Friday, September 27, 2013

Ten Things That Are Full Of Great

"Grateful" is spelled entirely wrong. It should be "greatfull." Case in point: this list of ten things that are full of great!

1. Fall is really trying to show up down here in the armpit of the Ozarks. It was still 90 degrees today, but there was a relatively cool breeze and the air just FEELS different, somehow. My favorite time of year starts when high school football season starts and continues until the presents are opened on Christmas Day. Then I'm done, but it's a good 4 month run of delightfulness until then!

2. I'm getting better at telling the identical twins apart in my classroom. The ones in my primary class are the hardest, because they are very quiet and I don't have any vocal cues to help me out. The pair in my pre-k class are much easier (and not because they don't look as much alike, because they DO), although I called one of them the wrong name TWICE today and had to give her two pieces of candy for it (me and my big mouth - I told them if I called them the wrong name, they would get a piece of candy). And in my defense, the first time, she was standing next to her sister's chair, and her sister was on the other side of the room (and neither of them were quite where they were supposed to be), so I don't think that one was my fault. The second one, I will concede, was TOTALLY my fault. But I paid up for both.

3. My darling friend Lizzi is going to run a 5k for Race for Life in honor of me! And it's only three weeks away. And I don't think she's run more than five feet in her entire life, and here she's going to do a 5k. FOR ME and for everyone else affected by cancer. If you feel led to donate to her cause, here's the link: http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/lizzirogers

4. The Freshman Lady Eagle Volleyball team remains undefeated in regular season play, although they did lose two games in a tournament (tournaments don't really count, but apparently, neither do freshmen anyway, which is sad that no one at their school really knows or cares how awesome they are). And when you consider these girls came together from three different middle schools, having never played together as a team before, well, just WAIT until they are on Varsity. 

Go big or go home.


5. And speaking of the Freshman team, they were all at my house on Monday night for dinner (they've been going to a different teammate's home each week). They inhaled two pans of lasagna, plus salad, bread sticks and dessert. They giggled and ate and ran through my house screaming. They all piled into the same chair on top of their coach. They farted like a bunch of boys. They talked about boys and volleyball and school. And they were delightful.



6. We had apple slices dipped in caramel sauce for snack one day this week in the primary class. I had forgotten just how delish that is! And it's a healthy snack, right? I mean, it's APPLES. An apple a day and all that, you know.

7. I made chocolate chip cookies this week, primarily so I could eat the dough. I'm not that big a fan of the finished product, but oh, that dough! 

8. On a quest to buy a Missouri State University t-shirt this week, I was in a store that had - wait for it - BOBBIE BROOKS JEANS. This is for you, Jak


Still not going to dribble them off.









9. It's been a lovely week for compliments! Of course, there's the one I got this week from the preschooler (please read about it here if you haven't already - it was quite a compliment!). All my Facebook friends who read my blog are very kind to me, but this particular comment, from someone I went to high school with, humbled me so :


"...your writing does so many things.
 It makes me smile, and laugh, and think; 
it makes me grateful. Sometimes it makes me sad. 
But it always -- always -- touches my heart."

If only she knew what a positive influence she was on me in high school! A year older, beautiful and talented, and always smiling and pleasant. And always kind. (Throwing you under the bus, now, Ruth, but I want you to know how much I appreciated you then and now.)

10. I have a washer and dryer in my basement. My bedrooms are on the second floor. It's two flights of stairs, plus walks down two long hallways to get my laundry from the second floor to the basement. But that's okay. Because sometimes, I seem to have some difficulty completing the entire wash and dry sequence. In other words, I forget (or, if I'm really honest here, completely blow off out of laziness) the load that's in the washer and have to rewash it. Sometimes more than once. If I had to put quarters in a machine, well, I don't even want to go there.

THIS IS A LINK UP, MY BLOGGY FRIENDS! Write a post listing YOUR Ten Things of Thankful and link it up below. Those of you who have been thinking about joining us, quit rewashing that same load of laundry and write that post! (You know who you are. Don't make me name names.)




Ten Things of Thankful


 Your hosts

52 comments:

  1. Wow! You found ACTUAL Bobby Brooks jeans! That's hilarious! Hope Jak appreciates your efforts on his behalf!

    These are great. Even the bit where you totally pwned me and made out like I didn't just run 5 miles today :p

    Apples in caramel sauce sound good - do you make the caramel sauce yourself?

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    1. Jak WOULD HAVE TO READ MY BLOG to know I wrote about him ;)

      Okay, I should have said until TODAY when you ran 5 miles, you hadn't run more than five feet in your life.

      The caramel sauce comes in a plastic tub that you microwave a smidge, then dip and eat. Caramel apples without the mess. Or the stick.

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    2. Jak WOULD HAVE TO READ MY BLOG to know I wrote about him ;)

      Okay, I should have said until TODAY when you ran 5 miles, you hadn't run more than five feet in your life.

      The caramel sauce comes in a plastic tub that you microwave a smidge, then dip and eat. Caramel apples without the mess. Or the stick.

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    3. Had TOO! Just not as far as 5 miles - more like three. But not all at once!

      Jak better get his sorry behind over here - he's missing out!

      That sounds good. Sometimes y'all get the better snacks.

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    4. hey, guys! Remember Jak has a new GF... luckily she sounds like a reasonable life form... so us writing in print about Jak and his totally healthy fixated obsession with chilli dogs and shady tress and... Blue Jeans... surely she will see it for the youthful exuberance that.... (think she's buying this?)

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    5. You're the one who started the "Jack and Diane" thing, Clark. And I have clearly affirmed that the Bobbie Brooks jeans will NOT be dribbled off. Not ever.

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    6. Also, euhh "Jak has a new GF"?? Dyanne's MARRIED!

      Talk about backtracking from your own storyline dude!

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    7. (yeah, but that's different! )

      I don't know, I'm fairly certain I thought Jack and Diane...but I haven't even seen John play...so I would think the responsibility would fall to the person more likely to have seen him in concert or, at very least, would have made a good stand-in for Diane... (funny how we all have mental images of people from literature and songs and such... can I stop typing yet?)
      lol

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  2. Dunno nuthin bout no bobby brooks jeans but kudos for finding em... And wow that Lizzi huh? I think she actually ran 5mi today so once she wipes the tracks of the bus off her face ( you know the one you tossed her under? LOL) she will most likely increase her distance before next week...or she will be finding it difficult to walk soon! OOOOHHHH all that unprepared leg cramping!

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    1. I'll be the first to admit that I have never run any further than from the couch to the refrigerator since I no longer had a PE teacher making me do otherwise. She will not only run the 5k, she will probably set some kind of a record doing so.

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    2. You know it... I don't think I ever actually ran to the fridge it was more of a lumbering stumble...

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    3. The only record I'm going for is making the fundraising target! And completing the course without stopping once.

      I'm persistent, but not fast (yet).

      And hey, at least I know I can always offer you a ride in my van if you don't like going 'a pied' - I gots Hot Tamales on there and everything...*winks*

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    4. Dang! I knew something was missing - what kind would you like?

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  3. Are you sure you called the twins the wrong names, or have they just figured out a way to get free candy? :-)

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    1. Ohhh! Never THOUGHT of that! And these two are sharp - while they haven't figured it out YET, it's only a matter of time....

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  4. Now you have me craving apple slices and caramel, as well a chocolate chi cookies. Oh well, I am going grocery shopping today and will so have to do something about this. But seriously sounded like a great week and what Lizzi is doing is nothing short of awesome for you. Love her and you, too. Wishing you a wonderful weekend now and you are right these lists are great!! :)

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    1. *MWAH* Janine, you're so sweet :)

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    2. Thanks, Janine!

      Everyone should have a Lizzi in their lives.

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    3. Okay, okay, you're sweet too, Dyanne

      (and you forget, most of these here guys DO have ;) )

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    4. I wasn't fishing, but I'll take it! Thank you!

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  5. OK, now I have to make chocolate chip cookies..thanks so much for that, Dyanne. Do you have a favorite recipe that you care to share? I am partial to the Tollhouse one, but also the Kairos one is pretty tasty, and you don't have to have softened butter...which is nice when I have a "cookie dough emergency".

    LOVE the part about the volleyball team. I can kind of relate in that I played soccer when the girl's high school team was new and we got NO attention. But your description of the girls and how they acted sounds very similar to my soccer team. Thanks for sharing that and for giving me a trip down memory lane as well. :)

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    1. Well, you are welcome for that! I got tired of the Tollhouse recipe and switched to the one on the package of Crisco sticks years ago, but now I'm not happy with the way those are turning out and I can't figure out what the deal is. Same recipe. Make them the same way. Turn out more like pancakes. Hmmm. I do have a really decadent one that makes bakery-style cookies if you'd like to have that one.

      Yeah, no one cares about anything but the Varsity except the freshman team and their parents. And the coach. She is wonderful and makes them into great volleyball players (we were lucky enough to have had her in 7th grade as well, before she moved up to high school coach).

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  6. Looks like you've had a great week to be thankful for, Dyanne!

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  7. The one time I forgot to get my laundry (and i use quarters!) a little old man had pulled it out and was putting his own in. The image of him touching my underwear made me never forget again! And caramel apples are the best...second only to raw cookie dough. Happy weekend!

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    1. Ew, ew, ew! I'd go broke if I had to use quarters. Or else spend a lot of my time sitting in a laundry room.

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  8. Apple slices and caramel... sound really nice, and chocolate chip cookies... well I might have to do some baking this week...

    I quite often put a load in the washing machine and then forget about it and end up re-washing... oh the joys of modern life...

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    1. Aren't we spoiled? I ended up washing those stupid towels four times to get the smell out of them (wash #3 was with a cup of vinegar only and #4 was with a half cup of baking soda only - thank you, internet!).

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  9. good post... I still stand to the side and say, "run how far??!" I have done work of an extreme physical nature... but the running thing is still amazing and impressive. The balance of focus and extreme energy...you have my respect.

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    1. Zumba? Got that. Running? Only if something is chasing me, and then I'm still not so sure. I'm glad Lizzi is ready, willing and able to do it (and may I add YOUNG enough?).

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    2. I spoke to a new running friend tonight who was telling me about a woman who started running for the first time ever when she was 59, and did her FIRST marathon when she was 60. (relative) youth has nothing to do with it.

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  10. I could never live without a washer and dryer in my house.. And my washer/dryer are right in the bathroom/hallway, but I still don't get the laundry folded or put a way. Bad house wife ;-)

    Enjoy your weekend!

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    1. It's the putting away part that's the WORST! I want it to work like in Mary Poppins where the clothes just pop into the drawers and closets by themselves.

      Hello, first world problem!

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  11. I agree. The air definitely feels different.
    What a fun group of girls on that volleyball team! Yes, freshman teams don't get much attention at all, regardless of how good they are. Even freshman football games are sparsely attended. (And we all know football is the money-maker and must be the center of all attention. (Wow. Did that sound bitter? I didn't mean for it to.))
    Love that song!
    What a lovely comment your friend sent you. It's so nice to get affirmed in such a way. And BTW, everything she said is true, true, true.
    I'm with you on the washer and dryer. (Even though I do hang a lot of my clothes outside.) It is a long haul from our laundry baskets to the basement washing machine. I decided instead of complaining about it, I'm going to be grateful, as it's the most exercise I get each day.

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    1. 1. See? I'm not the only one who thinks so :)
      2. Bitter? No. Truthful? Painfully so! And they are a great group of girls.
      3. If Clark hadn't brought it up a couple of months ago, I would never have made the connection with that song, because I am just dense that way.
      4. Thank you. Very much.
      5. I try to look at it as an alternative to the stair master, but mostly I see it as a pain in the ass. Plus, the Little Red Hen is doing all the work and all the other animals do is complain that they don't have any clean clothes.

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    2. lol... it's not my fault... it's John Cougar Melancholy's do you think I have any idea of what comes out of the keyboard when I sit down?

      ...actually maybe you can, try this: as action is to a scott, association of ideas are to a clark...

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  12. My son and I were just having a conversation the other day about how grateful should be spelled. I thought I made a comment here yesterday, but I must have not sent it properly or something ... I don't call myself muddle-headed for nothing! I love the photo of the volleyball team. It's so nice that they all get on so well together and that they can relax and just be themselves in your home. I can't believe you have to teach two sets of identical twins - I have trouble getting names right at the best of times!

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    1. I hate it when people get my name wrong, so I try really hard to be right with all my students, but especially the twins. And I'm trying to ignore the visual cues like different hair bows or outfits and learn which name goes with which twin by their actions and facial structure. BUT IT'S HARRRRD!

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  13. Love it! I just finished eating a carmel apple while I was reading this, and yes, it is such a delightful, and slightly healthy, treat! And I hear you on telling apart twins. I just realized this week that I have students that are twins, and I never figured it out. One is in my 3rd hour, the other in my 4th hour. And even with the same last name, and, you know, same face, it took me three weeks to figure it out when they came in after school together! Wow....

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    1. I went to high school with fraternal twins who looked a lot alike but were still pretty easy to tell apart. My mom was always commenting on how much those boys looked alike, until we finally figured out she was seeing the same boy all the time and just thought she had seen both.

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  14. I LOV-ED your post! I love the Fall air, too. I bet you're getting gorgeous colors. We aren't quite yet, but hopefully in a few weeks.
    Cute photo of the team at your house. Mine is always full of neighborhood kids, which I love. Although it does get loud...and messy from time to time. But mostly I love being "that" house.
    Lizzie is the BOMB. I think she's amazing for running the 5K for you. Like I've told her before, she's the real deal. I'm honored to call her my friend.
    Uh, I have a mountain of unfolded laundry in my dining room right now, and my washer/dryer is 15 feet from me. You speak my language, sistah.
    I'm happy for you that you got such lovely validation from your high school friend. How awesome!
    Thanks for a great post! (I want choc. chip cookies now. thx)

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    1. Awwww same back atcha, Beth :)

      MAN! I love the Blogosphere :) So many wonderful people in one place *happy sighs*

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  15. I too, love the air right now and apples and caramel. And the fact that Lizzi is running. For you, even. Awesome stuff. Also? Your admirers are correct. Your writing is amazing and important and inspiring and just plain old lovely. I'm glad I know you.

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  16. Sounds like a wonderful session with them, Dyanne! Glad you enjoyed it. Cookies, please?

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  17. hah! (she'll never think to look here for a Comment!)

    no, I'm not talking to myself, I am clearly leaving an incisive and witty Comment where it will be safe from roaming packs of bloggers

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