Can I just say it's really fun to scrap without feeling guilty about it! Anyway, I'm loving this picture from the other day. I used Karen Foster's latest digital kit, which is available at pclayers.com.
I took my last final this afternoon, and I just submitted my last paper, ever. (Well at least I think ever but that may change someday)
You know how at the very very end of Finding Nemo when the fish from the tank all roll into the ocean in their bags, and then one fish says “Now what?” That’s kinda how I’m feeling right now. I really do like learning, especially when it comes to stuff I like learning about. I guess that’s why 98% of the books on my book shelf are how-to books. The idea of ending my formal education is a little sad though.
I finished off with another great semester too. Juggling parenthood and schoolwork is actually great for your GPA in my opinion. As long as my ungraded papers sort of made sense, I’ll be getting all A’s again this semester, and I will officially be graduating cum laude. It really isn’t all that, but it’s kinda cool, right? My mom is proud anyway, and you know what, I am too!
The problem with taking 10 years to finish one degree is that for 10 years school is hanging over your head. Tomorrow I will actually get to clean the house without thinking that I really need to finish my schoolwork. I will actually get to surf the web without feeling guilty about it. But when will I ever blog? Will I be able to write anything if I’m not trying to write something else? I hope so, and maybe I’ll even be able to journal on pages, because that just hasn’t happened since sometime last August I think.
You know how at the very very end of Finding Nemo when the fish from the tank all roll into the ocean in their bags, and then one fish says “Now what?” That’s kinda how I’m feeling right now. I really do like learning, especially when it comes to stuff I like learning about. I guess that’s why 98% of the books on my book shelf are how-to books. The idea of ending my formal education is a little sad though.
I finished off with another great semester too. Juggling parenthood and schoolwork is actually great for your GPA in my opinion. As long as my ungraded papers sort of made sense, I’ll be getting all A’s again this semester, and I will officially be graduating cum laude. It really isn’t all that, but it’s kinda cool, right? My mom is proud anyway, and you know what, I am too!
The problem with taking 10 years to finish one degree is that for 10 years school is hanging over your head. Tomorrow I will actually get to clean the house without thinking that I really need to finish my schoolwork. I will actually get to surf the web without feeling guilty about it. But when will I ever blog? Will I be able to write anything if I’m not trying to write something else? I hope so, and maybe I’ll even be able to journal on pages, because that just hasn’t happened since sometime last August I think.
So today I was at Ikea with Lindsay and her adorable kids. We stopped for a bite to eat in the cafe, and when the kids were done playing, we let them play with their little touch screen monitor computer game thing for kids. Another kid (around 4) started chocking Lindsay's son, so naturally I told him to stop.
The kid went crying to his mommy of course, and instead of the mom reinforcing this was not appropriate behavior, she yelled at me for not coming to her first. Now she was on the other side of the restaurant, and I had no way of even knowing which parent this child belonged too. Her back was also towards the kids, and she had no idea what was going on. Seriously though, did she really expect me to calmly approach all the patrons in the restaurant asking if the child was their's, and if so, could they please redirect their child from Sev's throat!
This really made me angry. First of all, there are certain things kids just shouldn't be doing to each other, like chocking. The way I see it, hitting, biting, kicking--those are all natural things kids do when they're frustrated or upset. They obviously need to learn not to do these things, but kids this age do have a hard time being nice sometimes. Choking though is a learned aggressive behavior, and in my opinion a whole lot worse.
Secondly, I realized parents like this are what's wrong with our country. If Marilyn was chocking another kid (or even hitting or kicking someone, I'd be apologizing to the other parent for her behavior. Marilyn would also be saying sorry to her poor victim. Instead this kid just learned that chocking other kids is okay, and he doesn't need to respect adults. I can understand we all have our own ways to deal with our children. In this situation though, I saw a behavior that immediately needed to be stopped and no parents were around. I didn't yell, I just told him in a firm voice to stop--If Marilyn was hurting another child and I wasn't around, I would certainly expect other parents to do the same.
The kid went crying to his mommy of course, and instead of the mom reinforcing this was not appropriate behavior, she yelled at me for not coming to her first. Now she was on the other side of the restaurant, and I had no way of even knowing which parent this child belonged too. Her back was also towards the kids, and she had no idea what was going on. Seriously though, did she really expect me to calmly approach all the patrons in the restaurant asking if the child was their's, and if so, could they please redirect their child from Sev's throat!
This really made me angry. First of all, there are certain things kids just shouldn't be doing to each other, like chocking. The way I see it, hitting, biting, kicking--those are all natural things kids do when they're frustrated or upset. They obviously need to learn not to do these things, but kids this age do have a hard time being nice sometimes. Choking though is a learned aggressive behavior, and in my opinion a whole lot worse.
Secondly, I realized parents like this are what's wrong with our country. If Marilyn was chocking another kid (or even hitting or kicking someone, I'd be apologizing to the other parent for her behavior. Marilyn would also be saying sorry to her poor victim. Instead this kid just learned that chocking other kids is okay, and he doesn't need to respect adults. I can understand we all have our own ways to deal with our children. In this situation though, I saw a behavior that immediately needed to be stopped and no parents were around. I didn't yell, I just told him in a firm voice to stop--If Marilyn was hurting another child and I wasn't around, I would certainly expect other parents to do the same.
A year and a half ago when I first moved into my neighborhood I didn't know a soul, and since I'm a little shy I didn't make any effort to meet anyone. Eventually though, I was welcomed by my neighbors and we became good friends. It seems they all have kids Marilyn's age, and we get together at least once a week for playgroup or scrapbooking, not to mention impromptu trips to the park or walks on the trails. Everyone is also more than willing to watch Marilyn if I've got to take a test or work on something too. I often feel like I don't tell the people around me how much I appreciate and love them, but I really do!
So Nicole, Mindi, Claudine, Charlotte, Jen, Lindsay, and Rachele I love you guys and thanks for everything!
So Nicole, Mindi, Claudine, Charlotte, Jen, Lindsay, and Rachele I love you guys and thanks for everything!
I've never been one to relocate spiders from inside the house, and I definitely have never saved one in trouble before. The truth is though, that most spiders are beneficial, and my fear of them is absolutely ridiculous. This morning when I looked out on my patio, I noticed a spider (identical to the one that nearly scared me to death a few days ago) stuck in an empty bucket. Without the surprise factor I felt a little braver, but it still took me a while to finally commit to letting the thing go. In the end though, I realized that there will always be spiders within inches of my toes that I don't even know about. Just because I know that one spider is somewhere around my patio, doesn't mean I have to avoid it forever. If we do happen to meet-up again, it really can't hurt me anyway, right? This is coming from someone who once avoided half of the bathroom for a month because a spider hid while I was getting a shoe :)
So I dumped it out of the bucket and it ran away to find some crevice. I'm sure it was smiling. It felt kinda good to save it, and hopefully it will go eat some nasty bugs for me. Maybe my garden will actually produce edible vegetables this year because I saved this one spider. I'll have to do it again sometime, let's just hope the opportunity doesn't present itself too soon.
I did take a picture of the spider, and I was going to post it, but it keeps giving me the creepy-crawlies, so I think I'll pass and delete it.
So I dumped it out of the bucket and it ran away to find some crevice. I'm sure it was smiling. It felt kinda good to save it, and hopefully it will go eat some nasty bugs for me. Maybe my garden will actually produce edible vegetables this year because I saved this one spider. I'll have to do it again sometime, let's just hope the opportunity doesn't present itself too soon.
I did take a picture of the spider, and I was going to post it, but it keeps giving me the creepy-crawlies, so I think I'll pass and delete it.
Today is the first official day of "no-test week". Finals are next week, so professors aren't allowed to give tests. This week is for finishing papers and studying for finals. Usually this is the most miserable week of the semester; with online classes though, it's actually pretty quiet. the deadlines are really flexible for the most part, so I've tried to work ahead as much as possible.
I've got one paper to write, and one final to really study for. My other finals really shouldn't be a big deal. Yippee! I'm almost done!
I've got one paper to write, and one final to really study for. My other finals really shouldn't be a big deal. Yippee! I'm almost done!
It's been a while since I posted anything on my templates page, so I decided to post the template for my "paint" page I did a while ago. Click on over, and I hope you have fun playing with it!
I discovered a book this week at the library that describes my personal style to a t. The book is called The Barefoot Home. It's all about casual spaces that interact with nature. I didn't really know I had a style until I found the book. I've always liked things simple and uncluttered, and I have to have every window and door open. I hate feeling like I'm in a cave.
Anyway, today I was out working in the yard because it's supposed to be 38 degrees tomorrow. I want to enjoy it while I have the chance. It's way windy though, so I have to stop every once and a while and get the dirt out of my eyes. I decided to bring the fountain back to life. This is what it looked like last year.
and this is what it looks like now
I can't wait until other stuff starts growing. This is on the north side of the house, and it doesn't receive a bit of sun all winter long. My crocuses just barely came up this past week. I did get some new plants today though, and of course I had to photograph them.
Anyway, today I was out working in the yard because it's supposed to be 38 degrees tomorrow. I want to enjoy it while I have the chance. It's way windy though, so I have to stop every once and a while and get the dirt out of my eyes. I decided to bring the fountain back to life. This is what it looked like last year.
and this is what it looks like now
I can't wait until other stuff starts growing. This is on the north side of the house, and it doesn't receive a bit of sun all winter long. My crocuses just barely came up this past week. I did get some new plants today though, and of course I had to photograph them.
Seriously, it's ridiculous. I think most of all I just hate the surprise factor involved. For instance, about 2 minutes ago I was digging the sand and gravel out of the little water feature in my backyard. I was wearing my leather gloves of course, but a big freakin spider managed to get on my arm. So of course I started doing the spider dance-- flailing arms, kicking feet, and half yelling, half whispering "that's a big ass freakin spider!"
My heart rate is slowly starting to decline now, but of course I've got the creepy crawlies. I've got to get out there and finish what I started, but the spider is still out there! Why can't I just be one of those people who lets spiders crawl on them? Why?!
My heart rate is slowly starting to decline now, but of course I've got the creepy crawlies. I've got to get out there and finish what I started, but the spider is still out there! Why can't I just be one of those people who lets spiders crawl on them? Why?!
So 3 days ago it was flippin' cold. 2 days ago I was out strollerblading with Marilyn, and yesterday I went to out to a farm with some friends and was a little hot. Today it's snowing. This is crazy!
Last week at Nicole's house for scrapbooking she had her entire music stash on shuffle. Some odd stuff definitely came up, but it was a lot of fun to listen to forgotten songs and stuff she didn't even know she had. When I got home I decided to do the same. Now my entire music stash isn't on my computer, so it hasn't been quite as interesting as Nicole's mix, but I've rediscovered some old favorites.
Today I decided to randomly listen to my Jimmy Buffett stash to help me determine my top 10 favorites. Those of you who have never listened to Jimmy Buffett are really missing out. I used to go months with only Jimmy in my CD player, but now I listen to him mostly in the spring, or anytime I'm wishing I was out on the water.
He has hundreds of songs, so narrowing it down was a challenge, but here's my list (in no particular order).
Far Side of the World
Happily Ever After
Margaritaville
One Particular Harbour
Tonight I Just Need My Guitar
Barefoot Children
Barometer Soup
Boat Drinks
Distantly in Love
Life is Just a Tire Swing
Today I decided to randomly listen to my Jimmy Buffett stash to help me determine my top 10 favorites. Those of you who have never listened to Jimmy Buffett are really missing out. I used to go months with only Jimmy in my CD player, but now I listen to him mostly in the spring, or anytime I'm wishing I was out on the water.
He has hundreds of songs, so narrowing it down was a challenge, but here's my list (in no particular order).
Far Side of the World
Happily Ever After
Margaritaville
One Particular Harbour
Tonight I Just Need My Guitar
Barefoot Children
Barometer Soup
Boat Drinks
Distantly in Love
Life is Just a Tire Swing
Marilyn is actually doing really well. I think her throat is a little sore though, and after a while she'll request some medicine. Other than that she's acting completely normal-- jumping off the furniture, running around the house naked, and getting into things.
It's supposed to get really warm over the next few days and I'm so unbelievably excited! According to the weatherman, it has been unseasonably cold. I don't do well with unseasonably cold. A nice southern flow is making it's way though, and I plan on spending much time outside. Seriously, it's time to pull out the short sleeved shirts already!
I'm also feeling the need to go on a little adventure somewhere. Not sure where to go or what to do, but I've got the itch.
It's supposed to get really warm over the next few days and I'm so unbelievably excited! According to the weatherman, it has been unseasonably cold. I don't do well with unseasonably cold. A nice southern flow is making it's way though, and I plan on spending much time outside. Seriously, it's time to pull out the short sleeved shirts already!
I'm also feeling the need to go on a little adventure somewhere. Not sure where to go or what to do, but I've got the itch.
Well, I managed to make my child sick. Most of the time sickness goes the other way-- kids infect parents. Not this one. Last Wednesday night when I came down with a cold, Marilyn was showing no symptoms. I did my best to keep her in social isolation too, because I didn't want her to get anyone else sick. You know, in case she was contagious, but not showing symptoms yet. Well, I eased up a bit because Marilyn just wasn't getting sick. Sure enough she awoke with a fever this morning. She's still happy as a clam, just a bit hot. I still feel pretty rotten, and now I feel terrible because I infected my own child. What kind of mom does that!
And here's a random picture I rediscovered yesterday. I think it's adorable, and maybe I'll scrap it someday. She was yelling at me because I asked her to stand still and smile at me. No, she never did comply with that one.
And here's a random picture I rediscovered yesterday. I think it's adorable, and maybe I'll scrap it someday. She was yelling at me because I asked her to stand still and smile at me. No, she never did comply with that one.
The first kit from Tinkering Ink is officially up at the pclayers store! Some of the other pclayers gals have made some awesome freebie quick pages with it too, and they can be found at the pclayers blog.
1. I only have 3 weeks of school left.
2. I washed my car yesterday, and it's rainy/snowy today.
3. I'm really into pink lately. My mother is happy about that.
4. I'm feeling a lot of organizing projects coming on.
5. I really want to play outside.
6. I want a soda.
7. I want another twinkie.
8. I think I'm going to try getting into card making.
9. Marilyn just woke up from her nap.
2. I washed my car yesterday, and it's rainy/snowy today.
3. I'm really into pink lately. My mother is happy about that.
4. I'm feeling a lot of organizing projects coming on.
5. I really want to play outside.
6. I want a soda.
7. I want another twinkie.
8. I think I'm going to try getting into card making.
9. Marilyn just woke up from her nap.
Seriously, how many times have I been sick in the past year now?!? Last night as I was going to bed my throat felt a little scratchy, but I just thought it was because I was trying to learn how to gleek last night. Gleeking has always been on my "bucket list", but the online tutorials I read last night were no help at all. Anyway, this morning I woke up with a sore throat. I'm trying to ignore it.
Every Wednesday I go over to my friend Nicole's house to scrapbook. She's one of those uber-sweet, uber-talented, uber-thoughtful people. She's always giving the kids treats and taking care of everyone. It seems like about 80% of the time now one of us is sick lately. Yesterday when I called the first thing she asked was if we were sick. Because I hadn't shown a single symptom yet and her kids were well, we were excited for the chance to get together. Little did I know what last night had in store. Sorry Nicole, I promise I didn't know! Luckily we haven't really been around anyone else for the past couple of days. So far Marilyn is happy though, maybe she won't get it...
Every Wednesday I go over to my friend Nicole's house to scrapbook. She's one of those uber-sweet, uber-talented, uber-thoughtful people. She's always giving the kids treats and taking care of everyone. It seems like about 80% of the time now one of us is sick lately. Yesterday when I called the first thing she asked was if we were sick. Because I hadn't shown a single symptom yet and her kids were well, we were excited for the chance to get together. Little did I know what last night had in store. Sorry Nicole, I promise I didn't know! Luckily we haven't really been around anyone else for the past couple of days. So far Marilyn is happy though, maybe she won't get it...
