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That does not make me real keen to get out.
Then I spent the better part of half an hour trying to help my mom OVER THE PHONE find some pictures she saw on Facebook. My brother's going to pay for setting up that account, and that's all I'm going to say.
10 Things of Thankful. Go.
1. I set the Christmas tree up, and let me say that pre-lit Christmas trees are fantastic for exactly one year. Then the lights stop working. But only in sections. So I bought a gizmo that's supposed to fix it. And it does, but only for everyone who has borrowed it from me; mine are still dead. Ruby, of course, thought the tree was put there for her to use as a jungle gym and shot right up the middle. The good news is, she didn't turn the tree over.
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| Ruby "helping" with the decorations. |
2. I went out and bought about 100 (or 8) boxes of Christmas tree lights to put on the tree, since none of the attached bulbs were lighting (okay, not NONE, but maybe only 27% of the tree was lit). I may never get them all unwound when it's time to take the tree down, but by golly, it's lit NOW.
3. I took the College Boy back to school last weekend and ran by Charming Charlie's on my way out of town, because I JUST HAPPENED to have a coupon. Bought myself two scarves that will surely end up in my daughter's room and a pair of earrings that better not.
4. Monday night was the end-of-season volleyball banquet for my daughter's school volleyball team. I helped the head coach decorate for it, then my friend Melinda joined me in time to help with getting the drink station set up. The high school 9/10 Center cafeteria has a little coffee bar that has been built along the back wall of the room, and students operate it before school and during lunch. We went behind the counter to fill cups with ice and make tea. And I SAW a handwritten note in the left side of the double sink that said not to use the sink, but as it was lying in the left side, we assumed that meant the right side was okay.
It wasn't.
Soon, we realized we were standing in about half an inch of water. And the water was a little, well, dirty. It seemed to be coming from underneath the ice machine, so we figured the water was just dirty from dust and crud that was under the machine and sent our girls to find a custodian and a mop. They came rushing back, saying, "Don't use the sink! There's something wrong and the sewer is backing up!"
We were standing in sewer water.
The good news is we didn't contract e. coli. Or typhoid. Or ptomaine.
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| Coach V and daughter at the banquet. Headbands were a gift from the coach and they're stinkin' cute. |
5. The College Boy forgot the power cord for his laptop when he went back to school on Sunday (in spite of me repeatedly asking him if he had everything, SPECIFICALLY asking about power cords and chargers), so as soon as preschool was over on Tuesday, I headed to Springfield with the cord. It was nice to get a little time with him one-on-one, and we went to 5 Guys for a late lunch before I had to head back. Before I hit the highway, I took a little detour to Gordman's, where I bought myself a sweater, because I HAD A COUPON.
6. That night was the vocal music department's Christmas concert. It was very festive, I sat between my friends Amy and Donna, and my husband managed to make it through the whole thing without his ears bleeding, although he chose to hang out in the back of the auditorium where he could prowl around when it got to be too much for him (he might not be considered a fan of show choirs). He picked my daughter up from school that afternoon, while I was delivering the power cord, and said the street was closed off behind the school by workers, and as he drove by, there was water spewing up out of a hole that was dug into the street.
Might it have had something to do with the sewer water back-up in the coffee bar? I'm guessing yes.
7. I picked up a few groceries on Wednesday in anticipation of a snow day later in the week. Everyone else in Joplin had the same idea. I went to Sam's Club (Walmart's version of Costco, for those of you not in the midwest or south) to pick up a couple of items, including yeast, which is less than $4 for two 1-lb bags, and they were COMPLETELY OUT. Located someone who worked there to ask if there MIGHT be more somewhere, and he not only found out there WAS more in the store (about 15 feet above my head, actually), he got someone to bring a fork lift (which necessitates closing down the entire aisle) and got it down for me. How nice is that?
8. We made an awesome bulletin board in my Primary class this week, and yes, it did involve me holding one of the twins upside down by the waist so she could put some handprints in the middle of the picture. We added the decorations on Thursday, and it turned out totes adorbs.
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| Sweet little hands. |
9. I told all my preschoolers to wear their underwear to bed backwards Thursday night AND put a spoon under the bed, and we would get snow that night. AND IT WORKED!
10. Snow Day! Snow Day! Snow Day! I LOVE snow days! No school on Friday, as it was snowy and slick and f-f-f-freezing cold. We stayed in all day, watching Netflix and other movies (husband and daughter) and baking (me). Did I say I love snow days? I LOOOOOOVE snow days!
Come one, come all and link up to 10 Things of Thankful this week. And read Lizzi's entry, because there is a contest that you are surely going to want to enter, even though I'm already planning on winning it.
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I can't wait to hear about the kids' reactions to the snow! They're going to think you're a wizard!
ReplyDeleteHere's a message I got yesterday from a mom:
DeleteIt must be because we put every spoon in our house under a pillow, and *almost* everyone has backwards underwear, thanks to your guidance.
And another:
I have three girls here who are so excited that wearing their undies backwards really worked :)
MWAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!
Second! Jenn beat you!
ReplyDeleteFriday snow days are the best - three day weekend!
ReplyDeletePaint on their HANDS (but just wait till you see how we make hearts for Valentine's day....)
Ruby is very helpful. Actually, more so than anyone else in the house. I have only put half the ornaments on, thinking it wise to leave off anything very fragile or sentimental that isn't indestructible.
Coupons. Ahhh, coupons!
Love the headbands!
ReplyDeleteAren't they cute? The Coach's uncle made them, according to my daughter. I believe "crazy uncle" was the phrase she used.
Deletelove Ruby of course but the hand tree is spectacular...
ReplyDeleteYou wouldn't be competitive or anything would ya?
I love the hand tree, especially the little finger print lights.
DeleteCompetitive? ME?
The handprint Christmas tree is adorable!! Love that you told the kiddies to wear their underwear backwards! I'm sure their parents were wondering WTH!?! Haahaa!
ReplyDeleteYour daughter rocks that headband!!
Read my reply to Jenn, above, for the texts I got from two of my parents. Hilarious!
DeleteAnd thank you! I think my daughter can rock just about anything. Her coach looks pretty good in one, too.
SNOW DAYS ARE THE BESTEST IN THE WESTEST!!! I had no idea it happened because of backwards undies and spoons under beds, but that's the cutest things ever! WAIT. no. The handprint tree is!
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I joined for two reason: 1. you goaded me and I cannot resist that kind of temptation grrrrrr and 2. I was lucky enough to get computer time yipppppeeee!
BTW - I'm totes winning. SUCK IT!
See what you learn by being a blogger? Now you know how to get a snow day!
DeleteYou winning? Hah! YOU'RE GOING DOWN, SISTER!
DYANNE! WE GOT ANOTHER SNOW DAY!! I swear! We just got the notice. I'm so glad I wore my undies backwards today and a spoon in my bra! Uh...that's what I was supposed to do right? RIGHT?
DeleteAND I'M SO WINNING...JEALOUS???? Don't make me break out my Hubba Bubba grape gum and get all super hero on you. I'll totally do it!
We had to go today, but snow day tomorrow, because that crap is falling from the sky again. Wheee!
DeleteI'm gonna be da winner.
Well, my question is this: why WOULDN'T you shop if you have a coupon? I knew we'd be good friends (still waiting on my sleepover invite...must have gotten lost in the mail?)
ReplyDeleteExcited for you snow day...the poor PBA never get snow days. They are deprived, for sure.
Love the handprint tree! I always loved handprint crafts when I taught preschool. The best! I always felt badly when I had to take it down and (GASP!) throw it away.
My husband claims I cost him a lot of money by saving him money with coupons. But come on, a coupon to Charming Charlie's? AND one to Gordman's?
DeleteSleepover at my house New Year's Eve.
You really don't give those poor boys a snow day EVER?
I had to throw away the fall tree we did with our hands, and it hurt. I closed my eyes, wadded it up, and stuffed it in the trash can.
The "wear your undies backwards and put a spoon under your bed".. Glorious.. and a little bit evil :-) But I'm glad you enjoyed your snow day! Our snow didn't stay put, which is actually good for the house I guess..
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend, Dyanne!
The snow day was GREAT! Hope we get a couple more before the winter is over; we don't get any days off from school in February at all, and it sure can be a looooong month without one.
DeleteJealous of the snow day! How come grown ups don't get those? Love that you haven't done your Christmas shopping but have done your Dyanne shopping. I'm jealous of that too!
ReplyDeleteThat's why I teach school; I still get snow days! NO ONE ELSE would have picked out any of that stuff for me. I HAD to be responsible for my own shopping. I DID. I DID!
DeleteI'm envious of your snow day! I could use one here. I thought it was PJs that needed to be worn backwards (maybe I've been doing this wrong!), but I've never heard of the spoon trick. I'll have to try that, I guess. :-)
ReplyDeleteDon't tell anyone, but some years I say pjs and some I say underwear. I never can remember which one I've said the year before. And it's all about the spoon....
DeleteNow I can't say that I am jealous of 7 degrees but I am a little jealous of a snow day spent at home baking and watching movies! I've never even seen the stuff! I can see all the kiddies wearing their undies backwards and putting spoons under their little beds...I would love to have seen their reactions to the snow! Magical, I bet.
ReplyDeleteThose headbands are way too cute and my daughter would love them!
The 7 degrees SUCKS and is pretty unusual for here, as are snow days. Some years, we don't get any at all. But when we do, I take full advantage! Look at my reply to Jenn's comment, above (the first one) to see what some of my kids did.
DeleteAnd yes, those headbands were really cute! I look like a head wound patient from WWI in one of them, but my daughter can certainly pull the look off.
tell me that the 'underwear backwards and spoon under-the-bed (to) cause snow' is your creation! aiyee what a wonderful thing to do.
ReplyDelete(of course, you realize the attendant risk… in five or six years one of your students (now in 5 grade will show up at school with their underwear on the outside and a bag full of eating utensils, insisting that Mrs. Dyanne taught that if you wanted to ace the reading test, the best thing to do was…)
am writing only one day behind.
("glitter is as glitter does, ya know)
The backwards underwear thing works every time, Clark. You should give it a try sometime.
DeleteNumber 9 totally made me giggle and telling you my girls would have done this for sure if their pre-school teachers told them to do this. And my mom found Facebook, too. As I am leaving for dinner last night with my husband, she proceeds to ask me if my cousin had a boob job. No joke, she thought that this was what I wanted to look at as I escaped to get my first hot meal out without my gruesome twosome in months! Seriously, so with you on this one and then some! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's such a fun thing to tell preschoolers! They will pretty much do anything I tell them to do like that, which can be a hoot.
DeleteMy mom is always telling me about pictures she sees, and the next time she's on, they have just disappeared. Lord, help me....
What a busy week you had! I LOVE the hand collage you made with the pre-schoolers ...and the image of you holding one of them upsidedown to do the middle of it! Ruby and those headbands are so so cute. Love your number 9 - that's hilarious!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lizzy! I love preschool crafts that include handprints, footprints or fingerprints. Got two out of three on this one!
Deleteyou and your little scottian friend, Christine bear some responsibility for the fact that I am Posting my 10 Items of Thankful on *other* people's blogs. After all, I think your exact words were, "...congratulations on the normal list. Are you feeling okay…?"
ReplyDeleteSo this is Item…. wait a minute, I know how much you enjoy the…. un-expected, so I will make this Item #10 of the Wakefield Doctrine Sunday TToT post….
('thank you very much'*)
* hear this done in an Elvis voice
Well, this is certainly more in character for you, Clark.
DeleteI absolutely adore the pre-school craft Christmas tree - both beautiful and creative! My daughter is four and starting to bring home all sorts of fun crafts. I think I like this age :)
ReplyDeleteAnd gross re: the sewage but glad everyone is okay. We had a foundation crack in our house when we moved in and everytime it flash thawed we got water entry. My fear the first time was that it wasn't just water, because it was hard to tell where it was coming from. In our case all was okay - but I understand that moment of "oh no"!
We'd been wading in sewer water for 20 minutes probably before we knew it was sewer water, so what are you going to do? You just keep filling glasses with ice, that's what!
DeleteLove, love, love the little handprints Christmas tree! I'm wondering if that backwards underwear, spoon under the bed thing might work here in West Texas? I think it's worth a try! We had the deep-freeze cold, the freezing rain, and more cold to come, but alas no pretty snowfall to go with it, just roads thick with ice. I treated myself to a day off on Friday, preferring not to risk the 20 mile drive. That was nice! Of course I will be making up for it tomorrow with my desk piled high. Had to smile at your Christmas tree lights saga, and your little fury "assistant" Ruby... they really do think that Christmas trees are just for them. Hang a few of those tiny red satin balls near the bottom, she'll have blast removing them and batting them around the house, mine do! :-)
ReplyDeleteOoo, I hate freezing rain! We get that and sleet more often than we get snow, usually. But give the backwards underwear and a spoon under your bed a try, although I recommend checking the weather forecast beforehand and feeling fairly certain you'll have success :)
DeleteRuby has been much better about the tree since the lights and ornaments have gone on. She does like to bat at the lower branches, and I didn't let anything dangle down, but maybe I'll put something on there for her to play with. Or then again, maybe I should leave well enough alone, since she's not messing with it?
OMG underwear backwards! That is awesome. I don't like that 7 degrees and even though I am not a cat person Ruby is so pinchable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm onto the next thanks because this list was so great!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kerry! Ruby has made some very decidedly non-cat people into, well, Ruby tolerant people :)
DeleteI CANNOT GET CAUGHT UP ON ANYTHING EITHER. ack. Ok, I feel better now. Aren't you glad to know you're not alone?!
ReplyDeleteOk, so that pre-lit tree thing. YES! We had one, I think it lasted 2 years. Then, each year a strand went out, so by the time I decided to toss it, it had 3 strings of lights on it (that we bought and put ON it)---in which case, I say, what is the point of having a pre-lit tree??
We can start a support group and then have even less time to get stuff done.
DeletePre-lit trees are just crap. End of story.
I'm laughing so hard right now...and you should probably not be a preschool teacher because of the method I am certain popped into your head. For shame. :)
ReplyDeleteWe got our "delayed opening" today - not enough for my taste. Undies are going on backwards tonight because based on tomorrow's forecast, staying home is just smarter. We could go in and dismiss early, I suppose, but that's just a disaster. This better work, Dyanne!
ReplyDeleteCoupon shopping - good for you!
I feel college boy's pain...went to an in-service today with cords in tow but NO ADAPTER to use to plug one of them in. Stupid. Grumble grumble.
We actually love our pre-lit tree and we are on year...hang on...does math...five. Got it the year Zilla was born. Or the year just before. So maybe it's six. Either way, we're still good. The sections of bulbs do go out as you said, but the Fab Hub is pretty good at fixing that problem. I don't ask how - I just know he does it. I can rent him out if you like.
As for that getting caught up thing...right there with you! As a colleague of mine once said (he's a XC coach), "I'm so far behind I'm lapping myself." Indeed. And just so everyone knows, there is not a single decoration in my house for Christmas save the wreath on the front door. We have leftover Halloween pumpkins, a Thanksgiving turkey, and loads of other fall stuff as well as some Hanukkah items. Perhaps now that we are on snow day two it's time to fix that problem. If we stay home tomorrow, that's the agenda. Operation Decorate!
We never have delayed openings. We either go or we don't. We also don't dismiss early, apparently because of a complete disaster that happened the last time they did that (and it was over 20 years ago) when kids were taken home on the bus only to find no one there to let them in, as the parents were still at work.
DeleteI'm glad to know SOMEONE has success with a pre-lit tree and hope I didn't just jinx you. I can either mail Fab Hub the tree or he can mail himself here. The alternative is to put a jillion strings of lights on it and call it good, which I did.
I like that quote from the coach. I definitely think I'm about to lap myself! But at least I am decorated, even if there is nothing to put under the tree.
Underwear backwards, spoon under the bed, Lisa, and you can stay home tomorrow and decorate!
My husband took my son to work with him one time when he was a baby (like 8 months-ish). Husband sat son's naked bottom on the photocopier, then faxed the image to me at work. Made a really cute heart.
ReplyDeleteThere's a surprise for you over at my blog :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who has been behind on absolutely everything. That handprint tree is so cute. I might need to steal that idea. And I LOVE #9.
ReplyDeleteYou should do the handprint thing with your girls on a piece of fabric (you could SEW something). It will hurt me to throw it away, but it's not like I can cut it apart and send it home with each kid.
Delete#9? Yeah, totally worked.