  Bewitched theme song was playing in my head.

Work was a bit of craziness again.  I had 2 students with birthdays – double the cupcakes!  Double the sugar!  Double the hyped up kids!!

Happy

My classroom website reached over 10,000 hits today!  Yay!

Also…my classroom is really coming together!  Hopefully I can post photos tomorrow! =)

I went to my old school’s open house tonight and saw all of the families that I am going to miss!  Apparently they have all been telling my replacement that she has some BIG shoes to fill.  (Funny to think about as I have teeny tiny feet – size 5 1/2  to 6 to be exact.) Anyway…great to see the faces of people I adore!

And….I saw a trailer for the new movie “The Tale of Despereaux.”  I am so excited!!  It was such a good book and the movie looks so CUTE!!

Just a random bit of happiness in my day.

List-en Up!

Heather – I am finally updating my blog – just for you. You should feel special.

I have been so incredibly busy since my last post! In the spirit of Heather – I shall make a list for you.

Thursday: (I actually posted a blog on Thursday, but left some things out.) Thursday was our last full day of school. We had our end of the year parties and clean-up stripped the classroom. Job search. Thursday night was the going away party for our principal.

Friday: Last day of school. Lunch at Ruby Tuesday’s with teacher friends. Job search. Teacher party. Dimensions Art Gallery. Lu Lu’s Chocolate Bar (I took my mom and Heather to all of them)

Saturday: Spent time with the hubby.

Sunday: Spent time with the hubby.

Monday: Post-planning (packing up all of my belongings). Lunch at La Nopalera’s with teachers – Thanks Paula! More packing. Job search. Nap. Start summer courses for masters.

Tuesday: More post-planning. Lunch with Anne. Job search. More packing. Nap.

Wednesday: Get moles removed. (I was at Georgia Skin and Cancer Clinic for around 2 and a half hours – most of that waiting.) Nap. Loco’s for the Making News: Savannah Style premier. Try to diffuse Jason  vs. Heather political debate.

Thursday: Doctor’s appointment. Red Clover. Parker’s for the most amazing lemonade ever. Got overheated. Nap. Finished reading “Wise Woman.” Long Horn’s for dinner. Trip to Kroger’s for bandaging supplies. Check out Heather’s New Etsy Shop! Become inspired to start my own Etsy shop. Blog.

Plans for the weekend include getting my car fixed and hanging out with Heather and Nick. Play video games with Nick while Jason and Heather continue their debate.

From the mouths of babes…

Today was full of priceless sayings from not only the kids, but also the parents! Here are a few.

“Mrs. Usry – can I wash my hands? I have “bling-bling” hands!

“Please excuse ____ for being out of p.e. uniform. Either aliens have taken an unnatural interest in Cabrini gym shirts, or the neighbors ate them. Thank you!”

“Look! I got Mrs. Usry this huge diamond and it is REAL!”

-pink “diamond” paperweight —-and that is not all the bling-bling I got for my birthday from my students. I also got a keychain with “diamonds” on it.

Then there were the comments from one imaginative little girl about the gecko.

(These are not pictures of my geckos – we just have the normal house variety of gecko – nothing so cool as the spotted one.)

Mrs. Usry – the gecko looks like (child’s name)!

(I don’t have a good picture of him to put next to the gecko pic, but the child makes the same face as the gecko on a daily basis)

Also – Mrs. Usry! The gecko is chewing bubble gum! (Child’s name) was being naughty again and gave the gecko bubble gum!!

I had a fun day if you can’t tell! My students spent the morning scrapbooking and the afternoon sharing their board games that they made. What a day!

Mother’s Day Insanity

I feel bad for neglecting my blogs for a week, but when you read the rest of this, you will understand why!

So I had this brilliant idea that my students would make Black Apple Dolls that looked like themselves for their mom’s for Mother’s Day. The students were so excited about the project and I was too, until I realized just how much work it would be to make 15 dolls in 4 days. I took my sewing machine to work a few days this week and then stayed up late every night Monday – Thursday working on sewing and stuffing doll parts at home. The students did the majority of the stuffing, but the arms and legs were a little hard for them and they kept popping the seams. Needless to say I am over dolls for a little while. They really were a lot of fun and they turned out so cute! Check them out!

Many of the students had never seen a sewing machine before and they were all curious about how one worked. I think I have inspired several of my little darlings to be seamstresses. They all want to sew now. They are very appreciative of hand-made things – they know that I make most all of my skirts, aprons, bags, etc. They are constantly telling me how cool it is. =) Gotta love the excitement of the young. (I say that like I’m old – though truth be told I have a birthday coming up and I am much closer to 30 than 20. as my dad loves to remind me.)

Books-A-Million sent me some great coupons in my email today so I had fun going shopping. I got a few new books – The Secret Bride (about Mary Tudor) and Abundance (about Marie Antoinette). I also picked up a few gift items that I won’t reveal until after Mother’s Day. =)

I have also been dealing with AASU mess, since they couldn’t get my stuff together, they had to create a special topics course just for me. I am glad they are taking care of it, but dear Lord! Every semester they mess something up. I am so glad that I am almost done!

Well…I need to get going, I need to finish cleaning the living room and pack. I am going to spend the night with my mommy tomorrow and spend Mother’s Day with my mommy and grandma. =)

When it rains, it pours – literally!

I just wanted to sing “Rain, Rain, Go Away!” today.

Going back to work today was just insanity!  When I came in my room was in a major state of disarray.  The school’s spring festival got rained out on Saturday and apparently my room was everyone’s work space.  None of my students desks were in the right spaces and their belongings were not in their desks – needless to say – CHAOS!!  My assistant came in and I asked her how things had gone on Friday.  She said “You don’t even want to know!”  One of my students got sick all over the classroom, shifts for the spring fest weren’t covered so she had to step in and cover them, the day was just a general mess. My classroom has been completely contaminated over the past few weeks and no matter how many times we wipe down everything with antibacterial wipes these germs just keep coming back!  Strep, Viruses, and Ring Worm Oh My!

I was really worried that my toads had escaped again, but I found them.  Frog and Toad buried themselves to stay wet over the weekend under the mulch by one of their water pools.  I was scared because of all the trouble that I went through with Mimi and Lola escaping or being toad-napped earlier this year.  Whew!

Enough of my rant – Though my day was busy it wasn’t a bad one.  I had to go grocery shopping and then come home and cook, so no crafty time today.  I am slightly sad, but oh well!  I’ll just have to have a major crafting day this weekend to catch up on all that I have been longing to do, but have not had the time for.  Oh!  I have to brag!  My classroom website has now had almost 5,500 hits!  It just makes me happy!  Another thing that makes me happy is tomorrow is my last night of Tuesday night classes!  I enjoy the class, but it frees up my evening for at least a few weeks.  =)

I am so proud of my little brother!  You may remember me saying that he entered some of his work into the school’s media festival and it moved on to state, well now it has progressed to the international level!  Wow!  Go David!

Whoa Mama!

Today has been an extremely hectic, but fun day! This is day number 2 this week that I haven’t had an assistant because she had to sub for the 3rd grade teacher. This really isn’t a problem as I can do it with or without, but it showed me just how much I appreciate having an extra adult in the room to help with paper work and things. The kids have been a lot of fun and very excited about participating in Earth week activities. We are going on nature walks around the campus every day and writing in nature journals. This has been an experience let me tell you! Yesterday we found a dead possum! It was so foul! The kids are still talking about it! Check out my classroom blog for pictures. I am finally updating that one today. I don’t think it has been updated in AT LEAST a month. First Communion pics will be added as well.

Speaking of pictures! On The Coastal Source website there is an article by Casey Jones about the roller derby we went to and a few pictures. Yours truly made a profile appearance in one. haha!

Here are the few pics I managed to get:

And Heather…here are your muffins!

In other news, I had class tonight and stayed after for a really awesome talk with my professor, Dr. Pamela Connor. She recommended me for a job at the school she teaches at. =) She is a very inspiring lady!

I didn’t get home until rather late so no real crafting for me. Just taking pictures of the kiddies today. In lieu of my crafting I am posting a few things by my little darlings! They are a hoot!

This is the redneck wedding!

Michael, AKA Bug Boy, decided to play a prank on me because he knows how much a DETEST roaches!

It says “Here is some cocrches for you Mrs. Usry” A button is taped to the paper. He thought that when I opened it I would think it was a roach and scream or something. He also wrote and then tried to erase “They are on the floor. Don’t be a scarde cat” haha! I just love inventive spelling!

One last one…from Nicholas, AKA Nickel:  Johnny Bravo “Whoa Mama!  “I’m a pretty boy!”  “I’m a lover boy!”

He also made me another one that said that I teach well and showed me standing under a rainbow with lots of butterflies and hearts.

A Redneck Wedding and A Quilted Tree

One of my students gave me strep and another gave me one of the biggest laughs I have had in a long time! Every Monday my students make Weekend Windows where they write and draw about what they did over the weekend. They share these with the rest of the class. One of my darlings went to a redneck wedding over the weekend! She had the best picture of the wedding which apparently took place at some sort of park. There were trailers and a well in the background. The bride wore a red, white and blue dress! There was a mechanical bull which everyone, especially the bride, rode. The bride even fell upside down while riding the bull. Her new hubby proceeded to yell “Yee Haw!” and do a honkey tonk dance. As for food, tuna was served and some even ate it with syrup. (GAG!!) For drinks, guests had their choice of sodas or beer in a can. My student told me that she wanted to go to every redneck wedding she could because it was so entertaining. She was also very emphatic about letting me know that it was not HER cousin…it was her cousin’s cousin. I have been laughing all week about this story. Every day has brought new details! I may have a picture to add to it next week. She was supposed to work on one for me. =)

As for my quilted tree:

Here is the fabric stack…I have since changed a few out.

And here are my things for the past several days. I have been busy cutting out and sewing my octagons.

This is the anticipated layout. I might change it up. We’ll see. I need to find some brown fabric for the trunk. and a solid color to go on the back. Let me just say. That was a lot of hand sewing. I spent my sick day today in front of the t.v. doing most of them. I had a been doing a few here and there, but finished up today.

Also, as promised WAX TOES! It makes my feet look so weird and alien!

I just finished watching Lars and the Real Girl. If you haven’t seen it, it is a must watch! I watched Juno last night and really enjoyed it as well.

Well I am off! Ta Ta for now!