tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38141817897549822272024-03-19T03:48:53.079-05:00Backsies Is What There Is NotThere are no backsies in life, so if life gives you lemons (or breast cancer) laugh in its face and move forward.Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.comBlogger881125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-37602905941866667372024-03-17T22:21:00.002-05:002024-03-17T22:21:57.116-05:00Car Hospice, My Person, And Spring Thankfuls<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The car my daughter has been driving for the past nine years or so was a hand-me-down from my parents. It was a 2004 Toyota Avalon, and I drove it for a several years, then my son drove it in high school, followed by my daughter driving it in high school, college, and now, law school. We had high hopes it would survive until she graduated, passed the Bar, and officially began her Big Girl job at a law firm, but the little car had different ideas. It was tired. It had seen things. It had over 200,000 miles on it. It had to have a new (to it) engine after it began belching blue smoke while my daughter was still in high school. Its ailments increased over the past few years, then a few weeks ago, it became incontinent, losing its oil God knows where, and it was determined by a mechanic to be fatal. It was time to let it go.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Fortunately, my daughter made bank at her summer internship and had some money stashed away, so after MUCH research, making of spreadsheets, and test driving, she got her very first car. This event marks the beginning of my Ten Things of Thankful.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My husband drove up to Kansas City to go with her to the dealership while she signed all the paperwork. He complained a little about it, but I told him MY daddy drove two hours each way to sit with ME in the car dealership when I bought MY first car; it's a dad thing.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLzS0yYy-7W1B3juTtJFbwa14Clte2IYVx0MSMWu5OAcJe5C9qa6_GYPYwka8h3IjWiXzMCxQVFfOsjryWOMiPkdzAudt7kjs9b7cvyLtkufeUgUn9m4TAq31izi5asRIAy9r2FFwRby9IIoux2Jnw410aODWDbI-6hAz7naAhyphenhyphenFo7GETcGgKQWCTwM8/s4032/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLzS0yYy-7W1B3juTtJFbwa14Clte2IYVx0MSMWu5OAcJe5C9qa6_GYPYwka8h3IjWiXzMCxQVFfOsjryWOMiPkdzAudt7kjs9b7cvyLtkufeUgUn9m4TAq31izi5asRIAy9r2FFwRby9IIoux2Jnw410aODWDbI-6hAz7naAhyphenhyphenFo7GETcGgKQWCTwM8/w400-h300/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My baby and her new ride</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While he was in Kansas City, I spent the weekend in Branson at my dad's, because my Person and her daughter were in town. It sure did my heart good to spend time with them. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2bAxfYelJK6fhPJU7Hsl-wovD26FOXNc2sdUGFI9CJZt5yAfCfoqocv2LGcKaZuAiLcqcaMm51u0YD4kRIEc781uYiI1bqpgWFi12IHjStBtfzjgeN_Yiwvdfz3yIuyjSrTe8OGXZRFA9Syg-YGuzAkqjyKbgldld3kS938XHNC4G71-ihoI5WFE1TQ/s4032/IMG_0990%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2bAxfYelJK6fhPJU7Hsl-wovD26FOXNc2sdUGFI9CJZt5yAfCfoqocv2LGcKaZuAiLcqcaMm51u0YD4kRIEc781uYiI1bqpgWFi12IHjStBtfzjgeN_Yiwvdfz3yIuyjSrTe8OGXZRFA9Syg-YGuzAkqjyKbgldld3kS938XHNC4G71-ihoI5WFE1TQ/s320/IMG_0990%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Terri and Mackenzie</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniW9dTWgFWS8t8QqZt8BRm-s5fTN2xEzmGl3sGSQlc40NyRrSOxH73_5zpskwq3jl0kZD37sk4nHYQDTmHzi0ygcf5yMA2_7gNmD71Lkm_xliUnlgJ0pjOeaugSNqMLxj4mbDRqVim97gzKotB8gfy6V1UjzxY79iK-OdVS6dpeeaF2poBpFPW9ZIxBY/s4032/IMG_0988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniW9dTWgFWS8t8QqZt8BRm-s5fTN2xEzmGl3sGSQlc40NyRrSOxH73_5zpskwq3jl0kZD37sk4nHYQDTmHzi0ygcf5yMA2_7gNmD71Lkm_xliUnlgJ0pjOeaugSNqMLxj4mbDRqVim97gzKotB8gfy6V1UjzxY79iK-OdVS6dpeeaF2poBpFPW9ZIxBY/s320/IMG_0988.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With my Person</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Hanes outlet is closing, and we made a KILLING buying new bras. Girl thing.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We may have hit SEVERAL outlet stores, actually....</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We ate at all of Terri's and Mackenzie's favorite places and got frozen custard twice. TWICE.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And saw The Haygoods show FOR FREE.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgk1NjdZiBm4uRdcQcKlnP643dUobTsHgCalInFxxx1TIbRLUtumfQIKkEZDqNgP5cCW8-fRhJzZpA4gBl2riWyG4B9q51eVhDQavMDW3RNuBMw7XHFfHRjGxbzOK5OUnkDMpd9L0mQrzgeITx3jkPWsK7mwJ_D-gyoVP7LEY6AqFVyYe33cy1nmd5CI/s4032/IMG_0982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgk1NjdZiBm4uRdcQcKlnP643dUobTsHgCalInFxxx1TIbRLUtumfQIKkEZDqNgP5cCW8-fRhJzZpA4gBl2riWyG4B9q51eVhDQavMDW3RNuBMw7XHFfHRjGxbzOK5OUnkDMpd9L0mQrzgeITx3jkPWsK7mwJ_D-gyoVP7LEY6AqFVyYe33cy1nmd5CI/s320/IMG_0982.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Haygoods show</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We had a good dose of Spring this week. The daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips have popped out of the ground and bloomed. The red bud trees are also in bloom, the grass is greening up, and there are buds on all the trees. Winter really may be out of here when it's supposed to be!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There were a LOT of leftover bananas in the kitchen at school that were beyond eating straight up, so I took them home to make banana bread. I planned to make four loaves: two to take to school and share with everyone there and two to take to my dad. I could make enough batter for two loaves at a time in my Kitchen Aid mixer. I had the batter mixed and ready for the addition of the mashed bananas, but as I began the mashing process in a separate bowl with the back of a fork, the bowl flipped off the counter and landed upside down on the kitchen floor, dumping six VERY RIPE bananas all over the floor. I said MANY bad words, cleaned up the mess, and CAREFULLY mashed six more bananas, added them to the batter, and I STILL had enough old bananas to make two more banana breads. See? I DID have a lot of bananas! And the banana bread was appreciated by all who partook.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Saturday was a gorgeous day, warm and sunny, and my husband and I ventured out to Silver Dollar City theme park for our first visit of the 2024 season. We listened to the Homestead Pickers as per usual and took a lap around the entire park and I thought to myself, "God's in His Heaven. All's right with the world."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And it was. And it is. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MufRbXQT82pYoTjS9zTQf43dDCG7gQq39hw0ODjl8W1tHA4xOWaduSwGyXwFyrmkGxl39vBCeB8wCPVMyX5PUzCxlTXeI_fWrYUULqVCLtLGZVahByKKd4pLtQCfkZVv66-CbcDqkEL_IaWMtjppEMjEMdGO7lFdpttMJ981_gLCUs2qxwme-OiBGxw/s4032/IMG_1129%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MufRbXQT82pYoTjS9zTQf43dDCG7gQq39hw0ODjl8W1tHA4xOWaduSwGyXwFyrmkGxl39vBCeB8wCPVMyX5PUzCxlTXeI_fWrYUULqVCLtLGZVahByKKd4pLtQCfkZVv66-CbcDqkEL_IaWMtjppEMjEMdGO7lFdpttMJ981_gLCUs2qxwme-OiBGxw/s320/IMG_1129%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<!-- starts InLinkz code --><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="6d8301e45db34e29ba0ec14e454e337d" style="width:100%;margin:30px 0;background-color:#eceff1;border-radius:7px;text-align:center;font-size:16px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><div style="padding:8px;"><p style="margin-bottom:15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/6d8301e45db34e29ba0ec14e454e337d" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="padding:5px 20px;background:#209cee;text-decoration:none;color:#efefef;border-radius:4px;">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!-- ends InLinkz code -->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-16801360107506230892024-03-03T23:51:00.002-06:002024-03-04T00:17:31.476-06:00I'm Conscious It Was A Great Week!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I just had THE most amazing week! I attended a <a href="https://consciousdiscipline.com/">Conscious Discipline</a> Advanced Institute training on St. Simons Island, Georgia. It was a small group of about 45 educators, and we spent the week delving deeply into our own journeys with Conscious Discipline, as well as improving our skills at using it with children. Conscious Discipline is an adult-first approach to social-emotional learning that was developed by Dr Becky Bailey. The week certainly made for a terrific list of thankfuls!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">First and foremost, I am thankful to Nikki, my preschool director, for introducing me to CD and for sending me to trainings, especially this one. They were long days, but they were filled to bursting with learning and growing!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nikki, my co-worker Alyssa, and I flew to St. Simons last Saturday. I'm thankful for my husband for being our Uber driver to the airport at the crack of dawn (truly, it was BEFORE the crack of dawn) AND for picking us up a week later at what turned out to be way to close to the next day's crack of dawn than i would have liked, but more on that later.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvc0HjZx7dht6o10xcafLUhb6hmEKhId6MIxsuR0cqhZKAIVq21Khs9zad5tnWEACIk_k0PSM-izEAFe8I40DMkhL6_ePpLmCcvRaIGsFJybcSY_4QuIr2qyn-4SSKRyjHUljeGSQDA-xKt4i_3l2LalrCFbFh_erK2zpf41HjC8QAQAYaXfWO34vXNo/s4032/IMG_0345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvc0HjZx7dht6o10xcafLUhb6hmEKhId6MIxsuR0cqhZKAIVq21Khs9zad5tnWEACIk_k0PSM-izEAFe8I40DMkhL6_ePpLmCcvRaIGsFJybcSY_4QuIr2qyn-4SSKRyjHUljeGSQDA-xKt4i_3l2LalrCFbFh_erK2zpf41HjC8QAQAYaXfWO34vXNo/s320/IMG_0345.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bright-eyed and bushy tailed for the trip!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our flight from Springfield to Dallas wasn't bad; a little turbulence as we approached DFW, but not awful (btw I hadn't flown since 2010). Then as we were lining up to board for our flight to Jacksonville, Florida, it was announced that we were changing planes, as there was a HOLE in the plane we were to take, and the pilot was not satisfied with the repair that had been made. We then had to rush from A concourse to C concourse (if you've ever been to DFW, you will understand the effort this requires), and board THAT plane. And the turbulence we had on arrival? They were a dress rehearsal for the turbulence ON STEROIDS that we had for the first 20 minutes after take-off. I was pretty convinced the plane was going to explode or drop from the sky (or both), but it didn't and we made it to Jacksonville in one piece.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We stayed at a magical place called <a href="https://www.epworthbythesea.org/">Epworth by the Sea</a>, a Methodist retreat center on the Brunswick River where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean on land that once was a cotton plantation. The grounds are breathtakingly gorgeous, with massive trees draped with Spanish moss and a view of the water. And you don't have to be part of a private event to stay there! It is open to the public, and the rooms are lovely. The rates are also considerably lower than they are elsewhere on the island. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEZpMoDDXYAWHgryjLF01eHK_hbPusO6yo0d8ptUcxEFExtSPHxO9tSsi8N6WvS2hUpRryfYGMdZXxJ_M0fHRGgafuXXH6UjVSNCrcvijY0NQtJ74Dde3qL1_b2l4jC4tpFx713xuzpipfv7wx0Kk_-CW-zey2OP-VfxYIe9bsUQF7hJnSLGRgHBTWAw/s320/IMG_0459.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from my balcony</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEZpMoDDXYAWHgryjLF01eHK_hbPusO6yo0d8ptUcxEFExtSPHxO9tSsi8N6WvS2hUpRryfYGMdZXxJ_M0fHRGgafuXXH6UjVSNCrcvijY0NQtJ74Dde3qL1_b2l4jC4tpFx713xuzpipfv7wx0Kk_-CW-zey2OP-VfxYIe9bsUQF7hJnSLGRgHBTWAw/s3088/IMG_0459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTQpOsLEvuJagUFd5HEukV6GPh9OWHqFenDbz1gx4wvhKfy-OGVFEghM_BqwzftFHUZ0aspCuwaHT4UIci6TGWxl8NGSewb6J3j2yyD7FqrPteltj0fqXRtkzzNsef8JXwCFKZaVV9zfjyTNo6JgwwlF-Qm68ueBHHeumaweZxkkhciq4vG4u62e5PIE/s4032/IMG_0736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTQpOsLEvuJagUFd5HEukV6GPh9OWHqFenDbz1gx4wvhKfy-OGVFEghM_BqwzftFHUZ0aspCuwaHT4UIci6TGWxl8NGSewb6J3j2yyD7FqrPteltj0fqXRtkzzNsef8JXwCFKZaVV9zfjyTNo6JgwwlF-Qm68ueBHHeumaweZxkkhciq4vG4u62e5PIE/s320/IMG_0736.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foggy morning</td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We arrived a day early, so we could spend a little time exploring the island before we got down to business. We had yummy fresh shrimp Saturday night at a place called Iguanas (and yes, I, too, would have expected it to be Mexican food with that name). On Sunday, we went back down to the village and toured the <a href="https://www.goldenisles.com/listing/st-simons-lighthouse-museum/183/">lighthouse and its museum.</a> The original lighthouse was built in 1810 and was destroyed in 1861 to prevent Federal troops from using its beacon during the Civil War. It was rebuilt in 1872 and includes a caretaker's home and is still sending out a beacon that can be seen 23 miles out into the sea. We climbed up the 129 steps (made for a time when people had much smaller feet) and bravely stood at the top without falling off.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEA3plwteZKmAn2WfK-dF60Hq94dW653wqKKtkqJaR8AttdWFCBxl2AZJcHzllgz8hO2dGYkjf_y6x45LHTNqMjeBdFXZvrrHl8UavCgITCZ6OAv7TcyRLZY6qsKvT3OvF2eRqaBqVx2g8olLEq8Ht0S3hRs317VlgryshHHdJ4mu4dtzELIRqJF_snU/s4032/IMG_0406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEA3plwteZKmAn2WfK-dF60Hq94dW653wqKKtkqJaR8AttdWFCBxl2AZJcHzllgz8hO2dGYkjf_y6x45LHTNqMjeBdFXZvrrHl8UavCgITCZ6OAv7TcyRLZY6qsKvT3OvF2eRqaBqVx2g8olLEq8Ht0S3hRs317VlgryshHHdJ4mu4dtzELIRqJF_snU/s320/IMG_0406.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The lighthouse at St. Simons Island</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilaBmz-BM4PsuOmc6jXufXg-ur6BmRL9lSBQCBEabsW7HoUnwIy7as8xfUnSFvA_S-OJ4WzupSE4G2OEEGCKiBWAU83RIjznuedb-DJwdkqZfsZ0JhZFaOpgf35hl3K57A7To4uKZDvPgV4MROfKNbHHxbAcaNEA0MVZTNcYqo-EqkLwQLh4_ANMIQF-g/s4032/IMG_0411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilaBmz-BM4PsuOmc6jXufXg-ur6BmRL9lSBQCBEabsW7HoUnwIy7as8xfUnSFvA_S-OJ4WzupSE4G2OEEGCKiBWAU83RIjznuedb-DJwdkqZfsZ0JhZFaOpgf35hl3K57A7To4uKZDvPgV4MROfKNbHHxbAcaNEA0MVZTNcYqo-EqkLwQLh4_ANMIQF-g/s320/IMG_0411.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The view from the top</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqBCnSwsGnnoj3PBA1qYA79Vj1WSa4ngEwuhgeXKRf8JjhbnVvEZ7733nXHyQqrIOyXqtAxK5Cy8JBvCraMPEmgxgW-YZkCmjfJZcY2aWp0sUx24GFy4uTvzS8Kj9L0S-b1VhAVy_-9ofVD6gU4nDC3tghYHuvSf6a5zVCmi5zDMPzdU_YCdF6UutvuY/s4032/IMG_0734%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqBCnSwsGnnoj3PBA1qYA79Vj1WSa4ngEwuhgeXKRf8JjhbnVvEZ7733nXHyQqrIOyXqtAxK5Cy8JBvCraMPEmgxgW-YZkCmjfJZcY2aWp0sUx24GFy4uTvzS8Kj9L0S-b1VhAVy_-9ofVD6gU4nDC3tghYHuvSf6a5zVCmi5zDMPzdU_YCdF6UutvuY/s320/IMG_0734%20(1).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Night view from near the pier</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While we were on top of the lighthouse, we talked to a woman who recommended a restaurant for lunch. We not only took her up on the place, but also on her recommendation for the pecan-crusted chicken tenders. If you're ever on St. Simons Island, drop into <a href="https://www.barbarajeans.com/">Barbara Jean's</a> for a meal. You can thank me some time between when the basket of hot rolls, jalapeno cornbread, and pumpkin bread appears on your table and when you find that each chicken strip is the size of an entire chicken breast and you have four of them on your plate.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmCD5rEcCF9tstAhz0ptuyrOt2GrDhvCRNrAnu4O-foZauekIc98p4qVwOaaLtCUMCIK5P6hq7l_uMg_d_CybNFcGDxcG3M8gT1qUuhWXUPVdyMuWDVBl6iqe0e6xIdb1ovFK4hYY9EusUSPRz39ZR0X5gZ-GzAZ5dwujXglh_06FI5UYl7wSv66sqY0/s4032/IMG_0417%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmCD5rEcCF9tstAhz0ptuyrOt2GrDhvCRNrAnu4O-foZauekIc98p4qVwOaaLtCUMCIK5P6hq7l_uMg_d_CybNFcGDxcG3M8gT1qUuhWXUPVdyMuWDVBl6iqe0e6xIdb1ovFK4hYY9EusUSPRz39ZR0X5gZ-GzAZ5dwujXglh_06FI5UYl7wSv66sqY0/s320/IMG_0417%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hungry enough?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My almost-cousin Debbie and her husband Mike live on the island, and I got to visit them! Debbie's dad once introduced MY dad as "my wife's sister's husband's sister's husband". I'll let you work that out on your own, but suffice it to say that while we aren't related by blood, we do share the same cousins, and since </span><i style="font-family: arial;">ohana</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> means family, well, I consider us family. I spent Sunday evening at their beautiful home that incidentally was on a small lagoon THAT HAD AN ALLIGATOR IN IT. Mike claims alligators are more scared of us than we are of them (yeah, right) and dive into the water when they see a person, but I'm not buying that 100%. And no, I didn't SEE an alligator (it was dark), but the VERY NEXT MORNING, a neighbor saw one sunning himself and sent Debbie a picture of it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlb1UtI7mvDXJLyRjktF_Q_xzLALZE4Z2X2rgnm8zXYDe_PXPstRGdQ2Nw22T0vj0axcdM2mVyS_lPi4IEvqtLrkNax42IXpJVOAZ_ZK3OHZxTgD-BIrVq1rWMyb1eTyefVp96Djs33KqBh7vyiJO1Q1jOUU8W5G0TlFTbGqW9OLZHYwwmF7HZxtHkF8/s1323/IMG_2498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1323" data-original-width="1245" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlb1UtI7mvDXJLyRjktF_Q_xzLALZE4Z2X2rgnm8zXYDe_PXPstRGdQ2Nw22T0vj0axcdM2mVyS_lPi4IEvqtLrkNax42IXpJVOAZ_ZK3OHZxTgD-BIrVq1rWMyb1eTyefVp96Djs33KqBh7vyiJO1Q1jOUU8W5G0TlFTbGqW9OLZHYwwmF7HZxtHkF8/s320/IMG_2498.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We did not dress alike on purpose.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj273RS57UCHkzpuz51BR9fj3wiPJ17nwJ2ACIT1Re3_Gx3v0kywuwsUXlyLXFO-NQDKze368d3lvdTg27i1-HG4o_vwdeSwXe1CIsJTslu3c-OAfdnnJvoKlAiY67xtEJ4Mhidk1OHmmkEB20pyTtOwtx8sZTJ2t-_HGANeBlaxN8ItRL4k8jQqSv5VfM/s2109/IMG_7230%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2109" data-original-width="2036" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj273RS57UCHkzpuz51BR9fj3wiPJ17nwJ2ACIT1Re3_Gx3v0kywuwsUXlyLXFO-NQDKze368d3lvdTg27i1-HG4o_vwdeSwXe1CIsJTslu3c-OAfdnnJvoKlAiY67xtEJ4Mhidk1OHmmkEB20pyTtOwtx8sZTJ2t-_HGANeBlaxN8ItRL4k8jQqSv5VfM/s320/IMG_7230%20(1).jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gator young'un</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The training started early Monday morning. At CD events, the table you choose to sit at becomes your table, and the others at the table become your event family, and we sure ended up with a terrific one. Bonus was that our "table helper" was Master Instructor Vicky Hepler, who had been the presenter when we attended the week-long CD Institute last summer. What luck!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This school year, I have been lucky enough to have a Conscious Discipline coach come into my classroom a couple times and work with me, and I was even luckier that my coach, Amy Speidel, was the presenter at this CD training. Amy and I found we had a lot in common when we first met, and it was delightful to get the opportunity to learn even more from her! On Thursday evening, Amy announced that we were going to have a little surprise, and instead of a LITTLE surprise, it was a GIGANTIC SURPRISE of the very best kind: Dr. Becky Bailey came up from Orlando to meet us and to present to us on Friday morning. Swoon!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDdtTY2cqtEszIhsMKwhtrMz_TwZfRmtOOMht1pRMdai2dCgjzWGD-i3Jhry3fjwrvK8LhC-u3CbBLtQd9zfwILH_LBH1Wag4gH7NQhqzOJ9sKdoEYXGhdkPGEYzkv1ckACx_duYSg3XjRSHDr6KKCnO_7E318NIDXgWz_YCksLqUhbVxcpY0dZxB0dE/s4032/IMG_0575.heic.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDdtTY2cqtEszIhsMKwhtrMz_TwZfRmtOOMht1pRMdai2dCgjzWGD-i3Jhry3fjwrvK8LhC-u3CbBLtQd9zfwILH_LBH1Wag4gH7NQhqzOJ9sKdoEYXGhdkPGEYzkv1ckACx_duYSg3XjRSHDr6KKCnO_7E318NIDXgWz_YCksLqUhbVxcpY0dZxB0dE/s320/IMG_0575.heic.JPEG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Alyssa, Nikki, Dr. Bailey, and Amy</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All too soon, our training was completed and our week had come to an end, but lucky us, we stayed one more day AFTER the training ended and continued with exploration, this time, visiting beaches. St. Simons Island is not known for its beaches, but we found a little strip near the lighthouse and walked along it. We got to see dolphins swimming just off shore, as well as see an ENORMOUS cargo ship carrying around 1,000 cars inside it to points unknown. Saturday morning, after checking out of Epworth, we drove to Jekyll Island to visit <a href="https://www.goldenisles.com/listing/driftwood-beach/148/">Driftwood Beach</a>, which has a post-apocalyptic feel to it, then spent some time at Oceanview Beach (more dolphins seen). We then drove to Amelia Island for a quick stop at the beach there (which was the only one with an abundance of shells) before returning the rental car and beginning our journey home.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1ukhkNDEnVOA510ifvq2Gs2GLBit9X2Hh9k3R_suyappRIYZihX96Mg5oy914-4hxdwwQKG1jfCWCKXDnXkwUmheG9XVytf4B3xifhlZ7wU34JIlIaRy4Yyhlly6dnjc0VKO2IeP8UAZUZehx0EP7eLQ3289Volv8P_8DgmB4NXVOOrp8rw5Bn_iG4Q/s4032/IMG_0743%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1ukhkNDEnVOA510ifvq2Gs2GLBit9X2Hh9k3R_suyappRIYZihX96Mg5oy914-4hxdwwQKG1jfCWCKXDnXkwUmheG9XVytf4B3xifhlZ7wU34JIlIaRy4Yyhlly6dnjc0VKO2IeP8UAZUZehx0EP7eLQ3289Volv8P_8DgmB4NXVOOrp8rw5Bn_iG4Q/s320/IMG_0743%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Driftwood Beach</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJXTpk9pUlxsZABOQCcnx2SpH6YGBsiBZsIM21EZ9uNLwXn7jkaYmLFoJRAPIIpcM9jWSJ1pqx-Z99sJ2UQ-Ar1h_npb1h-U49OWnsh_2iUz4gwNs1HXODExP_vwtFMeTWrO8ROrQ6HMt_pSLAx1A9bYoYszQrNqjeZFj6SzzefY5gcq2me4n4AZ-EGg/s4032/IMG_0781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJXTpk9pUlxsZABOQCcnx2SpH6YGBsiBZsIM21EZ9uNLwXn7jkaYmLFoJRAPIIpcM9jWSJ1pqx-Z99sJ2UQ-Ar1h_npb1h-U49OWnsh_2iUz4gwNs1HXODExP_vwtFMeTWrO8ROrQ6HMt_pSLAx1A9bYoYszQrNqjeZFj6SzzefY5gcq2me4n4AZ-EGg/s320/IMG_0781.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, the journey home was not without defugalty, but we made it home IN SPITE OF THE LAST PLANE BEING HELD TOGETHER WITH SCOTCH TAPE. And the plane change. And the connecting city change. And the fact that the new flight (back to DFW) was two hours later than the one to Charlotte had been scheduled for, but we dodged a bullet there, because on THAT flight, it was announced that there would not be bathrooms available and they'd better go before they boarded the plane. And the LAAAAATE arrival in Springfield of 12:30 am and not getting home until 2:00 am. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNF7EGLnLvdGOi6aXBZG7xm-P-PVq7Xc0xlHnJF0T094kpPvS0lW83p3Z2hpqAk7ZkDf4urdpdq9yMKmDdQWO_r3Tm2WyY7eavoazlpfdoteFpyeoNAMcXoAjkDyaZ_yy8cHrq0frG7CF4psXEHl5GldUlne56pkTBzF6uvlDA5g_a5nmus5OuFiqLqM/s3088/IMG_0812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNF7EGLnLvdGOi6aXBZG7xm-P-PVq7Xc0xlHnJF0T094kpPvS0lW83p3Z2hpqAk7ZkDf4urdpdq9yMKmDdQWO_r3Tm2WyY7eavoazlpfdoteFpyeoNAMcXoAjkDyaZ_yy8cHrq0frG7CF4psXEHl5GldUlne56pkTBzF6uvlDA5g_a5nmus5OuFiqLqM/s320/IMG_0812.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jacksonville airport</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Am I exhausted? Yes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But am I ready for the week? Also yes, because I have new tools to use with my class and a bag full of seashells for them!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-73833733750096711952024-02-11T22:45:00.000-06:002024-02-11T22:45:40.833-06:00A Winning Week!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This week was much better than last week on the school front, largely thanks to Conscious Discipline. That's a pretty okay way to start out a list of thankfuls, right? Here's why it was better:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. I employed the breathing techniques I teach my children on myself when my class was not making safe choices. They aren't going to be calm if I'm not, so calm I was. Most of these behaviors were happening during circle activities, so I just sat and breathed deeply until, one by one, they joined me. What you focus on, you get more of. When I focused on what I wanted them to STOP doing, we had chaos; when I focused on what I wanted them to START doing, we got calm. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. I didn't hyperventilate from all that deep breathing I did. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. We held a Spirit Week in preparation for the Chiefs going to the Super Bowl. We dressed like Mahomes, Taylor, and Travis. We did football drills (how I wish I could post the video I took of my class doing my version of drills!). We did cheers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4. Probably my very favorite thing to do with my kids is to sit on the floor with them and sing right before breakfast. They crowd around me, and we sing our favorites, such as "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window," "Down By The Station," "I Have A Little Turtle," and, oddly enough, the theme from "The Mickey Mouse Club," which I introduced them to and they fell in love with. This time of playfulness and touch helps create a bond between all of us.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5. I get so many hugs in a day. Some are stealth hugs from a passing child. Some come from behind me and I have to wait until they finish to see who it was. Some are wrapped around my leg so I can't walk. Some nearly knock me off my feet. Nearly all of them include "I love you, Dillon!"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6. It was warm enough to play outside!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7. I am changing my approach to tattling by teaching the kids to use their "Big Voices" when they sense injustice. Example: </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> Child 1: Child 2 pushed me!</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span> Me: Did you like it?</span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span> Child 1: No!</span><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span> Me: Tell Child 2 "I don't like it when you push me! Next time, walk around me."</span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span> Child 1 to Child 2: I don't like it when you push me! Next time, walk around me!</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span><span> Child 2 (maybe not always meaning it, but it's a start): Okay! I'm sorry.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span><span>This week, I have heard two different children use their Big Voices WITHOUT HELP FROM ME! Progress!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span><span>8. We learned how to paint with watercolors, and we now have beautiful Valentine art to show for it.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGveXa9hFv-NPfwGVkQ0LVXCiJTq0EJ-v8HjIk0Ns8hEkg3u-LfCvaEZgtlP-mGoBOPKaTTL-6lXm6bj1KngankfRKZQON_CP_sS69iyT0cwBqTH9UopofoSMbMBceFa_N0pA9DKikn2C-rZy-4Dlm1tD98WXKU8r9XGqEMSDWIg68hFKqnS1rpKoJO2Q/s1644/IMG_0072.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1644" data-original-width="1550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGveXa9hFv-NPfwGVkQ0LVXCiJTq0EJ-v8HjIk0Ns8hEkg3u-LfCvaEZgtlP-mGoBOPKaTTL-6lXm6bj1KngankfRKZQON_CP_sS69iyT0cwBqTH9UopofoSMbMBceFa_N0pA9DKikn2C-rZy-4Dlm1tD98WXKU8r9XGqEMSDWIg68hFKqnS1rpKoJO2Q/s320/IMG_0072.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5d80O4zoX25ecaUmiH3wp8NQS7aShiE-9d8WycBGqHYEzt-SsbrE98ZlJwWlc6FlAOodmxZhwQNrNB8nqSgVzS8PN0HZvZoyYaobgEg7mAMacyYj9BbhMSjb1hL8YbI-TKbN67ZSVQ47Tfvz0GpzcIbtbPGbkffbn7J1ETQHVDgdHzcKBn1qti_dhsew/s2172/IMG_9980.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2067" data-original-width="2172" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5d80O4zoX25ecaUmiH3wp8NQS7aShiE-9d8WycBGqHYEzt-SsbrE98ZlJwWlc6FlAOodmxZhwQNrNB8nqSgVzS8PN0HZvZoyYaobgEg7mAMacyYj9BbhMSjb1hL8YbI-TKbN67ZSVQ47Tfvz0GpzcIbtbPGbkffbn7J1ETQHVDgdHzcKBn1qti_dhsew/s320/IMG_9980.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span><span>On non-school related thankfuls, we are in Kansas City this weekend, as we had tickets to see comedian Nate Bargatze Saturday night, so I got to attend church live and in-person this morning, AND I got to meet our new associate pastor Rev. Stephen on his first Sunday at our church. My heart is happy.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38u-Y8MaMvFxJg4SVWJsI2KBoBQcvgPz1r6-BsMxpXf-_FwMIpun8ZROBmYeQrZHMnP4Ida5vVSpEekjpmu1H2c8kfZ7lEB1W9IqYDxH2E1GLru9oP0owWebCfcFr1r-qyegsJZ6fEH79JAhz71U8SLnm3RNpC7aH164Tta6VGFKZSfxnVtx724bZFr4/s4032/IMG_0160.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38u-Y8MaMvFxJg4SVWJsI2KBoBQcvgPz1r6-BsMxpXf-_FwMIpun8ZROBmYeQrZHMnP4Ida5vVSpEekjpmu1H2c8kfZ7lEB1W9IqYDxH2E1GLru9oP0owWebCfcFr1r-qyegsJZ6fEH79JAhz71U8SLnm3RNpC7aH164Tta6VGFKZSfxnVtx724bZFr4/s320/IMG_0160.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oh, and HOW 'BOUT THOSE CHIEFS?! Two Super Bowl wins in a row! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV397WEr2A2KIgMGRdFhQn7M_Nxsr5C9NRFZbmMlmnXZk2cGa48EfGDiWxcn32CDZ0kSkWRZ3qHDrH3lExW61lBMNYVK6qHNU-N3QX1mOhq8uLJVFSPSZOby3MIGszXjQbtA9GTft4QYCBP8y5a1G6LN4c6Nm_P5LP4Ldwkb-8FpJ7WL32DxdeOftXslY/s1365/IMG_0170.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV397WEr2A2KIgMGRdFhQn7M_Nxsr5C9NRFZbmMlmnXZk2cGa48EfGDiWxcn32CDZ0kSkWRZ3qHDrH3lExW61lBMNYVK6qHNU-N3QX1mOhq8uLJVFSPSZOby3MIGszXjQbtA9GTft4QYCBP8y5a1G6LN4c6Nm_P5LP4Ldwkb-8FpJ7WL32DxdeOftXslY/s320/IMG_0170.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It's not too late to join the hop! Get on it!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="17f7447ba8614cb4807792c32bbe77c7" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/17f7447ba8614cb4807792c32bbe77c7" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-86405026276241829772024-02-04T09:30:00.001-06:002024-02-04T09:30:53.160-06:00Even When It's Hard<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been a rough week. I've shed a lot of tears. something I don't do very often, and I've wished I could crawl in that hole with the groundhog and stay there until I'm sure of fair weather and sunshine and a lighter heart.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Such are the times when it's vitally important to remember there are still thankfuls out there. Here are mine:<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Unseasonably warm weather perfect for much-needed playground time for littles (and the bigs who teach them).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ice cream. Large bowls of ice cream.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A plethora of valentines made for me in the art center.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A new battery for an old but very reliable car.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finding a brand new jar of moisturizer tucked away in a drawer, just when I needed a refill.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">No. 7 brand of skin care.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A phone call from my Person saying she's coming to see me in March.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Learning to use Canva (thanks, Ashley and Abby) and using it to make a Chiefs-themed Spirit Week flyer for school.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-1kSNmXafp69ljPCpeeT9GBwxpYSZvkx51EhbzMwxHPV3Ka9Jt9MXDENj5O8Ws4OiWbYayVlWuZplaKNj3uCuDPqZVvT8qMmJsb8kWTHPQ929N-xQ-ymd1OAiUYV64l6gN-k0QUyxoYP6TilX5rrjBQxXM-RW41ygUv4pOqnDsQH4wvF3QfXc6VLXBc/s2048/IMG_9922.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-1kSNmXafp69ljPCpeeT9GBwxpYSZvkx51EhbzMwxHPV3Ka9Jt9MXDENj5O8Ws4OiWbYayVlWuZplaKNj3uCuDPqZVvT8qMmJsb8kWTHPQ929N-xQ-ymd1OAiUYV64l6gN-k0QUyxoYP6TilX5rrjBQxXM-RW41ygUv4pOqnDsQH4wvF3QfXc6VLXBc/w283-h400/IMG_9922.JPG" width="283" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">An incredibly supportive husband.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My daughter celebrating her 25th birthday today. She is beautiful and smart and accomplished. In a few short months, she will have her Juris Doctor degree, then will sit for the Bar, followed by taking a position as a Public Finance attorney at a large firm that has already seen what a force she is after her summer internship there. Happy birthday, baby girl! You amaze me every day.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_ufygk6NvkuF8BkHzSW1m9LHoSc9E63CtWb3LMdgUdeCXPHi0rliwwiotZGsL8aXAAuwHp4VwQ9Rapjy1GW6AqTQkgWPENI3XddeRDxyDBMaWDjAiIs_BDsnkCFmYFqhTdOpRFcUj-wtZ9OMEOzKTLhZQsTCd58M_sshgBdATfB1Eh6GVc5JJM4fXhk/s1512/IMG_6018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1004" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_ufygk6NvkuF8BkHzSW1m9LHoSc9E63CtWb3LMdgUdeCXPHi0rliwwiotZGsL8aXAAuwHp4VwQ9Rapjy1GW6AqTQkgWPENI3XddeRDxyDBMaWDjAiIs_BDsnkCFmYFqhTdOpRFcUj-wtZ9OMEOzKTLhZQsTCd58M_sshgBdATfB1Eh6GVc5JJM4fXhk/s320/IMG_6018.jpg" width="212" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whether your thankfuls are on the surface or you have to dig deep, find them, write them, link them.</span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="c31a75e0f9244233ba0e5e264ab0faca" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/c31a75e0f9244233ba0e5e264ab0faca" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-17117636909204212152024-01-28T19:42:00.002-06:002024-01-28T19:42:54.176-06:00January Has A Happy Ending And Other Thankfuls<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When last we met, I was lamenting how January was NEVER going to end. It still hasn't, but we are down to THREE MORE DAYS, and I think maybe I'll make it, although it's been hit or miss how I felt on any day. And this leads me to Ten Things of Thankful:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We had freezing rain on Sunday night and Monday morning, so school was canceled for Monday. This marks the fourth four day week of the new year OUT OF FOUR WEEKS. There's a thankful for you!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm taking my dad to a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning, so you know what that means? ANOTHER FOUR DAY WORK WEEK FOR MEEEEEE!!!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There has been rain, mixed precipitation, drizzle, fog, freezing fog, freezing rain, snow, sleet, sub-zero temperatures and wind chills, dangerously gusty winds, and little to NO SUNSHINE for those four weeks. That's the payback for getting days off, I suppose. But the sun came out this afternoon, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and it was a beautiful sight!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm still working on the 1000 piece Frida Kahlo puzzle that I began two weeks ago. I have maybe half of it done and am hoping I still have all the pieces to finish it, as I found out Nora likes to smack the table with her foot and watch pieces fall to the floor. I anticipate needing maybe two-three more snow days to find all the pieces and get it done.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I didn't spend my ENTIRE snow day this week watching documentaries and working on a jigsaw puzzle; I learned how to make homemade soft pretzels! It's really not very hard and TOTALLY worth it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMi5MevaL4qvveVSmvT7s4yddPn7C04pTKaEL28YliuRCiANGM8MhPdCLxhcyr-oMJyiqKxsnGRwPF3_83Hx4WQ_CkFQZF9OsvOpkzjsUPIWp5egQN4nxfqjWYQOu1XFt1rh2V3pXnxNV-KNsMYYUbYw1cpbLXHpPaxY4hCgmWfF7x8wsRAKN_tE64zU/s640/IMG_9716.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="640" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMi5MevaL4qvveVSmvT7s4yddPn7C04pTKaEL28YliuRCiANGM8MhPdCLxhcyr-oMJyiqKxsnGRwPF3_83Hx4WQ_CkFQZF9OsvOpkzjsUPIWp5egQN4nxfqjWYQOu1XFt1rh2V3pXnxNV-KNsMYYUbYw1cpbLXHpPaxY4hCgmWfF7x8wsRAKN_tE64zU/s320/IMG_9716.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IwQA8g6JB6Q4F_Uf9SsHs-74w8HPimSKl64lI-Z8nwN3wWdZcsysnRn3U5i-AUKv-dRSzsS49oWQ2hDrH_tKUK9aKoABBNId729pn28l-QxtWl0lT91RdE_DeXsGJTE2behSTW42RdeuvFy7h1Jnlrw3OE_GDtaWCjHgLKDYH-IECrEds137yXh8dBk/s640/IMG_9719.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IwQA8g6JB6Q4F_Uf9SsHs-74w8HPimSKl64lI-Z8nwN3wWdZcsysnRn3U5i-AUKv-dRSzsS49oWQ2hDrH_tKUK9aKoABBNId729pn28l-QxtWl0lT91RdE_DeXsGJTE2behSTW42RdeuvFy7h1Jnlrw3OE_GDtaWCjHgLKDYH-IECrEds137yXh8dBk/s320/IMG_9719.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TLSqbzh6SLBtds-aw10kc5nfyYCAIUOYX3VT3QbjChjFlHSXO_x5x5RETCYYhEk5EWLK0LmqY7zVFGM-KJ_BjQC9KgIjiqG14EvnY_AjhBh-jzxrhXuLec-QAln1lIzx-ZEE7dtvHkneT6JGse7Ff50wDqfXcL7MjPizMhpciyeAu_SGr84sEcwdO8I/s640/IMG_9722.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TLSqbzh6SLBtds-aw10kc5nfyYCAIUOYX3VT3QbjChjFlHSXO_x5x5RETCYYhEk5EWLK0LmqY7zVFGM-KJ_BjQC9KgIjiqG14EvnY_AjhBh-jzxrhXuLec-QAln1lIzx-ZEE7dtvHkneT6JGse7Ff50wDqfXcL7MjPizMhpciyeAu_SGr84sEcwdO8I/s320/IMG_9722.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7kMKgcyXZAy1ycbs_7aN3ZUx2rYuhOrUoXOrm7RGWM6Hq6zsmcYLq_uH8BC3JJ6l0p54fPLUKnkP0JqOoWP6hEwUMNlw9Jqq9fdez7zsYjrqjKI1VU7uXEvulmFg9ox_bBvADQLe6o49qCn2ofsOom5xPaY5l_9iJ2pk7fi0G_PCrjrOvtrRDuw40GQ/s640/IMG_9724.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7kMKgcyXZAy1ycbs_7aN3ZUx2rYuhOrUoXOrm7RGWM6Hq6zsmcYLq_uH8BC3JJ6l0p54fPLUKnkP0JqOoWP6hEwUMNlw9Jqq9fdez7zsYjrqjKI1VU7uXEvulmFg9ox_bBvADQLe6o49qCn2ofsOom5xPaY5l_9iJ2pk7fi0G_PCrjrOvtrRDuw40GQ/s320/IMG_9724.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ta daaaa! AND with homemade cheese sauce.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Walmart had 100% cotton flannel sheet sets on sale for $16.00, and you better believe I bought a set!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm thankful for Wordle. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have the best job! Yes, it can be exhausting and frustrating, but I get more hugs and I love yous than you can imagine. We laugh. We sing. We dance. We play. We work. We keep each other safe. We are a family, and my heart swells with love just thinking about them.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_gqG7lDzLqIJIEmjpX-fre-Ce1H15Xk-WE2nzsZyRjSKYEDKiyDmuOD0mUcDVZinBtsmRmy_9_Cfi4WDUj-txpRJUuxClUNnYRW_TZlYFSt6-D3i2VquZP63i2EG42Eqx7jcEU3fvfINMgiS1DGxNMFEgF8JHnVnSlLHmxddFJQsG4CE95O5tSQe9LA/s1903/IMG_9775.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1903" data-original-width="1898" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_gqG7lDzLqIJIEmjpX-fre-Ce1H15Xk-WE2nzsZyRjSKYEDKiyDmuOD0mUcDVZinBtsmRmy_9_Cfi4WDUj-txpRJUuxClUNnYRW_TZlYFSt6-D3i2VquZP63i2EG42Eqx7jcEU3fvfINMgiS1DGxNMFEgF8JHnVnSlLHmxddFJQsG4CE95O5tSQe9LA/w399-h400/IMG_9775.jpg" width="399" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Portrait of me. Note my curly hair and the green striped<br />sweater that I was wearing that day.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let's hear it for the Kansas City Chieeeeeeeeeeeefs!!! AFC Champions and going to the Super Bowl! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaklIDci3QBxkyBPEFFDMrzsu45Gw4TuPnnwpv0QXq2Oi0LWcApy-tWA6OTLuWX17hSk216nn4P1znOfjgibIAO2lI-Bmgy3oG6mqKymC4bc-kCxepiCLde3b0Nwffhty-T-MRLnXwhdqSYTOmHvT8M1UuUSEFLLVCS9izVSPt0yEyiMLdot1k8Mom6I/s3088/IMG_9829.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaklIDci3QBxkyBPEFFDMrzsu45Gw4TuPnnwpv0QXq2Oi0LWcApy-tWA6OTLuWX17hSk216nn4P1znOfjgibIAO2lI-Bmgy3oG6mqKymC4bc-kCxepiCLde3b0Nwffhty-T-MRLnXwhdqSYTOmHvT8M1UuUSEFLLVCS9izVSPt0yEyiMLdot1k8Mom6I/s320/IMG_9829.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hey, join the Ten Things of Thankful!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<!--starts InLinkz code--><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="baf22b261bed4acc9c737a9eb97cd9ff" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/baf22b261bed4acc9c737a9eb97cd9ff" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-32649334530968537392024-01-21T21:07:00.001-06:002024-01-21T21:07:15.317-06:00How 'Bout Those Chiefs and Did I Break My Foot?<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">January is halfway over, February is a short month, and spring begins in March, right? There's a thankful to kick off this week's Ten Things of Thankful list! Moving on....</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We had a three day work week! School was already scheduled to be closed on Monday in remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr., then the snow we received on Monday afternoon closed school for Tuesday.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Payback for having bonus days off is the kids are completely SQUIRRELY with the combination of snowfall outside and being cooped up inside due to frigid temperatures. Worth it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My leaky, 100 year old home has handled these arctic temps remarkably well! Both furnaces have continued to work and the pipes did not freeze.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My husband was out of town all week for work, so double thanks that nothing happened to the house while he wasn't here. I hate having to adult by myself.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My friend Nikki's birthday was Tuesday, and the roads were clear enough that we made it out of the house and out to lunch.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My daughter found out she received two more CALI Excellence for the Future awards for fall semester, bringing her to three for the semester and four over-all. These two were for Estate Planning for Charitable Giving and in State & Local Government Law. She is awesome!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On Thursday, my friend Ceason's husband brought his new motorcycle by school and took me for my second motorcycle ride of my life (the first was when I was 7 and was done very slowly on our street by our neighbor's cool Uncle Bud). I had a hella time getting my leg hiked over the bike (note to self: do something about this), but I didn't fall off! Winning!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyBGOAD0rmHFhvyW-XLym9TkPufsrbwhqtNLjdyYxAeOvL3mHn3RrzxO3aL03TTFOnxlXPg40E-8n769AZ6_Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I visited my dad this weekend. Due to the snowy weather LAST weekend, I wasn't able to go see him, so I stocked him up on orange juice, bread, lunch meat, eggs, ice cream bars, Pepsi and toilet paper. You know, the essentials. We also went out to lunch on Saturday. It was my dad's first visit to a restaurant since May, and he was craving a good, greasy hamburger!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVzHp4FeFmaVw4mJLn3rjCtPPaLfTAkMiMZezmXhZpEfvtxLhslmKeJ60BkDz7Yx0-h8Ohm2YGqp6MWlvHuSFczmvT3BZJkzl2_MqK0acnoI-Wb3sYRsdE3t-9fj40Dl95wnfJD50TJpsCgVwxhQw2uoFVO7yOfIzRKYOu1kKDIDbBgDiH3ZCKqsyq9c/s4032/IMG_9708.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVzHp4FeFmaVw4mJLn3rjCtPPaLfTAkMiMZezmXhZpEfvtxLhslmKeJ60BkDz7Yx0-h8Ohm2YGqp6MWlvHuSFczmvT3BZJkzl2_MqK0acnoI-Wb3sYRsdE3t-9fj40Dl95wnfJD50TJpsCgVwxhQw2uoFVO7yOfIzRKYOu1kKDIDbBgDiH3ZCKqsyq9c/s320/IMG_9708.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Danna's BBQ in Branson and the burger was<br />delicious and not in the least bit greasy but he<br />was still happy in spite of the look on his face.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As I opened the back door of the Sequoia to unload the groceries, there was a crash and a 24 pack of Pepsi fell out of the back of the vehicle and onto my right foot before landing on the frozen driveway. This was followed by the SECOND 24 pack that did the same exact thing. Both boxes exploded on impact, there were cans lying in the snow, frozen Pepsi drizzled everywhere, and my foot hurt. It took me some time to gather up 48 cans and two soggy cardboard boxes, but when I finally got all the Pepsi mess AND all the groceries into the house, it turned out that only one can had opened (thanks in large part to my FOOT for taking the brunt of the crash). I opened one of the cans today for my dad and the Pepsi didn't spew out, so much relief that my dad won't have to open each one outside.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpABbbSL3oPj7as-o6rqikv2tiOQWMf7kYruOOhr9XMucMZMuXeYSj_2U0S7uyr5tm2-vCcncNRiGkt7izxprn6y8r9JXSiM6-CTTqFN5PidZCH7UM_VSEsqfQuvdWZ52TZQR6stmxJQFMY1MjgvnjmOrtxJam9lBmbVF5C05MRofW33b31Rbpft8zCm8/s4032/IMG_9703.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpABbbSL3oPj7as-o6rqikv2tiOQWMf7kYruOOhr9XMucMZMuXeYSj_2U0S7uyr5tm2-vCcncNRiGkt7izxprn6y8r9JXSiM6-CTTqFN5PidZCH7UM_VSEsqfQuvdWZ52TZQR6stmxJQFMY1MjgvnjmOrtxJam9lBmbVF5C05MRofW33b31Rbpft8zCm8/s320/IMG_9703.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wondering if my foot was broken.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWfHKEtmqK5Z9kB3pt45e_TTx17zA1LSC5oTnRpvRerpYC3fdP8RMZ1Q2ltMvLL-2dQfqJJziZqb8ZIWoTSlsUpdt9-VgHosHlcD5lCDBxKNaYAHKrgX_CaS_HuL7jUpc_C4nTkPS8jUHWEQfGjJ2NU-f3AORzCl4hJzHvxmZiutxhoqtFxinqzidQUA/s4032/IMG_9704.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWfHKEtmqK5Z9kB3pt45e_TTx17zA1LSC5oTnRpvRerpYC3fdP8RMZ1Q2ltMvLL-2dQfqJJziZqb8ZIWoTSlsUpdt9-VgHosHlcD5lCDBxKNaYAHKrgX_CaS_HuL7jUpc_C4nTkPS8jUHWEQfGjJ2NU-f3AORzCl4hJzHvxmZiutxhoqtFxinqzidQUA/s320/IMG_9704.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Looks like a little bomb went off inside.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">BONUS THANKFUL. The Chiefs won their playoff game against Buffalo. Next, they play Baltimore, and the winner goes to the Super Bowl. GO CHIEFSSSSSS!!!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6qAMi5VWSQY8QPTdZJrvK6M3Gx-Rl25D1B8Mci8DJfIqtI18CbnvAdAEE4YvkznOBCY1RgZMfTyq-r6iIPC27tXGNF0UzHfe8hV8xhUzPiwN9LrIiFVsXy4ck8qk6AJC6GbCkh_oMo-wSFM_Z-gKMmGnsc9Rif9VcJbAEDo1NVzcwO4dP0-7gJuVzIv0/s2048/IMG_9713.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1252" data-original-width="2048" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6qAMi5VWSQY8QPTdZJrvK6M3Gx-Rl25D1B8Mci8DJfIqtI18CbnvAdAEE4YvkznOBCY1RgZMfTyq-r6iIPC27tXGNF0UzHfe8hV8xhUzPiwN9LrIiFVsXy4ck8qk6AJC6GbCkh_oMo-wSFM_Z-gKMmGnsc9Rif9VcJbAEDo1NVzcwO4dP0-7gJuVzIv0/w400-h245/IMG_9713.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce's brother, after KillaTrav's first of two touchdowns.<br />I assume my brother would do the same for me....</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So many thankfuls, so little time. </span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="0f91a90ae60a4c928f3fde7dd16766e6" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/0f91a90ae60a4c928f3fde7dd16766e6" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-89092078673332107502024-01-14T21:32:00.000-06:002024-01-14T21:32:09.680-06:00I Did My Best<p> Well, this will be fun! My laptop just said no and I’m left with writing my TToT on my phone or not at all. Here goes nothing:</p><p>1. We had a Snow Day on Tuesday. I had already made it to work before it was called, so I threw some salt on the sidewalks and went back home. </p><p>2. It was cold and nasty all week, so we couldn’t go outside, but we managed to burn energy and stay entertained without the classroom imploding. </p><p>3. Diet Dr Pepper has been on sale at Walmart for weeks. I know (inside source) it will be going up next month, but until then. . . .</p><p>4. Winter jammies are on sale just when they are most needed!</p><p>5. I am thankful for Rotel Cheese Dip (simply called “hot dip” in our family). It is family tradition to eat it during Chiefs games, and while I don’t do so EVERY game, I did this weekend and it was just what I needed. </p><p>6. It’s not been the best season for my KC Chiefs, but they got the W at Saturday’s game, in spite of temps hovering around zero degrees with wind chill in the negative numbers. </p><p>7. I’m almost finished with the David Sedaris book I’ve been reading through the Libby app. Feeling pretty accomplished. </p><p>8. Can’t say enough good things about my heated mattress pad. Ahhhhh!</p><p>9. I’m thankful for streaming services. I watched movies all afternoon while working on a jigsaw puzzle. </p><p>10. I’m thankful for a warm home. It’s 100 years old and there are certainly leaks around doors and windows and other curious places, but it’s still warm and cozy on a day when it didn’t get above zero degrees AND snowed. </p><p>Made it! The type is so small on my phone that I can’t proofread, so fingers crossed!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylRFkJqZicsj2fh-HXBrvfPAm2zvuvYWXLfLBIcKVGkxBiGcW4HroSdyeb-2N9ryEI1B-KF1_hvk5phVOPsD1cXXj1uPP5sefSxsm3OIJuSa1dL0D3Pyc89_j5Okp08VOs5Q12HW9crHY8KvwLcDN2GUxZ75rv90GK_K6NjaU4CLbEiI8KHNYak17Tdg/s4032/IMG_9612.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylRFkJqZicsj2fh-HXBrvfPAm2zvuvYWXLfLBIcKVGkxBiGcW4HroSdyeb-2N9ryEI1B-KF1_hvk5phVOPsD1cXXj1uPP5sefSxsm3OIJuSa1dL0D3Pyc89_j5Okp08VOs5Q12HW9crHY8KvwLcDN2GUxZ75rv90GK_K6NjaU4CLbEiI8KHNYak17Tdg/s320/IMG_9612.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-31962928701030657292024-01-07T08:57:00.003-06:002024-01-07T08:59:13.489-06:00Here A Duck, There A Duck, Everywhere A Duck Duck<div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: arial;">Here I am, getting my act together for the new y--ahahaahaaahaaaa! Maybe I should insert "trying to" in there. I MEAN well, but let's face it, my ducks are NEVER all in a row*. Oh, one or two follow me, but the rest are wandering. One fell in the lake. A couple of them are eating cheese like there's no tomorrow. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY053KwAspAhZtRCge4wzQPNHSi96g4BF-Vh5CXrF4xg1e0aQvVbIFa4NG7nTBSqR2Idv1UcyzaYE4lERtSJHYNs7nzMQyQzgAGgnMvrZQ5RL1b9zBrU14dWVDxK2pqyEFpnV4Omfh6KqQtBLsjZ30iV5Aw6TfeYAgslndVgSag1jzI4ilMwC4qFadWO8/s1200/ducklings.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1200" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY053KwAspAhZtRCge4wzQPNHSi96g4BF-Vh5CXrF4xg1e0aQvVbIFa4NG7nTBSqR2Idv1UcyzaYE4lERtSJHYNs7nzMQyQzgAGgnMvrZQ5RL1b9zBrU14dWVDxK2pqyEFpnV4Omfh6KqQtBLsjZ30iV5Aw6TfeYAgslndVgSag1jzI4ilMwC4qFadWO8/s320/ducklings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">*legendary story - once upon a time ago, I worked at a law firm with a sweet but dingy girl named Kay. She had just finished typing some letters that had been dictated (raise your hand if you ever used a dictaphone). She brought one of them around to all the secretaries and read it to them, because she thought it was so funny. In essence, the attorney had dictated "...let's get all our ducks in a row..." but Kay thought he said "let's get all our dicks in a row." One of the secretaries gently told her the phrase was "ducks," NOT "dicks," and she was so disappointed. "I kept picturing all these different dicks lined up, short ones and long ones and fat ones and skinny ones. Oh, well!" And off she went to correct the letter. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyway, mine are DUCKS and I'll always be trying to round them up. Caught the one responsible for writing the Ten Things of Thankful, so here they are:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. My class had a delightful holiday season! They were sooooo excited for Christmas! We did lots of seasonal activities and drank hot chocolate and sang Christmas songs and made gifts for our parents (and wrapped them ourselves!). We played bells to "Jingle Bells," and then to "Jingle Bell Rock," which led me to telling them about this cute dance some girls did to that song. I pull up the scene from "Mean Girls" and show it to them without thinking about it possibly being a little inappropriate for the audience. Which it was, but they didn't notice that part, and they asked to see it EVERY SINGLE DAY. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4EY2Q_07iUw?si=eAFVKUq7ljRFpdsU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">2. I had eleven days off. Of those eleven days, I only spent three of them in my home, but it was worth it. My daughter (the almost-attorney) was home, my son and daughter in law (the doctors) came back for a couple of days, and my brother and niece (my sister in law recently had knee replacement surgery and wasn't able to be with us) came for a few days. We also went to Tulsa to spend time with my husband's sister and her family. It was all lovely, but I had to go back to work to get some rest!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeY7J-2MO53hO5KLJhbcWxC4y9W4zPG9aZk-_miWKqJeA8mIfgILzKrNA_IKQ0mVR-ZqWLe9JRZ_6P5v1sVP9Kv8MhFltbZy3yMA37YBVfADtJ8HUrXsadkMQSj3Q9eeQS75BbtAelGG5TS0ikVvhiBIbCzM6flez3bPm566nOXorIQ_iP-Ata5EGSr74/s2016/IMG_9341.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeY7J-2MO53hO5KLJhbcWxC4y9W4zPG9aZk-_miWKqJeA8mIfgILzKrNA_IKQ0mVR-ZqWLe9JRZ_6P5v1sVP9Kv8MhFltbZy3yMA37YBVfADtJ8HUrXsadkMQSj3Q9eeQS75BbtAelGG5TS0ikVvhiBIbCzM6flez3bPm566nOXorIQ_iP-Ata5EGSr74/w300-h400/IMG_9341.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dad with his grandchildren</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5gbCxw0jEK5ogpNNRnZclsMNAtof9dLwLYEcrX3Rq15ZRZHDYUboUC4AKSz40btvJ9lD0pLbeJwDaxW1davdF-F1e3BmXLJ4ZboCK-YMrS4bZi04W6qNavGLUs7nGAiRINePrsvheO96_MXlv_N4Y5vi42pd8uCij8T5jmaqjtQbtA7PmItwErA0aIA/s2016/IMG_9374.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5gbCxw0jEK5ogpNNRnZclsMNAtof9dLwLYEcrX3Rq15ZRZHDYUboUC4AKSz40btvJ9lD0pLbeJwDaxW1davdF-F1e3BmXLJ4ZboCK-YMrS4bZi04W6qNavGLUs7nGAiRINePrsvheO96_MXlv_N4Y5vi42pd8uCij8T5jmaqjtQbtA7PmItwErA0aIA/w300-h400/IMG_9374.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my son</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK11MSi4uNfCWpYdwIZa8om2aahkKwBIGnNlpv3RBLJDigvnBBFvZChx5X1-6LNafEPvgRxR9lJDS678gSyimzLMXAb_z6wzTWjpKZW3ExS0ZEuul78YP2rFsqoHf7b7qckHMyDFeCRorpPJLl5e8nywLpbOxQ87eVNa21twig3xOQKO1kWgmlK50qo5g/s2016/IMG_9379%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK11MSi4uNfCWpYdwIZa8om2aahkKwBIGnNlpv3RBLJDigvnBBFvZChx5X1-6LNafEPvgRxR9lJDS678gSyimzLMXAb_z6wzTWjpKZW3ExS0ZEuul78YP2rFsqoHf7b7qckHMyDFeCRorpPJLl5e8nywLpbOxQ87eVNa21twig3xOQKO1kWgmlK50qo5g/w300-h400/IMG_9379%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My kids: daughter, son, daughter in law</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqatGkLa_IcbMsf2YpRLlfo-oCbE5EGDhC5BgyMIbVqTwIUpkTxZDojIxMnoKNwRRo0cP9kJJwZx4e6W7zbjO8EsN5bzq2V3xfZHhvGt1_qJqmTl1uAB7vhmhpgoARhcJixcJzRAXQJ6XkGpOIsqA2ailqg1p-kFy7AsdqLT9ysDjB-OjakeRGrFcUlB4/s2048/IMG_9510.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqatGkLa_IcbMsf2YpRLlfo-oCbE5EGDhC5BgyMIbVqTwIUpkTxZDojIxMnoKNwRRo0cP9kJJwZx4e6W7zbjO8EsN5bzq2V3xfZHhvGt1_qJqmTl1uAB7vhmhpgoARhcJixcJzRAXQJ6XkGpOIsqA2ailqg1p-kFy7AsdqLT9ysDjB-OjakeRGrFcUlB4/w400-h300/IMG_9510.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my brother</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">3. Oh, one of the reasons I was exhausted from the festivities is because my husband shared his MAN COLD with me. He spent the week BEFORE Christmas huddled under a blanket in his recliner, coughing, checking his temperature (he never had one), taking a COVID test (negative), and going through a box of kleenex. The day before Christmas Eve, it was MY turn for the cold. I spent the duration of it wrapping gifts, grocery shopping, cleaning, baking cookies and making caramel popcorn, fixing meals, feeding cats, returning to work. No blanket. No recliner. I still have the dregs of it more than two weeks later, but there's a light at the end of the cold tunnel.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">4. The long-anticipated addition of a garage and workshop to my dad's house is going well. It's all framed now, roof on it, and it's going to be fantastic to have the space.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">5. Dealing with this construction project has taught my husband and me that we are never, never, EVER building a house.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">6. I am thankful for cheese. I had a lot of cheese over the holidays. I'm currently in a 12 step program for it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">7. I FINALLY completely straightened and organized the closet in my classroom. It's only taken five months of being in that classroom to get it done. There's a duck! Next project is to finish organizing the observation room that is attached to my classroom. That duck takes off just as I get close to finishing the project, but I feel my duck corralling skills are on point right now, so we shall see if I can get it done.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">8. I'm thankful (thanks to my daughter) to discover the Libby app for my phone. I haven't been reading very much the past few years, and now that I can just pick up my phone and read a book, I've returned to being a voracious reader! I'm reading David Sedaris's "Theft By Finding Diaries 1977-2002." I have enjoyed his readings of his works on NPR for years, but I didn't know very much about him. Let's just say that if I didn't already know he was alive and well, I wouldn't have thought he would have survived the 70s.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">9. Speaking of my daughter, big shout out to her for her hard work so far in law school. She just got word that she received her second CALI Excellence for the Future Award. Don't ask me to explain this, because I can't, but it's a nation-wide program that around 200 law schools participate in where the top grade in each class is recognized. She got a CALI in the summer of '22 in Professional Responsibility, and she was just informed she got a CALI for her just-completed Estates and Trusts class. We are so proud of her!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">10. Hey, I just remembered that I, too had to pass an exam. Long, dull story, but in order to fulfill a grant at work, I had to take a standardized exam (Missouri Educator Gateway Assessment/Early Childhood Education and never mind that I have LIFETIME CERTIFICATION K-6 and had a minor in early childhood education). Oh, and I also had to pass it. Our student workers who are education majors must also take this test in their content areas to graduate and receive their teaching certification, but they also prepare for it as part of their classes. I had not taken a standardized test since I took the ACT in 1978, so I was a wee little bit stressed about taking this one, but I NAILED IT. Yay, me!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5V9-AgNN5xLYifh0aCV7vMkUFF5sMZpQkafAA2qc36Xn2K2OrQOo-AUmbJOeGF2a1gnEX6WdEfIqokSo_fQfZpmOdEvnq6TiUqRsDZfwAKMYv7E8nCnACntWwxOfDWApvvafCbtG8RBuLg_VMUNOmGZyzmlUnuhDb-2YWueIOnEG-U41bGLuSWmD5aJc/s1279/IMG_9509.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="1279" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5V9-AgNN5xLYifh0aCV7vMkUFF5sMZpQkafAA2qc36Xn2K2OrQOo-AUmbJOeGF2a1gnEX6WdEfIqokSo_fQfZpmOdEvnq6TiUqRsDZfwAKMYv7E8nCnACntWwxOfDWApvvafCbtG8RBuLg_VMUNOmGZyzmlUnuhDb-2YWueIOnEG-U41bGLuSWmD5aJc/s320/IMG_9509.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Start your new year the TToT way and join us every weekend for the Ten Things of Thankful. Write a post. Link it up. Read and comment. Rinse and repeat.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="ac93ef05dae6482582842982aad3d38f" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/ac93ef05dae6482582842982aad3d38f" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-21571810162394342932023-12-02T10:16:00.002-06:002023-12-02T10:16:13.075-06:00Hey, I Got This!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I know the REAL December didn't begin until Friday, but PRESCHOOL December began Monday. Thanksgiving is over, and all they care about is Christmas. I decorated the room Thanksgiving weekend, decking the walls with candy canes and gingerbread men and women, placing Christmas-themed toys and Santa hats in the centers, setting up a small tree for them to decorate, and planning numerous crafts and projects to keep them busy for the next month. Let's all hope I survive it!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVIPitXX7SwF1fiLITwAgBmKamCEHSTKnKCTeXPXMJqXjJ3Yo218PpZfrL6ZcKQ2HYMwtlSPyNb4vsU4Whu-p3J438AYaLgNox1HsLra6ebgK9G7wzvYlQj-hfyOkSbjk_2cmf6myU5CsEp6d5Nra_eTBGKvuBaaTHctBpdhh7qUVbj295GjEKCmEs7o/s752/IMG_8907.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVIPitXX7SwF1fiLITwAgBmKamCEHSTKnKCTeXPXMJqXjJ3Yo218PpZfrL6ZcKQ2HYMwtlSPyNb4vsU4Whu-p3J438AYaLgNox1HsLra6ebgK9G7wzvYlQj-hfyOkSbjk_2cmf6myU5CsEp6d5Nra_eTBGKvuBaaTHctBpdhh7qUVbj295GjEKCmEs7o/s320/IMG_8907.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On to the thankfuls.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Parks and Recreation. What a gem of a show!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Vanderpump Rules. I finally made it through all 10 seasons. Sandoval is a jerk. Schwartz needs to grow some balls or get his back from Katie. I have loved Ariana from day one. Lala is insufferable. James continues to make my skin crawl. Raquel is dumb like a fox, as my dad would say. I'm glad Jax is no longer on the show, but I miss Brittney. I also miss Stassi's one-on-one clips, as she has a wicked sense of humor, but otherwise, she's mean. Scheana has finally grown up a little since she had a baby, but she still thinks she is a fabulous singer and she clearly isn't. Even Lisa Vanderpump is not immune to the natural aging process, and that is comforting. Now I wait for Season 11!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The weather is finally cool enough to make caramel popcorn.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have purchased exactly 5 Christmas gifts so far, but it's better than NO Christmas gifts so far.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My daughter in law matched her top Fellowship choice at Children's National in Washington, DC. She will be focusing on vaccine development with the FDA. So very proud of her and her hard work!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The winter weather gear is in a basket in my entry hall, and Nora has wasted no time trying to bring every hat, scarf, or pair of mittens upstairs to my bedroom. I do not know what drives her to do this, but it's pretty entertaining, especially since she sorts through the basket and chooses what she wants to bring to me. We always know she's coming with something, because she says "MRRRROWLLL" the entire trip, all while carrying a treasure in her mouth. One day, she brought me five hats. FIVE.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwHG8o7pPwJhZuDyQwNFmUupCZiLm9ew-zMzDCIgzluwvDCUqc3ypiGUnioYfMbKAajsijFw067M2wNQtVIJA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Speaking of cats (especially QUIRKY cats), in a last-ditch attempt to find a litterbox that would force Finn the Fearful to keep his booty INSIDE the litterbox when he availed himself of the facilities (in other words, he backs over the edge of the box and pees and poops on the floor). I found THIS beauty at PetsMart and it has been everything I hoped it would be (except awkward to carry through my very narrow bathroom door to empty on trash day): </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIhohSEt302ZrX3yvW8FKfb1OUsm7MqkyXqk8XNWsOZq5-YpygXlI_s_WQx1kC8SJ0XHOybxznHnxQgGrvWFk1QW8LktonQi6hg-vdpAZpgQIz4rhhuLwAulwFNTOnqterscZ3SFxII2pVLTnRpEas-uyHVO8AqXJh9VkWf86sy4I3K4GRrDIdhxqRts/s450/litterbox.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="450" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIhohSEt302ZrX3yvW8FKfb1OUsm7MqkyXqk8XNWsOZq5-YpygXlI_s_WQx1kC8SJ0XHOybxznHnxQgGrvWFk1QW8LktonQi6hg-vdpAZpgQIz4rhhuLwAulwFNTOnqterscZ3SFxII2pVLTnRpEas-uyHVO8AqXJh9VkWf86sy4I3K4GRrDIdhxqRts/s320/litterbox.webp" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The new poo box</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bonus is it fits in a corner. Does he do his business right inside the lower "entrance" and hover dangerously close to the edge? Of course! But he's not tall enough for anything he has to give to miss the box. Big win!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Peppermint Stick Ice Cream.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I took my dad to a doctor's appointment on Friday morning, and when we left, we took a little side trip to look for a branch location of our bank that we had never noticed before. It's on a 4-lane road with a center turn lane as it goes through a fairly congested retail area, and as we were toodling along, we saw a car pull out from a parking lot at a pretty good clip (and may I add there was quite a bit of traffic) and right into a silver car. The silver car was pushed sideways into the oncoming lanes, which meant directly in front of me. I hit the brakes HARD and our vehicle (a very heavy Tahoe) came to a stop at the passenger door of the silver car. Our airbags didn't deploy, but the other two cars' airbags did. Many people stopped to help, and ambulances, fire trucks, local police, and the Highway Patrol arrived shortly. We don't know what kind of injuries there were, but they didn't seem to be serious, and the best news out of this is I DIDN'T HIT THE SILVER CAR. Can we all be thankful for anti-lock brakes? AND for the behind-the-wheel instruction of my high school Driver's Ed teacher, Mr. Noland? It LOOKED like we were right against the car, and the vibrating of the car as the anti-lock brakes did their thing led us to BELIEVE we might have hit it, but there was an ENTIRE HAND'S WIDTH between our car and the silver car. Glory be! That's a tremendous thankful. My dad and I both were convinced we were going to hit it and when the car stopped, were convinced that we HAD hit it. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBCCKwiPAfNw4Y27CbpAAb9fcwPKry7CudSogf2uVUyDc_c-cAEgOafAKo6nDC6LWX2sUzziaO5ij3aiKUWV9KCbjW-vg2ajjzCTR34k7Ec2bYVfCvhNkQf1QNFosOXC1x7o1yKIBaVplMRxciDv4hihpxhwuIJT-S4Ef_OKDUVjFI8_evgA2ZFug2Tw/s2016/IMG_8900%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBCCKwiPAfNw4Y27CbpAAb9fcwPKry7CudSogf2uVUyDc_c-cAEgOafAKo6nDC6LWX2sUzziaO5ij3aiKUWV9KCbjW-vg2ajjzCTR34k7Ec2bYVfCvhNkQf1QNFosOXC1x7o1yKIBaVplMRxciDv4hihpxhwuIJT-S4Ef_OKDUVjFI8_evgA2ZFug2Tw/w300-h400/IMG_8900%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My shaking hands taking a photo.<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO79JLpsj7yrPpNb_SEXXAuRVpauACNYWYCt1WmT0DXaVWU3FIT2ivyFwCNQnIPZalyInr5T0jRs_PfjtA62lv39F3eZttBUuvUESutiBwRshLS3m7eF5IvDY1Bxe-uTZg-IJAwWO_Hy3OMHcBGQkdq48B5E2OKMc-nqb1Mxqypa3PxzeR0B1ysSK3hJ4/s2016/IMG_8901.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO79JLpsj7yrPpNb_SEXXAuRVpauACNYWYCt1WmT0DXaVWU3FIT2ivyFwCNQnIPZalyInr5T0jRs_PfjtA62lv39F3eZttBUuvUESutiBwRshLS3m7eF5IvDY1Bxe-uTZg-IJAwWO_Hy3OMHcBGQkdq48B5E2OKMc-nqb1Mxqypa3PxzeR0B1ysSK3hJ4/s320/IMG_8901.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The first car.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_vZ4Dk669AaaNgH6NfTEq5HxyNnjQ2_62VVENnh4mtVkIbLF_6jFHcXK8_IFp15kEziwL-va9Yrfd8WMxjiTGLzCj-OTLOKbw6kd2ILv9zus9SANu-nTtPTr4Y2_0_Df8BC-fbWhcCuoGLXT-dGa1XgqfCnGxTNuDvqPKFooH5C3BVm12TU1rYYpBlY/s2016/IMG_8902%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_vZ4Dk669AaaNgH6NfTEq5HxyNnjQ2_62VVENnh4mtVkIbLF_6jFHcXK8_IFp15kEziwL-va9Yrfd8WMxjiTGLzCj-OTLOKbw6kd2ILv9zus9SANu-nTtPTr4Y2_0_Df8BC-fbWhcCuoGLXT-dGa1XgqfCnGxTNuDvqPKFooH5C3BVm12TU1rYYpBlY/s320/IMG_8902%20(1).jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My car on right</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0Yg95FrJPY8QPr-7CAJYk3b1XJe696KlMx9eksveclbvq_YrPK9yjoMsafrbN6PZO9Lzki1Iw_jP9y5yOgk23rMkKK2W5enf0w8b7uSF4sNPG-WjSQfyyDlvLDL2Eo9e_vDsNw4GLM8Na8dZoEbeBWrCMMYpDJWLsJT-ViSYXyEbHruZNd91I1n3MhU/s2016/IMG_8903%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0Yg95FrJPY8QPr-7CAJYk3b1XJe696KlMx9eksveclbvq_YrPK9yjoMsafrbN6PZO9Lzki1Iw_jP9y5yOgk23rMkKK2W5enf0w8b7uSF4sNPG-WjSQfyyDlvLDL2Eo9e_vDsNw4GLM8Na8dZoEbeBWrCMMYpDJWLsJT-ViSYXyEbHruZNd91I1n3MhU/s320/IMG_8903%20(1).jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And that's how close I was to smashing<br />into the silver car.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">And there IS a bank branch on that road that we had never noticed. Our side trip was not for naught.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">How did the last week of November treat you? Are you thankful? Write your list and link up with us at the Ten Things of Thankful!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="ffca41f511f44f28a6b1e0f4f527632e" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</span></p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/ffca41f511f44f28a6b1e0f4f527632e" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Click here to enter</span></a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-92074772852375167052023-11-26T20:52:00.000-06:002023-11-26T20:52:01.082-06:00A Little Snow, A Lot Of Pie<div style="text-align: left;">What a pleasant, relaxing Thanksgiving I had! It was very low-key, just my husband, daughter, and my dad. Oh, and me. And four cats. We had the whole feast: turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry salad, homemade rolls, both pumpkin and pecan pie. No Black Friday shopping. Maybe a nap or two (or three). I'm refreshed and ready for the upcoming week! Now for my thankfuls:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My sister in law had knee replacement surgery less than two weeks ago, which is one of the reasons we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving with her, my brother, and my niece (the other being my dad can't travel right now), but she is doing well and is closer to being bionic than not at this point.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I can safely say we made it through the holiday without anyone getting sick (flashback to 2019 when every single family member EXCEPT me came down with the stomach flu within 36 hours of each other.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My class was a bunch of turkeys with all the excitement surrounding the holiday, so the two day work week was much appreciated.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1g8OoOelVQpbz-ClGVyqZXL93gmEuHbg9FFiLDOURyAPXNorxAVMW79lBADdVKPkTYgszmDpALVpjAcvtUK7eQ25ixcQ9x-VwG5Zq_B83DEKhtQ3t7bBOS2UqRD9fazsUyKt9aTs_rUYDLcpvvVlMC3VlT6d-2vKG62qgXQhTGNHNNWeLb26eAB_hUgQ/s2016/IMG_8670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1g8OoOelVQpbz-ClGVyqZXL93gmEuHbg9FFiLDOURyAPXNorxAVMW79lBADdVKPkTYgszmDpALVpjAcvtUK7eQ25ixcQ9x-VwG5Zq_B83DEKhtQ3t7bBOS2UqRD9fazsUyKt9aTs_rUYDLcpvvVlMC3VlT6d-2vKG62qgXQhTGNHNNWeLb26eAB_hUgQ/s320/IMG_8670.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Knowing full well my kids were not going to be receptive to much in the way of instruction, we spent the two days mostly playing. They were pretty hyped when I got out the Christmas tree and set it up in the classroom (wait until they see the room tomorrow!).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Even though I HATE how all the stores are ready for Christmas the second Halloween is over (if not sooner), I broke my own rule about waiting to decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving by getting our tree set up and hanging greenery in all the doorways and windows before I left for my dad's last week and I have no regrets.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As a curly girl, I am always experimenting with different products to tame the beast that is my hair. I tried a new (to me) product this past week, and I love, love, LOVE it! It's Ouidad Curl Shaper Volumizing Jelly for fine hair, and for the first time in my LIFE, my hair is soft to the touch AND is holding the curl and not turning into a dandelion gone to seed by mid-morning.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We had our first snow of the year early this morning! There was a light skim of snowflakes on the rooftops, and if you looked REALLY CLOSELY you could see a little bit of snow on the grass, and it was gone as quickly as it came, so it was perfect. Now, if school had been in session, then I would have wanted enough to cancel classes, but it wasn't and there wasn't and I'm good with that.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I spent a few hours in my classroom today getting it decorated for Christmas. My kids are going to be so excited when they arrive tomorrow!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm thankful another teacher friend posted about turning on her alarm tonight after five days without using it, and if I hadn't seen that, I might not have remembered myself! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm extra thankful for my heated mattress pad. It is COLD here, and I'm going right now and snuggle into my warm bed with a cat or two.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I hope your Thanksgiving holiday was filled with good food, naps, and family!</div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="f9042bb388494041a9c5c60d311ad59d" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/f9042bb388494041a9c5c60d311ad59d" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->
Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-54180137243421227202023-11-19T20:26:00.004-06:002023-11-19T20:26:51.377-06:00Pre-Thanksgiving Thankfuls<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's Thanksgiving Weekend Eve. Is that a thing? The weekend before Thanksgiving weekend? Well, it is now, and it comes with a set of thankfuls:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvCIq1P35vzRCSQJEpGw-EPLrPC1mVaHbjEV3IxinHs-pOqTEutjTxIDra-jtQ2gSBncBnLBEfxs-ylZoCkRP-jCpuWC8exAzDm8JImL_FeffO5ze3FqfxsxIUNdMHk2QqI6BARmiZ5DGR-GiOcHjiOwALSGR-P0W8AvEXrAHvu3Fx_dX3BzaKo5vU9Y/s640/IMG_8652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvCIq1P35vzRCSQJEpGw-EPLrPC1mVaHbjEV3IxinHs-pOqTEutjTxIDra-jtQ2gSBncBnLBEfxs-ylZoCkRP-jCpuWC8exAzDm8JImL_FeffO5ze3FqfxsxIUNdMHk2QqI6BARmiZ5DGR-GiOcHjiOwALSGR-P0W8AvEXrAHvu3Fx_dX3BzaKo5vU9Y/s320/IMG_8652.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All my fall decorations are put away.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While I was in the basement doing that, I straightened up the Rubbermaid container of Christmas gift bags and boxes and tissue paper that were left in a bit (a huge bit) of disarray since last Christmas. Oops.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I covered an opening in the top of a closet that gave plumbers access to some pipes when we had a leak YEARS ago. I still don't know why they cut a 2'x1.5' opening and just left it, but they did, and I had had it covered with foam core board (truth - I cut up a giant check left over from a check presentation my husband had for work) and duct tape. It fell off last year, and after a winter of cold air coming through the opening, I climbed up on a ladder and got it covered once again. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I didn't fall off the ladder, and that's a pretty big thankful, because I had to contort quite a bit to get to the opening in the ceiling of the closet AND I only had three cats with no thumbs in the house with me if I had fallen.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm thankful for my Shark lift-away vacuum cleaner. Got pets? It's da bomb!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We got a very generous early Christmas gift from one of the local tribes. They appreciate what we do for their children, and we appreciate their generosity to us.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I picked up a pillow from the bedroom floor this morning to toss on the bed and just as I was about to do so, I saw a brown recluse spider on it. Of course, I screamed and dropped the pillow, and of COURSE, the spider immediately disappeared. Then I saw it ON THE SHEET EXACTLY WHERE I WOULD LIE ON IT IF I GOT IN BED, grabbed a tissue, and squished it. Whew! Close call!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I had a physical this week. I have been AWOL from any doctor's office (other than urgent care) for, oh, several years. I am proud to say my blood pressure was 122/72, my cholesterol was 166, and all my other numbers were also in the normal range. Woo hoo!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Saturday, I went to a Christmas craft fair with my friend Nikki and ran into all kinds of people that I hadn't seen in years. It was nice!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I've got a two-day work week coming up, and I am SO READY for it!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXa9S3kL5NWn_TRta0qGohBTu6kh402ZfcvGnzHeNuIjpZ7OTgNVGLYSG4krzsUux5JUE4rjpnvCamWP_IRclSX9ZD6K7cTjlGDHqNO802V6-KELvXDE2KNuEeoIana-pBOCrs-s4odmzT8zqIYaVNzPCh1eblv4aZjPLiPgoJfXY-ZkxOiTMeFvJQIQ/s750/IMG_8545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXa9S3kL5NWn_TRta0qGohBTu6kh402ZfcvGnzHeNuIjpZ7OTgNVGLYSG4krzsUux5JUE4rjpnvCamWP_IRclSX9ZD6K7cTjlGDHqNO802V6-KELvXDE2KNuEeoIana-pBOCrs-s4odmzT8zqIYaVNzPCh1eblv4aZjPLiPgoJfXY-ZkxOiTMeFvJQIQ/s320/IMG_8545.JPG" width="292" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Get your thankfuls on. It's what the cool kids do.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<!-- starts InLinkz code --><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="84c79fb1388146f2b198d7b47c63be5d" style="width:100%;margin:30px 0;background-color:#eceff1;border-radius:7px;text-align:center;font-size:16px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><div style="padding:8px;"><p style="margin-bottom:15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/84c79fb1388146f2b198d7b47c63be5d" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="padding:5px 20px;background:#209cee;text-decoration:none;color:#efefef;border-radius:4px;">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!-- ends InLinkz code -->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-5420141586784427832023-11-12T20:43:00.002-06:002023-11-12T20:43:52.161-06:00Crawling Out Of My Cave With Some Thankfuls<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The time change is KILLING me. I'm like a bear. As soon as it gets dark, I want to crawl in my cave, eat a few berries, and go to sleep. 5:30 is a little early for that, however, so I'm spending every evening fighting to stay awake until at least 8:00 (yes, I know that's still stupid early, but I get up at 4:30 a.m. to go to work, so it's not THAT ridiculous). Am I still thankful? Why, yes! Watch me!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Getting dark so early in the evening means it's not dark as pitch in the morning when I am driving to work. I have a very deer-y route to work and back, and the lighter it is, the fewer there are.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. I came back to school from my conference in St. Louis and worked on using what I learned. Our classroom is harmonious (most of the time), largely because we all work together to keep each other safe, and when we get too crazy, we employ various breathing techniques to calm our bodies. p.s. it works on big people, too. Thank you, <a href="https://consciousdiscipline.com/">Conscious Discipline and Dr. Becky Bailey</a>!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. My dad had a little health scare that turned out to be no biggie, but he was able to get himself to the ER and back home again all by himself! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4. About a month ago, I received a new pair of boots that I had ordered from Nordstrom Rack. I hadn't even opened the box, because I was a little afraid they might not fit or would be uncomfy or both. Finally opened them and wore them AND THEY WERE NEITHER. In fact, I put them on at 6:00 am and didn't take them until 12 hours later, and my feet felt FINE!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5. I have deep regrets that I cut so much of my hair off last weekend (and off and on all week), and I'm not thankful for that, but I AM thankful that my hair grows quickly.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6. I'm thankful for Poshmark. Ordered two gently used dresses from them last week and expect to receive them in a couple of days. They should look good with my new boots!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7. Also thankful for the ability to track packages! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8. We had delightful weather this week, and since the leaves are starting to shower down on the ground, I took my class out to the lawn in front of the school to play. We spent over half an hour throwing leaves up in the air, chasing each other, and flopping down on the ground and rolling in the leaves. Bonus thankful is they napped really well that day!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgSXrYsEdI3A0D_VIbrCISJTM6epgIpQUBHxlwB4hGM_mEnfKKZl3JMHwBwmYuaoo2fa9qJfNsj0xBzlSyoiJh12LgmX2XDlaPdzgPZS1cRfoBnX0tzB3-Sp66_8TjrjUrKlFTU6JI241QkpHFcmFJwwMSLnT06H4KVJVfIJHeECgCxcRis9g5t4TvGk/s4032/IMG_8406.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgSXrYsEdI3A0D_VIbrCISJTM6epgIpQUBHxlwB4hGM_mEnfKKZl3JMHwBwmYuaoo2fa9qJfNsj0xBzlSyoiJh12LgmX2XDlaPdzgPZS1cRfoBnX0tzB3-Sp66_8TjrjUrKlFTU6JI241QkpHFcmFJwwMSLnT06H4KVJVfIJHeECgCxcRis9g5t4TvGk/s320/IMG_8406.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My neighbor's tree</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9. The Dean who is over our school (we are part of a university) stopped by to visit on Thursday. She popped into my room for a few minutes, and my children were MODEL students! We showed off our belly breathing skills and safekeeper oath and class cheer. I then received the NICEST email from the Dean that made my heart so happy! I love my job!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10. I was trying to cut an onion yesterday with what turned out to be a very dull knife, and my husband started (teasingly) giving me shit about my cutting techniques, which terrify him. Case in point: a year ago, I sliced my finger cutting strawberries and not only had to go to the ER to get it glued together, they had to put a tourniquet on it to get the bleeding to stop before they could treat it. Of course, he brought that little story up. So this morning, I had just finished drying my hair when my husband walked into the bathroom and asked me if I could help him with his finger, which was wrapped in a blood-soaked paper towel. Guess who cut his finger with a kitchen knife? When I unwrapped the paper and saw the cut, I told him he had to go to the ER and get it glued together. They weren't busy, which was nice, and we got right in, and long story short, he got FOUR STITCHES instead of glue, because the cut went across the joint and the doctor was afraid glue wouldn't hold it. I'm thankful it wasn't serious (as in no tendons were cut), so I am able to give him a hard time about it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FzehIFlqItno2VSRDQeh9Mwz3dDk_DWs7flXjA5ew29ihYCUrk2pzPS6RsRo3BxdBTnhrasHuFHi1nfVybC2X3aLQDbjaZ6PzTEHItIzPbYdEhE6sqCuqJwi5VKo_nKow8H6w7nrOTt2euXfAd9T2C7586MEUbZKkUXYtNRpHySUw11Fn-zhnPvxQVQ/s4032/IMG_8456.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FzehIFlqItno2VSRDQeh9Mwz3dDk_DWs7flXjA5ew29ihYCUrk2pzPS6RsRo3BxdBTnhrasHuFHi1nfVybC2X3aLQDbjaZ6PzTEHItIzPbYdEhE6sqCuqJwi5VKo_nKow8H6w7nrOTt2euXfAd9T2C7586MEUbZKkUXYtNRpHySUw11Fn-zhnPvxQVQ/s320/IMG_8456.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Either the lidocaine didn't take or he's<br />a big wimp. Your call.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Hope you found dozens of thankfuls in your week!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="31e8cd9064a445d1b718ac3978844306" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/31e8cd9064a445d1b718ac3978844306" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-17587300545616166702023-11-05T22:10:00.001-06:002023-11-05T22:10:15.513-06:00Toxic Waste Makes The Thankful List<div><span style="font-family: arial;">October is in the rear view mirror, Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and there are thankfuls a-plenty!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Halloween is over for another year. It's just not my favorite holiday, and I'm never sad to see it go.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I carved a pumpkin with my class on Monday. Carving pumpkins is yet another reason not to like Halloween, but I reached inside it and pulled out its ooky guts and let my students feel them and smell them. They chose a happy face over a scary face, and we used our little jack-o-lantern as a night light for two days.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1125" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyE26qeBTbOh015nwKKuP4neCtREjEHOcnuf82-Jh7VnVJFNOId8S_zjOwVG-VJzgDNjQDvs-3nyV2i8lH2PyOuKyAhmAnaVW4PBsyaDF9heH3iYgq0Qclk6UM_pNKRIC6ofTjKZQfb9plyTR-P9oJlp-kfTe-Uw-DWfMgKHnA8Kce33dr68N7fXGzOU/s320/Image-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Looking isn't enough; you have to <br />get in there and touch and sniff!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyE26qeBTbOh015nwKKuP4neCtREjEHOcnuf82-Jh7VnVJFNOId8S_zjOwVG-VJzgDNjQDvs-3nyV2i8lH2PyOuKyAhmAnaVW4PBsyaDF9heH3iYgq0Qclk6UM_pNKRIC6ofTjKZQfb9plyTR-P9oJlp-kfTe-Uw-DWfMgKHnA8Kce33dr68N7fXGzOU/s1500/Image-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The day AFTER Halloween should be a national holiday, especially for teachers. My students were all kinds of wound up with residual sugar highs and lack of sleep and overall excitement of having worn a costume and gone trick or treating, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">My besties Nikki and Julie and I went out to dinner Halloween night, so we could avoid trick or treaters. I don't think we've been out together since Julie's birthday in March. We talked and laughed and ate a lot of food from the brown food group, and it was delightful!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Thursday, Nikki, my friend and co-worker Alyssa, and I left for St. Louis for a Conscious Discipline training. We had gone to one in June that was a week long and included an enormous amount of information; this one was only two days, but it was chock-full of information and tools that we will be taking back to use in our classrooms.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFvdcj2KZjOqFNKnxWRrtcXPkFgc738dmC2pgTs9fNMYBT4UPILolyB8XwpsF1gcBKSO4_VsDSSPhAzGyUpWqcAlTqcJ0L-bpdyCKv16mS5eSM7Ojz5KNYLUQewH5M8QAIx6HlqUu9XMVV_OVPgZwQ1EYSBtkrfOEYMv9QWotL9jSnbGULn0Z1t0R-m8/s4032/IMG_8096.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFvdcj2KZjOqFNKnxWRrtcXPkFgc738dmC2pgTs9fNMYBT4UPILolyB8XwpsF1gcBKSO4_VsDSSPhAzGyUpWqcAlTqcJ0L-bpdyCKv16mS5eSM7Ojz5KNYLUQewH5M8QAIx6HlqUu9XMVV_OVPgZwQ1EYSBtkrfOEYMv9QWotL9jSnbGULn0Z1t0R-m8/s320/IMG_8096.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With Alyssa at the hotel</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Cute little story: on our way to St. Louis, I got a frantic text from my husband asking where the car keys were. Long story short, the answer was in my pocket, and he had to go to a meeting and then to my dad's, and I was 120 miles away. There was a spare key for the vehicle, but it was (I thought) in the console of the car that was sitting in the driveway at the lake house. My husband kept his composure way better than I would have imagined, given the situation. He then looked for a house key (also in my pocket) and while searching, he found the extra key to the Tahoe, minus the key fob. He then remembered that something was wrong with that key fob and my dad had traded keys with me, and I was exonerated.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Our hotel in St. Louis overlooked the airport. We didn't get a lot of time to be in our room, but when there was a chance, I was standing with my nose pressed to the window, watching jets take off and land.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtutv3puynsralnBuWVQjC2G4PUWOFNABtBU27tGckqbFhUJla3N_ESlTpezwZt4jfVlYivkaaZ9EduZlOaJR1W5rviPlv8ATB_DanlmGeZU7CsFrrA6dGaffTmFPpY_JHz3f5qL1mi1RuOfrUXQjSUsDyemLrgmIoqMgqDGlp56dWDAk_eE14oKgpCQ/s4032/IMG_8094.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtutv3puynsralnBuWVQjC2G4PUWOFNABtBU27tGckqbFhUJla3N_ESlTpezwZt4jfVlYivkaaZ9EduZlOaJR1W5rviPlv8ATB_DanlmGeZU7CsFrrA6dGaffTmFPpY_JHz3f5qL1mi1RuOfrUXQjSUsDyemLrgmIoqMgqDGlp56dWDAk_eE14oKgpCQ/s320/IMG_8094.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">LOOK HOW CLOSE I AM</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This is really cool, and I have no idea WHY it happened, but it did, and I was lucky enough to see it go down: a fighter jet swooped down from the sky and did a touch and go landing! No idea why, but what luck that I got to see it!'</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm thankful that all my electronics were smart enough to change their times back to Central Standard Time, because I had already forgotten all about it by morning.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Before we left St. Louis this morning, I took my friends on a little field trip to see a nuclear waste site. I went there about five years ago with my dear friend Christine, and you will be glad to know the uranium is still safely encapsulated under its mountain of rock.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7efNZ7oXmmg7GA_0zCKuXmEzlZ31BTA9Vw2G8396egLQfKAjKOpCSeB8jc2EBxotJvdgq9U6rd8u60Q-jf6vxhNZgyS0bwxxpe5gNOBBnS00KJw93f9USs3KsjBey_fR9fD2AX0w8Fc-IyXnHE9HpX9qv45OCYGNSlVVLqrvHkRK6TWZ-Por6XGmxJu8/s3088/IMG_8211.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7efNZ7oXmmg7GA_0zCKuXmEzlZ31BTA9Vw2G8396egLQfKAjKOpCSeB8jc2EBxotJvdgq9U6rd8u60Q-jf6vxhNZgyS0bwxxpe5gNOBBnS00KJw93f9USs3KsjBey_fR9fD2AX0w8Fc-IyXnHE9HpX9qv45OCYGNSlVVLqrvHkRK6TWZ-Por6XGmxJu8/s320/IMG_8211.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At the foot of the toxic waste mountain</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1204tdg2SmIT7R9GzSG50ePYoAMF3gOvZnpjpH5eC9JD1ScvmZ1c1ywmlIx67DXiLVUchioQkUFsXxvw76Q1NFre_EqkDc88UfAG6olWZoy5N8P36mA_EE41Xe2ns5ofUz5dYYNXtnMDRUd2EepfJ2LWQRF6cpC8WK5ao4PGXdm-X66MAqts4P55H_A/s3088/IMG_8217.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1204tdg2SmIT7R9GzSG50ePYoAMF3gOvZnpjpH5eC9JD1ScvmZ1c1ywmlIx67DXiLVUchioQkUFsXxvw76Q1NFre_EqkDc88UfAG6olWZoy5N8P36mA_EE41Xe2ns5ofUz5dYYNXtnMDRUd2EepfJ2LWQRF6cpC8WK5ao4PGXdm-X66MAqts4P55H_A/s320/IMG_8217.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At the TOP of the toxic waste mountain</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rj4FNBcXKeF5BIIeFunZNQhEArzAP-Bb7VRtthTksARojumGh8HejF8hgBcOKRdjGI3z86ttGdsMi9EkuCyRru6hxVaejartXWUe_Y-7ZEJJdoFsUDIMyTNCijfTExVw_pQqYAQF-Tp9bqYlJTPFtClj-K1hoH_Y_pduqYInRNET18-wo6CmqleG70A/s4032/IMG_8218.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rj4FNBcXKeF5BIIeFunZNQhEArzAP-Bb7VRtthTksARojumGh8HejF8hgBcOKRdjGI3z86ttGdsMi9EkuCyRru6hxVaejartXWUe_Y-7ZEJJdoFsUDIMyTNCijfTExVw_pQqYAQF-Tp9bqYlJTPFtClj-K1hoH_Y_pduqYInRNET18-wo6CmqleG70A/s320/IMG_8218.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A few fun facts about the toxic waste mountain</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm ready to tackle the week! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>
<!--starts InLinkz code--><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="356a56c91cc940dd99c35c941c70029a" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/356a56c91cc940dd99c35c941c70029a" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-22205321534987831052023-10-29T20:34:00.000-05:002023-10-29T20:34:10.120-05:00The One Where I Carried On<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I got overwhelmed by Life last weekend and went AWOL.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm back.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Still overwhelmed but ready to soldier on!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This week's Ten Things of Thankful:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Last weekend, my laptop decided to update itself, and in so doing, caused the whole thing to come to a grinding halt. I couldn't write a post on it, obviously, and while it is POSSIBLE to do so from my phone, it isn't easy and I wasn't in a mood to try. After two days of spinning icons that were telling me it was updating (and which I seriously doubted at that point), it claimed victory. I still need a new laptop, but at least it's functioning now!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My cousin Rick and his wife Dori visited us on their way from Point A to Point B. It had been several years since I had seen them, and it was simply delightful to spend a few hours with them! Dori joined our family when I was 10 years old, and she was the first adult who didn't treat me like a little kid, and I've never forgotten that (for the record, she was hardly more than a kid herself - she was only 20 at the time!).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF550qi5coQ45en1xLg-ibBIvYbtajfodsmxNY5t0NAJok5kef5j8dsy9TGO0CwLCUbHPn6A-vAJnGcHie51LBd1TLjdv2lwMXmqEEgolP_uPCuR99cDk6tZcrTg8IndCfQCtwK1qY-2T1Wts0qKa3B_LnkD9uvZyzFQFekgwtzC9mu9hR_kVyMYL4UPw/s320/IMG_7756.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cousins Rick and Dori</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF550qi5coQ45en1xLg-ibBIvYbtajfodsmxNY5t0NAJok5kef5j8dsy9TGO0CwLCUbHPn6A-vAJnGcHie51LBd1TLjdv2lwMXmqEEgolP_uPCuR99cDk6tZcrTg8IndCfQCtwK1qY-2T1Wts0qKa3B_LnkD9uvZyzFQFekgwtzC9mu9hR_kVyMYL4UPw/s4032/IMG_7756.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gsy9fXTCkuXQWs2gJ25krWcNJlPrpJt8dYWenb1MQNgzTHtDZd1klJi4RPInX4x4sRjE1n1wBJ2fCLjjnGEFodrY2eF3q7gh9vClq_hVmqzjY05ya30ew_NZWtA2XLJnR1PZZbrkK6o_t2pqyRcAkfWZ2WIS82PQ3QvmzwurDeUqTORAzbvRxcEPPmA/s320/IMG_7757.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the beautiful Dori</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gsy9fXTCkuXQWs2gJ25krWcNJlPrpJt8dYWenb1MQNgzTHtDZd1klJi4RPInX4x4sRjE1n1wBJ2fCLjjnGEFodrY2eF3q7gh9vClq_hVmqzjY05ya30ew_NZWtA2XLJnR1PZZbrkK6o_t2pqyRcAkfWZ2WIS82PQ3QvmzwurDeUqTORAzbvRxcEPPmA/s4032/IMG_7757.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I made vegetable beef soup and homemade rolls and a truly yummy dessert for lunch with the cousins. Need a pumpkin dessert? Totally worth making this </span><a href="https://lilluna.com/pumpkin-dump-cake-2/" style="font-family: arial;">Pumpkin Dump Cake</a><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="1290" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImfuDWyzBgrLzWnfiuR0wv9gVwagVR-smtKkf7w96ROIQsDnsCkYnm3WeEA5crfWCci3Hg51A94EVNsYjmzp4ZEqGGXTcRIiESlksxM7_vw9pOn5I1nMItAFttydxICqIt7W6ALNYz1bs9NuKaLSz1e6kncBwYCwyA418lP4EIBLX-sIINJNvPcrxEvM/s320/Pumpkin%20Dump%20Cake.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from the website. I forgot to take one of<br />mine, but I will say other than the pecans,<br />it looked pretty much just like this.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImfuDWyzBgrLzWnfiuR0wv9gVwagVR-smtKkf7w96ROIQsDnsCkYnm3WeEA5crfWCci3Hg51A94EVNsYjmzp4ZEqGGXTcRIiESlksxM7_vw9pOn5I1nMItAFttydxICqIt7W6ALNYz1bs9NuKaLSz1e6kncBwYCwyA418lP4EIBLX-sIINJNvPcrxEvM/s1290/Pumpkin%20Dump%20Cake.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The University of Arkansas has something called Senior Walk, wherein miles and miles of campus sidewalks are etched with the names of each graduate by year. It started in 1905, and the names were stamped by hand until 1986 when the Physical Plant created a machine they named the Sand Hog to etch the names into the concrete. In 1930, the graduates previous to 1905 were added to the walkways. It used to take a year to get a graduating class added to the walk, then grew to 2 years, but for my daughter's class, it was 3 years (thanks to construction and covid). The 2021 Senior Walk was dedicated last weekend at homecoming:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIw3uLJbJnwAOCwWmhaKOSgIfg_Gyjj_zjH1cHAqPYaqivtQFM0UrWVrWPBiVPMdiyOfrCpH-NHtFZotNupLRlHTs9_IT2sYZZH6LEHDyvSBjf37OWm8mDs0YHt1bvOXTyeCOuDPt5IHm41WxzWQyNJhfh9Dd_wTCi2bus5P7-h67WOycBHBKtBbOyDG0/s320/IMG_5153%20(1).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma Kate pointing to her name on<br />the UArk Senior Walk</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIw3uLJbJnwAOCwWmhaKOSgIfg_Gyjj_zjH1cHAqPYaqivtQFM0UrWVrWPBiVPMdiyOfrCpH-NHtFZotNupLRlHTs9_IT2sYZZH6LEHDyvSBjf37OWm8mDs0YHt1bvOXTyeCOuDPt5IHm41WxzWQyNJhfh9Dd_wTCi2bus5P7-h67WOycBHBKtBbOyDG0/s3024/IMG_5153%20(1).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We had beautiful fall weather this week, and my class got to play in the leaves. They would have stayed outside throwing leaves up in the air for the rest of the day if I had let them!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkz8zYN9KW2mEYxi1t3cLT7pj8QbRedAtc_t4I7IRMIBmFEGwMDuTC0JyvP3CzC4nzzuQlqPcuu3OH-fRn8MUsxdIlhiwrCcbb1WVim45MKmLEGthGEhu8xUm6LtpjFE8mf9pBIjkQOIKeCWWd4qqhlOQkLIJwPucUlHLcAK4Obx2BTOil6REXmXiCkZ4/s320/IMG_7923.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My loves</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkz8zYN9KW2mEYxi1t3cLT7pj8QbRedAtc_t4I7IRMIBmFEGwMDuTC0JyvP3CzC4nzzuQlqPcuu3OH-fRn8MUsxdIlhiwrCcbb1WVim45MKmLEGthGEhu8xUm6LtpjFE8mf9pBIjkQOIKeCWWd4qqhlOQkLIJwPucUlHLcAK4Obx2BTOil6REXmXiCkZ4/s1500/IMG_7923.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I pulled all my winter clothes out from their summer hiding place under my bed and in the bottom of the armoire and hung them up. I'm going to be sick and tired of them by January, but for now, it's like getting a whole new wardrobe!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Fall Festival was held at our school on Thursday. I had a spooky maze in my classroom, and I couldn't have done it without the help of my grade level partner, Beck. I didn't get a good photo of it, but imagine a maze (well, it was just a loop, but when you are 5 or under, it's a maze) made from turning every available table on its side and using all the bookshelves and chairs to make the path, then covering all of it with black trash bags. Orange and purple lights were tucked under the trash bags, some Halloween lanterns were scattered about, and you have a not-very-spooky walk! The kids loved it, as they did all the activities that night.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxirhqp_reiLj8Npc01ZTFBWd0ufyAHhEumGCxK270jIR2V__74tjcqcaIyppfQtDRsHqDmTnTu88qtJkHGLeMlD9pcKq_G0UlvyzVxlvifuWQVa7GF2z7ptiFTvEYdjiKEarpQlvVv-cFaRzi4IjaZ44FwBLBwb_9xTpvV0E-Zpfod54qGHO5wLf779A/s320/image000000.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Beck</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxirhqp_reiLj8Npc01ZTFBWd0ufyAHhEumGCxK270jIR2V__74tjcqcaIyppfQtDRsHqDmTnTu88qtJkHGLeMlD9pcKq_G0UlvyzVxlvifuWQVa7GF2z7ptiFTvEYdjiKEarpQlvVv-cFaRzi4IjaZ44FwBLBwb_9xTpvV0E-Zpfod54qGHO5wLf779A/s1600/image000000.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhf0wu3LKHhXmWUK_tP49uTAOTROl9iLvCrlgZDzp8_04M-UyfM1TpvQ3q8sW_vM9c72UrS4LuqbzyQLCv3CPuf31STsrYEwPTQMV9JMlruNR8BAcMEKQfg7wibNLHZBC7GWdFL3e7GX_yDfdvlH-gOefdMEYuJ7ubt7IN7aYwsaoT-au1evsLzvclxNw/s320/IMG_7899.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to see but maybe you get the gist of it.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhf0wu3LKHhXmWUK_tP49uTAOTROl9iLvCrlgZDzp8_04M-UyfM1TpvQ3q8sW_vM9c72UrS4LuqbzyQLCv3CPuf31STsrYEwPTQMV9JMlruNR8BAcMEKQfg7wibNLHZBC7GWdFL3e7GX_yDfdvlH-gOefdMEYuJ7ubt7IN7aYwsaoT-au1evsLzvclxNw/s4032/IMG_7899.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I made this photo booth for the Fall Festival, and while I'm no artist, I think it turned out fairly well. Saw several little kiddos with their sweet faces in the sunflower centers, getting a picture taken, so totally worth it!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFabAFW4PRu1owADTQgTrpW9a9AY0fgRyBvtN9CUTi1i0U1qcNbDBhadohOU1PZty60k_i03ztwwwuWXiRRSrWfLog3B7OVAWR9YZNNZHAfJHLkpnl5uwcZ6WkT3DP04v3e3bs3RX9mQwmkxnGLxiPmE0k4ySJjkNk6SmSYcRp9JT8KM29xiW2pR166U/s4032/IMG_7803.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFabAFW4PRu1owADTQgTrpW9a9AY0fgRyBvtN9CUTi1i0U1qcNbDBhadohOU1PZty60k_i03ztwwwuWXiRRSrWfLog3B7OVAWR9YZNNZHAfJHLkpnl5uwcZ6WkT3DP04v3e3bs3RX9mQwmkxnGLxiPmE0k4ySJjkNk6SmSYcRp9JT8KM29xiW2pR166U/s320/IMG_7803.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I decided my hair was too long and stringy (because it was) and gave myself a trimmy-trim this weekend. Mostly even, I think, and who can tell with curly hair, anyway?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm thankful for the hours and hours of enjoyment I have gotten over the years watching Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing on <i>Friends</i>. I have been deeply saddened by his death this weekend at the age of 54. Many knew of his struggles with addiction, but did you know he founded a recovery center for men in his own home and was an advocate in the courts for rehabilitative care instead of jail time for substance abusers? Rest peacefully, Matthew. You have earned it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71xm8PXPhU1BOgQaim_lcZYJNkrrvBbyTjNZyLH7X0D0MDdNnMxrZQ2E1dyNG0CPm5wFel-ravd_WdoXiVRdE7kGohkEL6Ciu74FuGodbJWNkUaTkgbWrQ-1qLCD3HoeIFKKIet0nA4SzyngwRDdKjzyP3RhXGpXVftdepgEYNFq-rm9oRmD6OBMkupQ/s1034/IMG_7922.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71xm8PXPhU1BOgQaim_lcZYJNkrrvBbyTjNZyLH7X0D0MDdNnMxrZQ2E1dyNG0CPm5wFel-ravd_WdoXiVRdE7kGohkEL6Ciu74FuGodbJWNkUaTkgbWrQ-1qLCD3HoeIFKKIet0nA4SzyngwRDdKjzyP3RhXGpXVftdepgEYNFq-rm9oRmD6OBMkupQ/s320/IMG_7922.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thankfuls done, now I'm ready to knock out this next week. I hope you'll join us!</span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="df30a3aa6b4a4d61a7fedd973076d834" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/df30a3aa6b4a4d61a7fedd973076d834" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-37526593423448172272023-10-15T22:42:00.002-05:002023-10-15T22:42:41.991-05:00Long Live The Float And Other Thankfuls<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Last weekend, I was mourning that our preschool didn't win best float at the homecoming parade, and I'm still bitter, but I'm trying to move on. What's the best way to do that? Why, write a list of thankfuls, of course!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I took the city scape from the homecoming float and lined the hallway with it. It reminds me of the Peter Pan ride at Disneyland and makes me happy,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I had a three-day week at school, as I had to take Thursday and Friday off to take my dad to a doctor's appointment. I miss my kids when I'm gone, though.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My dad is doing much better! The timing of him going home after his three month stint at rehab (for physical therapy, not drugs and alcohol!) coincided with the beginning of construction on his new garage and workshop. My husband takes his wheelchair outside so he can watch some of the work.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, the first thing that had to be done for the addition was to replace all the sewer pipe from the house to the street (and it's 150 feet from the house to the street). There were several kerfuffles in getting this accomplished, including a huge, old, tree trunk in the path of the sewer line, as well as the cable and internet line being cut, materials and method not being to code and having to be replaced, plus (and this is the REALLY fun part) limited to no water use for several days AND NO FLUSHING THE TOILETS. As you may guess, we're all REALLY THANKFUL it's all fixed now.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I took my dad to his appointment with his new primary care physician. He reminded me of my son and can't be more than a couple of years older than he is. He was very kind and thorough, and we got all the medications straightened out and pared down.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was able to safely dispose of the medications we no longer need by taking them to the police station. They have a drop box in their lobby, kind of like an after-hours library book drop off, except the pull down door is MUCH smaller, was heavy, and closed with a gigantic CLAAAAAANG. I'm sure the people working inside the police station were thankful when I finished, because (a) I had about 20 bottles of medications, (b) I could only fit about 4 in at a time, and (c) I couldn't hold the door open with one hand and put the pill bottles in with the other because the door would slam shut before I could get the pills in, so I had to stand on one leg and use my other knee to hold the door open while I threw in the bottles (then the door would slip and CLAAAAAAANG shut).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I came back from Branson early today with two of the cats (Nora Pearl and Lewis), partly because I don't like staying in the house by myself (and can blame any weird or scary noises I hear on them) and partly because my grandcat Calvin is coming next weekend and needed a playmate (that would be Lewis's job). They are good travelers and seldom complain, and for that, I am grateful. Our cat Fletcher used to get car sick, and it was. not. pretty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After I unpacked the car, I drove to Miami, Oklahoma, to attend the graduation party of my beloved Baylee, who was my assistant teacher. She is currently student teaching and will graduate in December. She's going to make the most amazing high school English teacher! I'm so thankful to have been invited to her party. She is one of a kind!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMtpj-4aJsx9JGrE_OGDh2JwFveLtqfZ0yqYmtq61N8-jFfFQApHD9LB8ixL4G9D7FpoXoQKBPQ-Ww2yUC4a0BcU4wE-nRCiQMV6ZRAp9TC1U5CQGIhjA78iMWcsmRQW0EIpGW4LPGm_IG9cNJrvaN_LOcIQNjV8odCH-h51gl-lcsXxVdKXBPVYRf1w/s4032/IMG_7613.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMtpj-4aJsx9JGrE_OGDh2JwFveLtqfZ0yqYmtq61N8-jFfFQApHD9LB8ixL4G9D7FpoXoQKBPQ-Ww2yUC4a0BcU4wE-nRCiQMV6ZRAp9TC1U5CQGIhjA78iMWcsmRQW0EIpGW4LPGm_IG9cNJrvaN_LOcIQNjV8odCH-h51gl-lcsXxVdKXBPVYRf1w/s320/IMG_7613.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Baylee's nana makes these scrumptious chocolate cakes that she knows I like, and she brought one to the party for me! I ate a big piece with butter pecan ice cream on top when I got home.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Migration of the Winter Items has begun! I was only gone for a couple of hours for the party, and when I came upstairs, I found the following offerings from Lewis</span><span style="font-family: arial;">:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2byqvPG-eIg4vjQ-9t9m4cQ32pEY_MVA1sFSleSzjjd1hGDAyWTmQtHUuPjwEKMHF9cXEMsjC5lHNiw_V36pCz0sKRmTIGawgvnwM_q7yy7TZIO43g_wGBqUXmRwOba-BYlZzm2Zs6rE352EoP9ks4lTw11lZ9XVvS0XSawW1bH4yWhQVVOLFaZ1u0sM/s4032/IMG_7618.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2byqvPG-eIg4vjQ-9t9m4cQ32pEY_MVA1sFSleSzjjd1hGDAyWTmQtHUuPjwEKMHF9cXEMsjC5lHNiw_V36pCz0sKRmTIGawgvnwM_q7yy7TZIO43g_wGBqUXmRwOba-BYlZzm2Zs6rE352EoP9ks4lTw11lZ9XVvS0XSawW1bH4yWhQVVOLFaZ1u0sM/s320/IMG_7618.jpg" width="240" /></a>a</td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A new package of my husband's support socks,<br />and I have no idea where he even found them.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBWfXtBcDb0YSBZyO0m2FfgjnEuRMasbdsTuxEIhqxi0CdZ8jaRgymHefUFS9x1UHpmrvQv2esmfW5dBUMZjxsqnNzXwH6DmUH0HMCSI5gp_HfZpUZa7QrTBwtHQfLfmj8Fj54r93r_4SJLI4WUQTkfSV_dyM52u5Px9kauM0K9AIa8APAfj9CH17PCV0/s4032/IMG_7619.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBWfXtBcDb0YSBZyO0m2FfgjnEuRMasbdsTuxEIhqxi0CdZ8jaRgymHefUFS9x1UHpmrvQv2esmfW5dBUMZjxsqnNzXwH6DmUH0HMCSI5gp_HfZpUZa7QrTBwtHQfLfmj8Fj54r93r_4SJLI4WUQTkfSV_dyM52u5Px9kauM0K9AIa8APAfj9CH17PCV0/s320/IMG_7619.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A little sculpture of a slipper sock (wondering where<br />the other one is) and his sloth toy.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tSr069GKlnmdI1hdzBXILcAfMqofiYLZiEn2rfeblGcDM588H30kN9xdGHTFdHHOIkK8ZAQdzxFhaFwwklLjc-73DsvGVMNxLGS0UCFnh1z-65wTqw-kXhvNeUHg_-IjDKQW_Yq2xk7D3vi3Y7Gt-KAG0InGQ5kiNVg5eA4MQezV0QZu0vRfrSzGZtM/s4032/IMG_7620.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tSr069GKlnmdI1hdzBXILcAfMqofiYLZiEn2rfeblGcDM588H30kN9xdGHTFdHHOIkK8ZAQdzxFhaFwwklLjc-73DsvGVMNxLGS0UCFnh1z-65wTqw-kXhvNeUHg_-IjDKQW_Yq2xk7D3vi3Y7Gt-KAG0InGQ5kiNVg5eA4MQezV0QZu0vRfrSzGZtM/s320/IMG_7620.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">An exhaustipated Lewis</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In closing, I pray for peace in the Middle East and denounce terrorism and the senseless murders of this past week.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="79d2b5dcca64492a834a5a33f911ea16" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/79d2b5dcca64492a834a5a33f911ea16" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-32354253391526536312023-10-08T23:25:00.002-05:002023-10-08T23:25:16.153-05:00Whatever Floats Your Float<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This was homecoming week at the university where I work. We had a spirit week at preschool, and while the kids didn't really understand it, they sure had fun participating in it! One day, they dressed like superheroes, another day we all wore pajamas. There was also a crazy hair day. This brings me to my Ten Things of Thankful for this week:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I thought the theme for homecoming was stupid, but I made the most of it and came up with a brilliant idea for our float. The theme only meant something if you were a fan of some comic book-based cartoon, which I definitely am not ("Lions Assemble"). Thankful for the help of the interweb!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My friend Robin procured GINORMOUS cardboard boxes from her dad's work that I used to make the float, and Dane took them apart for me.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I spray painted boxes until I was pretty sure my entire right arm was going to fall off, but it didn't!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wednesday was a not so good day. Stress from my dad going from rehab facility back home and all that has entailed was bringing up big feelings, and then somebody was mean to me, and I felt like I had been slapped. Thankful for Ceason and Nikki for lifting me back up!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm also thankful for Kaley for lending me an ear and reminding me that self-care is vital, then bringing me a lovely little gift to help me in the self-care department. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Getting my vision for the homecoming float to come to fruition took a village, and I'm thankful to Robin (again!) for dyeing the superhero capes I made for the kids and to Alyssa for creating and ironing on transfers of our logo to the capes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILkx3E_Dn5Qk3q5ynI_rayIol4U8tTxTu2L7HnvS2S-7ulhQ5V0G8qrkk7OG4sN8EzUS1tmeknJYQY4sOSiSLtASeQDtGs9fRBKw-5QlU8KbkSKAOo1DKdYa-jJ259wMr7nA185ob9z9ZWyL9cI9aau0-8Bthtw0zxXFGa55Ivkg64pKW1E0XHt4gEAQ/s4032/IMG_7443.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILkx3E_Dn5Qk3q5ynI_rayIol4U8tTxTu2L7HnvS2S-7ulhQ5V0G8qrkk7OG4sN8EzUS1tmeknJYQY4sOSiSLtASeQDtGs9fRBKw-5QlU8KbkSKAOo1DKdYa-jJ259wMr7nA185ob9z9ZWyL9cI9aau0-8Bthtw0zxXFGa55Ivkg64pKW1E0XHt4gEAQ/s320/IMG_7443.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Alyssa</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm thankful for my friend Jennifer, who came up to school on her day off and cut out the city I had imagined and drawn onto the cardboard sheets. Then she added countless windows with yellow duct tape and even left me a little surprise drawing on one of them! My student worker Madi also helped me with windows and with putting the whole thing together.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2gpI0AHwVMkYLpONeKV4JpVnuuSBEZ7ArFZgoIocBeYqRGjgLk89bIVTV2bAC4htANHzaFGsg0QCVYo23t98pDKwitT48DHzrsdDfKyvb0dgPV3EJO_dya5hRi6NKsYcpdYem3DYsmQ33KQF_bsZNuxyTwF11FAnWvfcYKKaAEGH_PQ_Un4wuwktvOI/s4032/IMG_7437.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2gpI0AHwVMkYLpONeKV4JpVnuuSBEZ7ArFZgoIocBeYqRGjgLk89bIVTV2bAC4htANHzaFGsg0QCVYo23t98pDKwitT48DHzrsdDfKyvb0dgPV3EJO_dya5hRi6NKsYcpdYem3DYsmQ33KQF_bsZNuxyTwF11FAnWvfcYKKaAEGH_PQ_Un4wuwktvOI/s320/IMG_7437.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Party on the 14th floor</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dane and I got ourselves in a pickle once again, although instead of being locked out of the school with no keys and no phone, we were in the (definitely haunted) basement looking for something I could use as a frame for the float's sign. I was poking around some cinder blocks and saw what I now know to be the unmistakable shape of a black widow spider. I screamed. Dane screamed, levitated, and was suddenly about 20 feet away. Once again, we didn't have cell phones with us to holler for help, but there WAS a landline and all we had to do was call one of the extensions upstairs, and someone (hopefully Ceason) would come kill the spider and rescue us. Problem was, we didn't know anyone's extension, and even if we did, we didn't know how to dial them. I took one for the team and ran past the spider and through the basement, up the stairs, through the fire door, and found Robin the Spider Killer to save us.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2HsioDPeKQUbX22Oij_0k3mDe9zWw3tlNhqbg0jylRcxf_vYWIAEOLpbgpWrqfiBp71qtYtfOa77UYh2-ldJlhHVBHzXdymiZb9MQuvdEjHFbAjmW_4ixjF35BenlX0oqdRqiS7hZ5RdI1rYm0tSsgGpqN7UxarzhBuN-uZsG6CQqubjvVsmE-ASZWAY/s4032/IMG_7408.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2HsioDPeKQUbX22Oij_0k3mDe9zWw3tlNhqbg0jylRcxf_vYWIAEOLpbgpWrqfiBp71qtYtfOa77UYh2-ldJlhHVBHzXdymiZb9MQuvdEjHFbAjmW_4ixjF35BenlX0oqdRqiS7hZ5RdI1rYm0tSsgGpqN7UxarzhBuN-uZsG6CQqubjvVsmE-ASZWAY/s320/IMG_7408.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was bigger than it looks....</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">More thanks for Dane for getting my sign set up and to Dane and Ceason plus Mr. Bobby (who doesn't even work for us but for the office next door) who figured out how to attach my city to the trailer when it didn't have any sides on it. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thankful to the preschool dad who pulled our float with his truck. He was immensely helpful in getting the city attached and the sign in place and for being a perfect float driver. I'm also thankful to all the parents and students who rode on our float and brought candy to throw.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We didn't win best float in the parade. We SHOULD have, but we didn't. That's okay (not really). We were the cutest. Our float was the best. And we had the MOST FUN!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJsakw63s5Rm7nLQpaVwnbi0QFzW8359m1IDJOC_nGmyUKPX-ugIZZxr5EIu-SKDDjTokq8x13WVSOrt0DRJJsInl_Pg11_a7b9T_fMJQ3hqHkJF4NGagmooxjfmynCwiv9l5lL1cHPdadU0ZVScajATBR_KDiotoadBrKRm8QzCPlqtfyBlKOUBjkYs/s4032/IMG_7440.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJsakw63s5Rm7nLQpaVwnbi0QFzW8359m1IDJOC_nGmyUKPX-ugIZZxr5EIu-SKDDjTokq8x13WVSOrt0DRJJsInl_Pg11_a7b9T_fMJQ3hqHkJF4NGagmooxjfmynCwiv9l5lL1cHPdadU0ZVScajATBR_KDiotoadBrKRm8QzCPlqtfyBlKOUBjkYs/s320/IMG_7440.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We built this city on rock 'n roll....</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now I'm ready for a much quieter week. From my lips (or keyboard) to God's ears!</span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="716e100eac23464e9d93daadd79e2fbc" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/716e100eac23464e9d93daadd79e2fbc" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-39170728208478141812023-10-01T21:47:00.002-05:002023-10-01T21:47:28.438-05:00It's Really Very Simple<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A simple list of thankfuls when life isn't simple:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. A kitty in my lap.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. A kitty in my lap and one on my legs.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. A kitty in my lap, one on my legs, and one on the ottoman next to my legs.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4. All of the above, and no fighting!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5 Sliced apples and caramel dip.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6. Bracelet sales.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7. Medicinal ice cream cones.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8. Candy pumpkins. Fight me.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9. Napping on the deck.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10. Laughing and being silly with preschoolers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, remember to breathe, then get out there and find YOUR thankfuls! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYZ2BjzyVdpqjUmp_C6kWO5eOzejNLWQPpowoyNTY2Edok7uWKaP1LjP4nK-Obgd2nz2z7I62_WeQEJVgRLWMBq1mkdgWM1pqcplJOY1zZUBABML_ubXzrgbZ2G3T9fhJ3dqJnyOszt6-RBiIZK_hSHRgqCCEktbNZfW27Tj7xkYbo8wmnLG5pWAhMPs/s612/candy%20pumpkins.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYZ2BjzyVdpqjUmp_C6kWO5eOzejNLWQPpowoyNTY2Edok7uWKaP1LjP4nK-Obgd2nz2z7I62_WeQEJVgRLWMBq1mkdgWM1pqcplJOY1zZUBABML_ubXzrgbZ2G3T9fhJ3dqJnyOszt6-RBiIZK_hSHRgqCCEktbNZfW27Tj7xkYbo8wmnLG5pWAhMPs/s320/candy%20pumpkins.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="fe05586074eb443b8a70c06f25a972b4" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/fe05586074eb443b8a70c06f25a972b4" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->
Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-64666091550119870782023-09-24T23:27:00.001-05:002023-10-01T21:19:45.384-05:00Almost Forgot But What Else Is New?<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whoa! I almost forgot to post my Ten Things of Thankful for this week! The reason why will be my first thankful:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1 I have Monday off! No reason, other than I have maxed out on accruing vacation days and need to use some up.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 We got much-needed rain several times this week. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 It was warm enough that I took my class outside with bare feet after the rain stopped, and we walked through puddles and over wet grass just to feel the different textures with our feet. I'm thankful that I take advantage of teachable moments like this as often as I can. Didn't get everything done on the lesson plan? Who cares? We did something much more valuable.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4 We made butter this week in class by shaking cream in a jar AND IT TURNED OUT. I have had trouble in past years getting past a runny whipped cream consistency, and after a little bit of research, I found out that I had been filling the jar too full! If you ever have the desire to make your own butter, remember not to fill the jar more than half full of cream to allow enough space for the butter to form!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gqWE6FCKuTIYlNqcHdE7xy_LbrQSt5IVmEJrf3ycSeDuucTFyLAPr6budtKjP1Oc-30oBxT4a7Q6aYFQ2PHIhNuXF0RsO9atAn_hEQtp6p6xWCJSttzrPx2TJEqh5VD6qHVijRj4p6QqAjwM7YrioTlMeUM5-YlfQGTRckZjTlh_m_YENsZ--rBI5iY/s4032/71691085126__6140F505-25EA-402A-B4EB-7CB3712C2033.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gqWE6FCKuTIYlNqcHdE7xy_LbrQSt5IVmEJrf3ycSeDuucTFyLAPr6budtKjP1Oc-30oBxT4a7Q6aYFQ2PHIhNuXF0RsO9atAn_hEQtp6p6xWCJSttzrPx2TJEqh5VD6qHVijRj4p6QqAjwM7YrioTlMeUM5-YlfQGTRckZjTlh_m_YENsZ--rBI5iY/s320/71691085126__6140F505-25EA-402A-B4EB-7CB3712C2033.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5-9 This actually happened LAST week at work, but I forgot to put it on my list. We had a Code Brown during drop off time (use your imagination just a teensy bit and you will figure out what that means). It was dog, not human, but it smelled REALLY bad and was tracked throughout the building. My co-worker Robin (BIG thankful here) offered to clean the shoe that was involved in the Code Brown, and my co-worker Dane and I went about cleaning the floors. I spot cleaned and rolled up rugs; Dane mopped and hosed off the rugs outside. After mopping and mopping, Dane asked me to check the lobby, because he thought he could still smell the Code Brown. I walked out there and sniffed and COULD still smell it, but it was impossible to say whether it was lingering in the air or was still on the floor somewhere (did I mention that our floors are laminate wood flooring and are BROWN?). Dane stepped out into the lobby as well, letting the door close behind him, and as we decided to go in search of Lysol spray, we walked over to the (closed) lobby door to re-enter the building and stopped. Dane looked at me and asked, "Do you have your key?" "Noooo," I replied, "it's on the desk where you put it after you used it to open the custodian closet." "Can you call someone?" he asked, and I reached for my back pocket just as I remembered my phone was also lying on the desk, right by the keys. The safety feature of locked doors at our school is AWESOME unless you lock yourself out like an idiot! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What to do when this happens? First you start laughing, then you take a selfie! Dane did have his phone, but he didn't have any phone numbers of the other staff members saved in it. We wondered how long we would be out there before someone came looking for us when we saw a car pull up with two little latecomers in it. We were saved! The mom would come in with her kids, sign her kids in with her key card, and we would casually walk in like we hadn't been LOCKED OUT OF THE BUILDING. But before they made it to the lobby, the inside door opened and a student worker headed to her college class opened the door. We scared her half to death as we shouted our victory! We were in! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, lest you think children were left unattended, Dane and I were scheduled in the office and not in a classroom, and we probably weren't locked in the lobby for more than 2-3 minutes, although it SEEMED like an eternity when we weren't quite sure how we were going to get ourselves back inside without looking like big goobers. (btw this is not the first time I have gotten myself locked out of the building and was rescued by a student worker)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoryy8xarrlybhC3fbxU8sQD3wYAfM_Bk9DDc2Nd4v6jVB0O-PGNS104xe9KsOMX31IqNbPNxs1DLiZicKVwGElA-yhQ_KAcbO295ggVNPRLmlG4zTUtzE5EK_Cv1RAirYi63DPm4sRxfBoPVOgjVQHC1RNQV3fk8_Usto0WyZmeDUvjExNm1O4ZqOHg/s3088/IMG_7182.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoryy8xarrlybhC3fbxU8sQD3wYAfM_Bk9DDc2Nd4v6jVB0O-PGNS104xe9KsOMX31IqNbPNxs1DLiZicKVwGElA-yhQ_KAcbO295ggVNPRLmlG4zTUtzE5EK_Cv1RAirYi63DPm4sRxfBoPVOgjVQHC1RNQV3fk8_Usto0WyZmeDUvjExNm1O4ZqOHg/s320/IMG_7182.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 It's fall, y'all! Does it feel like it? No. Will it feel like it soon? Also no, not right away, but it should in a few weeks. In the meantime, pumpkin everything!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hope your week didn't include any Code Browns! </span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="3d30a63e9c0c4da888819d6eb9d5deea" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/3d30a63e9c0c4da888819d6eb9d5deea" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-76828678809205739572023-09-16T20:38:00.004-05:002023-09-16T20:38:45.842-05:00It Only Hurts When I Laugh (Or Yawn)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Got some thankfuls fer ya.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As mentioned in last weekend's TToT, I spent the weekend in Branson with my friend Nikki. We had taken Monday of this week off to give us a 3-day weekend, which was lovely, and then we both did a Thing. This is mine:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5T5IOS3oWzuGZtAM7qj-Ngsh-SKhHm2fJndGpgS5MdKgWeC8E73vxmy3NMwiisCDcWD-vJRpOo2AYBqGUqL1HQHFayX2alMpz93otYrn2f6pZf_beTxB5B4ay97oTykmRV0eUhQfXDlrJvdZg7RdoW-R1okJuiGOJBXAQuqzBODXl8pDloijyzq_nGJg/s1599/BC847739-757C-4FAC-BCBA-E96FDF38D75F.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5T5IOS3oWzuGZtAM7qj-Ngsh-SKhHm2fJndGpgS5MdKgWeC8E73vxmy3NMwiisCDcWD-vJRpOo2AYBqGUqL1HQHFayX2alMpz93otYrn2f6pZf_beTxB5B4ay97oTykmRV0eUhQfXDlrJvdZg7RdoW-R1okJuiGOJBXAQuqzBODXl8pDloijyzq_nGJg/s320/BC847739-757C-4FAC-BCBA-E96FDF38D75F.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While I had done some research on the whole nose piercing thing, I was still not prepared for how it hurt like a sonofabitch. I was expecting pierced ear pain. BAHAHAHAHAHAAA no.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. It only REALLY REALLY REALLY hurt for a couple minutes as he jabbed my nostril with an ice pick or whatever he used to do the piercing.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. By the time we left the store (piercing parlor?), it didn't hurt anymore, but I was definitely AWARE of the piercing.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. By Wednesday, it only felt a little sore if I yawned and my nostrils flared.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4. Now it only hurts if I forget it's there and boof myself in the nose (it happens, okay?).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5. And I love it! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Every morning when I get to school, after I turn on all the lights in the building and turn on the office computer, I go to my classroom, turn on MY computer, and open the live feed of a bird feeder in Akron, Ohio, that my kids love to watch (there's a large monitor on the wall). </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thursday morning, I clicked on the wrong feed by mistake and opened a ground feeder that we watched one day last week (got to see bunnies and chipmunks and mourning doves, and squirrels, always squirrels, whether the feeder is hanging high or on the ground). I was sitting at my desk for a moment, watching a big, fat squirrel eating peanuts from the ground feeder, when a good sized bird came out of nowhere and hit the squirrel. My first thought was that it was a mourning dove with a clumsy landing, and then I realized it was sitting ON the squirrel and then it turned its head and I saw that it was a hawk. Oh, nooooo! I clapped my hands over my mouth and watched in horror, frozen, while the hawk squawked his victory. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6. I'm thankful that I snapped out of my horror in time to click away from the live feed before the actual carnage began (I know, I know, circle of life, but I still didn't want to see it).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7. I was SUPER thankful that it all went down BEFORE my kids were in the room to see it! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We celebrated Grandparents Day all week at our school, with each class celebrating on a different day of the week. My day was Friday, and my kids were WOUND UP all morning, because (a) their grandparents were coming to school and (b) they knew they were going to get cookies and lemonade after their program.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8. We sang a song, recited a poem, played the rhythm sticks for two songs AND showed off our mad dance skills by giving the grandparents a taste of our Fun Day Friday Dance Party, and the kids did GREAT with everything, in spite of how squirrely (ouch - too soon!) they were all morning.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9. I invited anyone who wanted to join us in the dance party to do so, and I was pleased that several grandparents were standing up and grooving to "Saturday Night"/Bay City Rollers and "Shake Your Booty"/KC and the Sunshine Band right along with us! It is well-known to readers of this blog that I am NOT a fan of programs and parties and special events at preschool, because I feel soooo awkward and uncomfortable at them, but it wasn't horrible and I survived!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10. My friend and co-worker Robin helped me set up and tear down everything, and I couldn't have done it all without her!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A pretty good week, all in all!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you haven't joined our Ten Things of Thankful blog hop, you should.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="4b63b0eb10f04a9e8bb317a47a1d2d56" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/4b63b0eb10f04a9e8bb317a47a1d2d56" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-61724092777869582992023-09-10T21:49:00.000-05:002023-09-10T21:49:05.732-05:00Rah! Rah! Rah!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Truth?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I really needed that month off from the Ten Things of Thankful. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It wasn't for lack of thankfuls. I had them. But I also had not-so-thankfuls, like my dad being very ill, changing grade levels and only having a week to physically move everything and set the room up to be a classroom, and some sadness for the lack of participation in the TToT after so many years. Did you know that at one time, we would have 50+ weekly participants in the hop? I began to feel like I was one of the cheerleaders at the pep assembly in the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (watch it if you don't know what I'm talking about; it's currently streaming on Netflix), yelling cheers and encouragement while the audience ignored the enthusiasm and the team's morale slipped lower and lower. I wanted to throw down my poms and walk off the field.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So I put the TToT on a break for the rest of the summer (a Rachel break, not a Ross break). And now summer is over and it's time to either pick up the poms or quit the cheer squad.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IxixKKyX6hBSGhLaXNjDxf0dJ3gWmW6AA5TShu2teHrFIq-5uHrVcO23ameEXxLfsJIufaUazzVxpo4HYKVnJtf5wBXimODhhCeEVsqUOhf1xx_qkuKL6d-QVmvL0o6jY7NV7uaN9bk9lp_m18lhW39KhG5vmL-ZoRgkTz2ux0HN4bdiHXStRGqa9qo/s300/poms.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IxixKKyX6hBSGhLaXNjDxf0dJ3gWmW6AA5TShu2teHrFIq-5uHrVcO23ameEXxLfsJIufaUazzVxpo4HYKVnJtf5wBXimODhhCeEVsqUOhf1xx_qkuKL6d-QVmvL0o6jY7NV7uaN9bk9lp_m18lhW39KhG5vmL-ZoRgkTz2ux0HN4bdiHXStRGqa9qo/w200-h200/poms.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let's do this:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Slowly but surely, my dad has regained enough of his strength after his fall in early June and subsequent sepsis in his artificial shoulder joint that he may be going home soon! He was in the hospital for nearly 3 weeks and then transferred to a rehab facility near us. He plans to go home and live by himself again when he is released.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm thankful that we were able to bring my dad to Joplin for his rehab, because I've been able to see him nearly every single day. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My daughter finished her summer internship at the end of July and was offered a position at the firm where she interned as a public finance attorney when she graduates next May. Yay! She won't have to worry about finding a job when she graduates!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHM05PiSTir4d1yDEH8ryGswtYrR_QMHcT-s0hf22N2QllkAM9JSA-JapC3j0VDC1JJpdTBo1Ch-ZKrNOSjV0d3SlVy_BQfahKhBN_CCOeCSXV1R9kbhY9aytu4nPZbG9uUQyx1-lDGSAo1N9N8AqASKl_yT93gNSeIYyIE_ZkoyTawmp81zSiP27jxg/s2016/7D13359C-D817-4817-8D67-D388D5E3DBEC.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHM05PiSTir4d1yDEH8ryGswtYrR_QMHcT-s0hf22N2QllkAM9JSA-JapC3j0VDC1JJpdTBo1Ch-ZKrNOSjV0d3SlVy_BQfahKhBN_CCOeCSXV1R9kbhY9aytu4nPZbG9uUQyx1-lDGSAo1N9N8AqASKl_yT93gNSeIYyIE_ZkoyTawmp81zSiP27jxg/s320/7D13359C-D817-4817-8D67-D388D5E3DBEC.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Future attorney!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My husband and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on August 7. Hard to believe it's been that long!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Moving all my stuff from my former classroom down the hall to my new classroom was not fun. Also having to move all the superfluous stuff out of the new classroom was even more not fun. Having some amazing student workers helping me with all of it was priceless. I absolutely could not have done it without Dane and Baylee; we worked hard and laughed hard!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I got my room ready enough for Open House literally minutes before the doors opened. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The room continues to be a work-in-progress, but it is comfortable and homey and the kids love it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5EyujWDRRqwau_iLx23z_NeuTV3iGDfVhl_uLUKjrbub7EngPXrEYV4ZT7tqOo-6CeWmn_yjF8Qh2H58YlZ3jZxB6iKvNuVByr5aoZvEOUJ69qC30SdvKt_7pkWPZ0NFqJtxYbC5gJbn_Mnnqysl2U6PnLFEjftpbjFjV3A_Cu-w26xVCD5H5mPBYTDM/s2016/IMG_5755.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5EyujWDRRqwau_iLx23z_NeuTV3iGDfVhl_uLUKjrbub7EngPXrEYV4ZT7tqOo-6CeWmn_yjF8Qh2H58YlZ3jZxB6iKvNuVByr5aoZvEOUJ69qC30SdvKt_7pkWPZ0NFqJtxYbC5gJbn_Mnnqysl2U6PnLFEjftpbjFjV3A_Cu-w26xVCD5H5mPBYTDM/s320/IMG_5755.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See those paper flags? I SEWED THEM!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I am now teaching pre-kindergarten instead of preschool. If you've been following me for awhile, you may remember that I taught pre-k for 18 years before leaving that position and taking a new position at the school where I am now. I taught toddlers for a year before being moved to a preschool classroom (where I stayed for three years), and here I am, in pre-k again. I am back with my people, and it feels good!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My birthday was last week (63, if you're keeping track). Enough said.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_EXziFPX8HMhdtMuBW8K9BruI7gR8aY2viZ_fsRbSNDqrqAnBg027P1GNAiZt1yfTkgRMoDIIUv5XbAip_fh7dbbi7O2LbQ3xqCLMXNzUWoSaWG_6wgPMmwCJ4HehAv8CQitYRaEg7kcDkWknbCCD8NaatIfgDSeenu1_qRDyC-AM0E-xDZeFgY226w/s1544/IMG_6613%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1544" data-original-width="1158" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_EXziFPX8HMhdtMuBW8K9BruI7gR8aY2viZ_fsRbSNDqrqAnBg027P1GNAiZt1yfTkgRMoDIIUv5XbAip_fh7dbbi7O2LbQ3xqCLMXNzUWoSaWG_6wgPMmwCJ4HehAv8CQitYRaEg7kcDkWknbCCD8NaatIfgDSeenu1_qRDyC-AM0E-xDZeFgY226w/s320/IMG_6613%20(1).jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This weekend, I am having a much-needed girls weekend with my friend Nikki. We have shopped, talked, laughed, eaten, and gone to a club to see one of my favorite bands, the Cleverlys. I feel restored.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22X-STTxiKH9GkQpgY_D3RKaLcAvKM7-2oAiplqByxpzYc2wP8rXSfFUR8kpB-4dZcDgsRzF0y-9gq8s9ELDieqImQdX7MHgZmmYO9uminlxtcdK6QDV578iK4_zzFfqFN4yirteqqRoIRX1EgsaLftQB2Nid_PA7l3fWqp03f7RPeBbsQa_nP7TOWUU/s2016/IMG_6774.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22X-STTxiKH9GkQpgY_D3RKaLcAvKM7-2oAiplqByxpzYc2wP8rXSfFUR8kpB-4dZcDgsRzF0y-9gq8s9ELDieqImQdX7MHgZmmYO9uminlxtcdK6QDV578iK4_zzFfqFN4yirteqqRoIRX1EgsaLftQB2Nid_PA7l3fWqp03f7RPeBbsQa_nP7TOWUU/s320/IMG_6774.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyVfq42bX14L00-JS79tZFhR-jryG7lGcaLc0vLtQmNOKmZ7otuN_CyjgUqDsO3TCjYh4xm63oVIQNoY8KrhJPIAinN880M-f-dTXrpIeV5FbskOX1RrN_gxtsPIgFSwqe8DE6faq9RayzHym8hrN6gs9mnYmGx9oCHif7fi5ltg4ZNJ8k341xIOx1GY/s2016/IMG_6803.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyVfq42bX14L00-JS79tZFhR-jryG7lGcaLc0vLtQmNOKmZ7otuN_CyjgUqDsO3TCjYh4xm63oVIQNoY8KrhJPIAinN880M-f-dTXrpIeV5FbskOX1RrN_gxtsPIgFSwqe8DE6faq9RayzHym8hrN6gs9mnYmGx9oCHif7fi5ltg4ZNJ8k341xIOx1GY/s320/IMG_6803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pick up YOUR poms and join in the cheerleading by reading thankful posts, commenting, and then writing your OWN list to add to the hop so we can all cheer for YOU.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="f922fdc7bfa04cb9afea780ec3fc291d" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/f922fdc7bfa04cb9afea780ec3fc291d" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-88182435207787688312023-07-30T22:45:00.000-05:002023-07-30T22:45:17.068-05:00Thankfuls Before The Storm<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We have a severe thunderstorm warning with wind possibly at 80 mph. So much for a leisurely (close to the deadline so not THAT leisurely) Ten Things of Thankful post! Here we go!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm thankful for....</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. My Red Cross app that has been sending me alerts of the approaching storm.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. They aren't expecting tornadic weather, so there's that.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. Weekend anchors and meteorologists when you live in a small market. They are very entertaining. The weather guy just told us the sun is going to rise tomorrow morning, and I wouldn't have known that without his fine reporting.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4. Marian Days are this week! If you don't know, it's a pilgrimage of Vietnamese Catholics to a small town a few miles away, and it's about the only thing in the positive column for the entire month of August as far as I'm concerned. The forecast calls for a high of 104 on Wednesday, and what better weather to sit in a stifling hot tent while eating a bowl of boiling hot pho?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5. The wind has picked up. Not thankful for that. But I'm inside, so that makes it a little better.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6. I always have to pee when there is severe weather or an earthquake. Sure happy for that indoor plumbing right now!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7. The lights are flickering, so my husband is looking for flashlights BEFORE the power goes out.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8. All the cats are currently in the bedroom, and if we have to run down to the basement, two of the three will follow us. The third one is a crap shoot.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9. The coming storm is almost making me forget about my ear ache.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10. By midnight, the storm should have blown past, and I'll get a good night's sleep (except for the ear ache).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There. Did it. Now off to the bathroom before the lights go out! Stay safe! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-cUQzOBYO54Blsp7dMG5SeNYEIC1f4FmpcUNP-rr7GB76kn8nvKKnc01RargBAXYmfUEdWfXFQ7Iei0JgPw1mR-tFuHtRZOCBtdQg7a6x1hd0sUfER-YRO1Onbw05QeKRaXxNf68VmJu6H-X_VZ-y5WxiYnfcR8sdojey6QYA2E36aWdIghB5Ov0jPs/s320/Screenshot%202023-07-30%20at%2010.41.58%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="188" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-cUQzOBYO54Blsp7dMG5SeNYEIC1f4FmpcUNP-rr7GB76kn8nvKKnc01RargBAXYmfUEdWfXFQ7Iei0JgPw1mR-tFuHtRZOCBtdQg7a6x1hd0sUfER-YRO1Onbw05QeKRaXxNf68VmJu6H-X_VZ-y5WxiYnfcR8sdojey6QYA2E36aWdIghB5Ov0jPs/s1600/Screenshot%202023-07-30%20at%2010.41.58%20PM.png" width="188" /></a></div></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="293d3c4fd4244ea19cdb97d153267045" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/293d3c4fd4244ea19cdb97d153267045" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-36651429830663037122023-07-23T15:44:00.001-05:002023-07-23T15:49:14.728-05:00Beware The Barn Swallow <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You know what happens when you hit the "publish" button before you proofread your post? YOU LEAVE OUT AN INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH. This is it. Hello. It's the Ten Things of Thankful.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. It's hot here, but not as hot as it is in other parts of the country. Last week, we had upper 90s and high humidity (think Florida without beach access). </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. That leads me to being thankful for air conditioning. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. And indoor bathrooms. My mother grew up in a home that had neither. She didn't have a shower or real tub bath until she went to college. And air conditioning? Hah!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4. Milo's iced tea sure tastes good on a hot day. Thankful for that.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5. So does watermelon. And I'm really thankful for that seedless biz. Now I don't have to worry about accidentally swallowing a seed and having a watermelon grow in my belly. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6. I'm thankful that watermelon, contrary to what my dad told me as a child, can NOT grow in my tummy, since I know I have swallowed a watermelon's worth of seeds in my lifetime.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7. Fun story: I bought a watermelon not long after we were married, and as I spent a good hour or more removing the rind, cutting it into bite-sized pieces, and painstakingly removing the seeds from each of these pieces as single me ALWAYS did when I bought a watermelon, I came to the realization that after all my hard labor just so I could eat my watermelon without swallowing any seeds (see #5, above) or needing to pick them out as I ate (which lessens the joy of eating watermelon), my husband was also going to reap the benefits of my labor WITHOUT DOING ANY OF THE LABOR. Then that evening at dinner, when I told him we had watermelon in the fridge, he delivered the good news that HE DIDN'T LIKE WATERMELON. That's a thankful for a lifetime!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8. Mama and Daddy barn swallow built a nest over the front door at the lake house. This is not a thankful, because they dive bomb us every time we go in or out of the house and have deposited a mountain of poop on the ground next to the door, but the babies are now so big that they are spilling over the edges of the nest, so hopefully, the little family will move on soon. Don't get me wrong; I know they are skeeter eaters and are useful, but I will be most thankful when I don't feel like I'm in a scene from "The Birds" every time I go in or out the door. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexoC6v6Gv-yQ_fqssViNAP2PFmjpghkxMxoAPuUhh2uShiWfxdgSA9ne3XQ_enaZRBXAF_I1g5yya1kiIHVsYoklWZ4iZ6G0fqiO9V0MBMoSXES5yRXkTto8h-NIyNFyPzKfBhEsgqKnFCIRSGBlm1GvqcAVsU3eO2jmyR8NmPIKsjPGifxNzlyVTx-Q/s4032/IMG_5579%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexoC6v6Gv-yQ_fqssViNAP2PFmjpghkxMxoAPuUhh2uShiWfxdgSA9ne3XQ_enaZRBXAF_I1g5yya1kiIHVsYoklWZ4iZ6G0fqiO9V0MBMoSXES5yRXkTto8h-NIyNFyPzKfBhEsgqKnFCIRSGBlm1GvqcAVsU3eO2jmyR8NmPIKsjPGifxNzlyVTx-Q/s320/IMG_5579%20(2).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Baby bootie and baby beak</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9jlaBqYsXuMcq-FVOhRpChx4LkpDwiirIuKPV6Kl_Wtmq2yL2Fd6TIehU_eSCzQkCuew4cmhiohNWzpErqzCtmnXWRPNPPOo1c5FSGSEehBPWz8g_Id8reN4Edki0bANZQkYOa5ptMbZOo9KinwVdMMBr_wQrAte3SbgMUgMROg76uNiGxZSWRjaJxQ/s4032/IMG_5580%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9jlaBqYsXuMcq-FVOhRpChx4LkpDwiirIuKPV6Kl_Wtmq2yL2Fd6TIehU_eSCzQkCuew4cmhiohNWzpErqzCtmnXWRPNPPOo1c5FSGSEehBPWz8g_Id8reN4Edki0bANZQkYOa5ptMbZOo9KinwVdMMBr_wQrAte3SbgMUgMROg76uNiGxZSWRjaJxQ/s320/IMG_5580%20(1).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Their bowels are active....</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1D8orCnoTZ3s3a8SSxXAb8hZX7ZwQjHOrphIkRQFbbBa-qVrofPfVYNTZ6xJw6k2Iw-SSaOQciHA73M84yRZFxEZnLbW9PLAPR2w-Mo1Ok6Wgl9xUUb-ifWf6IluFM8mTdm_99D1JYEghPxB2xJPO3cvKuZAjA0mtRmq0Nb9K-yK_gDhAFV0Kxrb-UGM/s4032/IMG_5581%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1D8orCnoTZ3s3a8SSxXAb8hZX7ZwQjHOrphIkRQFbbBa-qVrofPfVYNTZ6xJw6k2Iw-SSaOQciHA73M84yRZFxEZnLbW9PLAPR2w-Mo1Ok6Wgl9xUUb-ifWf6IluFM8mTdm_99D1JYEghPxB2xJPO3cvKuZAjA0mtRmq0Nb9K-yK_gDhAFV0Kxrb-UGM/s320/IMG_5581%20(1).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The nest is in the corner at top<br />of photo. Mama picked a great<br />spot for her babies but not so<br />great a spot for us</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9. Yesterday afternoon, my husband and I were driving across a bridge over the lake when a bald eagle flew past. I don't know how many bald eagles call this area home, but I'm thankful at least a few do and that we get occasional glimpses of them. Just can't mistake that white head and tail when they do a fly-by!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10. I'm thankful for lazy weekends that include naps on the couch and bingeing tv shows *cough cough Vanderpump Rules.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thankfuls are everywhere. Find yours and link up with us! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="bf3b45d8ae004df8a6f225c7aa9f214d" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/bf3b45d8ae004df8a6f225c7aa9f214d" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-86172925845946681122023-07-16T22:58:00.000-05:002023-07-16T22:58:20.131-05:00Lost Things And Found Things And Ending My Post With A Preposition<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Closing in on the end of the weekend, and my Ten Things of Thankful post hasn't written itself yet. Time to shake a tail feather! Here goes: </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I checked out three library books a few weeks ago. Of COURSE, I didn't get them returned in time, but our library will automatically renew them for another three weeks unless another patron has the book on hold. That's a thankful right there.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I got a notice that the second renewal period was up, but when I tried to round up the three books, only two were to be found. I searched our house - nothing. My husband was at the lake house, so I had him look there AND in the cars - nothing. I finally decided I was going to have to take the L on this book, and in this case, the L was also for "loser" because I had NEVER lost a library book before. Mad at myself, I went to work cleaning my bedroom, and as I was vacuuming under the bed, the vacuum hit against something that turned out to be MY LIBRARY BOOK, located fairly deeply under the bed. I feel pretty certain a cat had something to do with its location (cough cough Nora Pearl cough cough), but it was found and that's that.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My anxiety-riddled cat Finn has been scared of the kitty toy basket that is kept in my room, so while I was cleaning, I decided to go through the basket and see if I could figure out what was scaring him. I didn't find anything except way too many toys, some of which had never been played with (typical, huh?), so I packaged those up to donate right before Nora Pearl caught me with all the toys out. I don't think she will miss a few, do you?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qs6iypbbeTA06sCh1-ks49AjuF6LGDYUJeHH5u3nj0tLsxk-tTlWEtozgOnKDNDR946xG2DJBk2Qfa1v9uIDnei_gcEIVtW2JoIzjWks6c8hgFFEvCf7E_4MZQ4S32zDvaUCCDj-A1IrgxRHkrVfVtDTbG5Zf6SC7UpzX21yf4jvC1IXeuJD1p0nMJs/s4032/IMG_5407.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qs6iypbbeTA06sCh1-ks49AjuF6LGDYUJeHH5u3nj0tLsxk-tTlWEtozgOnKDNDR946xG2DJBk2Qfa1v9uIDnei_gcEIVtW2JoIzjWks6c8hgFFEvCf7E_4MZQ4S32zDvaUCCDj-A1IrgxRHkrVfVtDTbG5Zf6SC7UpzX21yf4jvC1IXeuJD1p0nMJs/s320/IMG_5407.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pile on the left: cat toys<br />Pile on the right: stolen items belonging to <br />my kids</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-EvT4UrFDwDfe_9jbbOxd6XzIZr9-JZhkIQqOl2g3219QHYMVnkMo-2N7r16mT2t27vA70S8IMvIYUBtn6ouv7Ly9dQrw5Ng3tYaofgWZkl3SAvmsOvbKHBPtY73cp1dQh-ybtZlMALRYBwPgZI9mBTeRZFr2_RBFj-SMAnrVJITJB-vGx9IGgT7agE/s4032/IMG_5408.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-EvT4UrFDwDfe_9jbbOxd6XzIZr9-JZhkIQqOl2g3219QHYMVnkMo-2N7r16mT2t27vA70S8IMvIYUBtn6ouv7Ly9dQrw5Ng3tYaofgWZkl3SAvmsOvbKHBPtY73cp1dQh-ybtZlMALRYBwPgZI9mBTeRZFr2_RBFj-SMAnrVJITJB-vGx9IGgT7agE/s320/IMG_5408.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much for organizing the toys<br />#DammitNora</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My kids' elementary school is being demolished. It's very sad, as the building was almost 100 years old, but it was built over mined land and had been sinking and settling for many years (a new school was just built [on solid ground] to replace it this past winter). It's sad to see it go, but the demolition workers have been really nice and set piles of bricks outside the fence for anyone who wants a souvenir of the old building. I got a (lead dust and asbestos covered) brick for each of my kids.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUD6Jr_UETWsw4gVQPF9VzBduxMrBUoz54pwA-ccglVSvejDjdp5SmCZJvOKenSkQn7vewKqxnw_WeAN8H6PxZFoSRUVktau-tLcw_d353BaejrB5bVrrCBjaaRMAlg9yCz6OQRBq6CvpJfZsC_DQqBe4-QtQlouNH64-pY5VoA-CcPcwDEaj114i8C3o/s4032/IMG_5455.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUD6Jr_UETWsw4gVQPF9VzBduxMrBUoz54pwA-ccglVSvejDjdp5SmCZJvOKenSkQn7vewKqxnw_WeAN8H6PxZFoSRUVktau-tLcw_d353BaejrB5bVrrCBjaaRMAlg9yCz6OQRBq6CvpJfZsC_DQqBe4-QtQlouNH64-pY5VoA-CcPcwDEaj114i8C3o/s320/IMG_5455.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RIP Columbia Elementary School</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwoYrgaH4WWZGYrNOJ3xENXbKWSZKHg2Qf-lWqhOi4frPQsitD62o0c1AhEsNhAX6aO0T3-788kFialn00V0YhX1WgZipuEv058nL7FH3087jVhEs5t_09wwvXlEGbqrRkKUsZRYeda9vjbRJcKD_7WBpi0DmqUViZW0NzvsXpKpUhEEllDtNCs3zBIQ/s4032/IMG_5481.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwoYrgaH4WWZGYrNOJ3xENXbKWSZKHg2Qf-lWqhOi4frPQsitD62o0c1AhEsNhAX6aO0T3-788kFialn00V0YhX1WgZipuEv058nL7FH3087jVhEs5t_09wwvXlEGbqrRkKUsZRYeda9vjbRJcKD_7WBpi0DmqUViZW0NzvsXpKpUhEEllDtNCs3zBIQ/s320/IMG_5481.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pile of bricks left by the workers</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99-AsEDHoSvWLlsxaMnSZc-dfWXfshWC4zxgNi51TPvq0VNjXbYJxev55q8Ns7jw8_54V4Qp5X6-QvMbTGeoGDYYLUI7SBieoL1DvcR0BxJjjqss-BFWUnoYN8Im5oBCjZd96XY2lpaoz04Du9F98tOc5HTtnKbSbh1v3HMz_GYLZOglFVBnZneU6VK8/s4032/IMG_5482.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99-AsEDHoSvWLlsxaMnSZc-dfWXfshWC4zxgNi51TPvq0VNjXbYJxev55q8Ns7jw8_54V4Qp5X6-QvMbTGeoGDYYLUI7SBieoL1DvcR0BxJjjqss-BFWUnoYN8Im5oBCjZd96XY2lpaoz04Du9F98tOc5HTtnKbSbh1v3HMz_GYLZOglFVBnZneU6VK8/s320/IMG_5482.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dusty bricks in the back of my car</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My dad is doing okay. He's walked a little bit at PT and has increased range of motion in both his shoulders, so the antibiotics seem to be doing their job. Still has a long way to go, but he's working at it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Victoria's Secret underwear sale this week. 10 for $35? Yes, please!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqlVqb6ChcETfi-R8wX5ENzji2x-1fkZrgRGZlseiXQGBCuvZKpGNXxWDsQoRcatKA9UFY9wDOJnyb7UFGUw6xhYb1rSuhqJPWd8mA66ntN-txNeTO7N9zNhxFyQobA9GuhsnbkUUxwVLXjYaulQsCKnmmF0w2AsEX8KIqv6ntQbi7_OIrFl-24z30I4/s4032/IMG_5406.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqlVqb6ChcETfi-R8wX5ENzji2x-1fkZrgRGZlseiXQGBCuvZKpGNXxWDsQoRcatKA9UFY9wDOJnyb7UFGUw6xhYb1rSuhqJPWd8mA66ntN-txNeTO7N9zNhxFyQobA9GuhsnbkUUxwVLXjYaulQsCKnmmF0w2AsEX8KIqv6ntQbi7_OIrFl-24z30I4/s320/IMG_5406.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm halfway through "Vanderpump Rules." Five more seasons to go....</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oh, and I'm also watching the series "Quarterback" on Netflix with my husband. Patrick Mahomes is featured, so naturally it's a great watch.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My husband and I are at the lake house this weekend, although I feel guilty for not being there to visit my dad this weekend. We've had really hot weather and unstable air which has led to thunderstorms, some of them severe. We outran a storm Friday evening and made it to our street in Branson just as the power went out. As we got out of the car, the front hit and nearly knocked us off our feet, then the tornado sirens went off. No tornadoes (yay!) but a lot of lightning and wind and no power for a couple of hours. We didn't lose any trees or even anything more than one medium-sized tree limb, so another yay!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAq6iTC2xL1UKvov33uDkaz4055HcSYQLvz4pSZuY2wEfNPYPe8-I_3oBxSEUtPgm9T0qn6IE1vw17y1QECNKXtmOBXCz5GA0C1mH4z1oRKRpJeggb13tw_6h1kUBDcMTk-iPIYEvNPTNquw2lRW7W-KpxzxZEP2BjhtfOOnofYtmDqNXIsLVZ2sZkjY/s720/IMG_5498.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="720" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAq6iTC2xL1UKvov33uDkaz4055HcSYQLvz4pSZuY2wEfNPYPe8-I_3oBxSEUtPgm9T0qn6IE1vw17y1QECNKXtmOBXCz5GA0C1mH4z1oRKRpJeggb13tw_6h1kUBDcMTk-iPIYEvNPTNquw2lRW7W-KpxzxZEP2BjhtfOOnofYtmDqNXIsLVZ2sZkjY/s320/IMG_5498.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know who took this photo besides not me,<br />but we saw this exact same cloud formation as<br />we were driving </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We finally got a chance to go to White Water (a local water park) this afternoon for the first time all summer. It was so relaxing to bob around in the wave pool, then I stretched out on a lounge chair like a turtle on a rock. Ahhh!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTirHkCEpOdkVqn1rXyR5mplUIZSjQFhgGL3KgZ08gaWnkiSY2arJtQmBNmdZ0xmlIjF_s_h3Duu7e5mlrW0mhTGxdMlERsJgnsvRaeRFYUp4YgAaIhekeCpDvh_MiE52G9Onrt2xZkxv9tHqjzbftpQ7vacCzp00L4_ERa_aVHizw7tP0JwIp4NEzF_Q/s4032/IMG_5497.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTirHkCEpOdkVqn1rXyR5mplUIZSjQFhgGL3KgZ08gaWnkiSY2arJtQmBNmdZ0xmlIjF_s_h3Duu7e5mlrW0mhTGxdMlERsJgnsvRaeRFYUp4YgAaIhekeCpDvh_MiE52G9Onrt2xZkxv9tHqjzbftpQ7vacCzp00L4_ERa_aVHizw7tP0JwIp4NEzF_Q/s320/IMG_5497.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahhhh!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's to next week and SO MANY MORE thankfuls than I can even keep track of.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="21eaac675bec4161ae09176d806b7cc0" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/21eaac675bec4161ae09176d806b7cc0" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-58603924531204433292023-07-09T20:49:00.000-05:002023-07-09T20:49:14.474-05:00I Can Do Hard Things!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My dad has been pretty sick and was hospitalized for several weeks, and writing a happy list of thankfuls just wasn't in my wheelhouse. It SHOULD have been, but it wasn't. There were still many thankfuls scattered in those weeks, and here they are:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm so very thankful for my dad's neighbors, Tim and Linda. They have gone above and beyond, and I will never be able to thank them enough for everything they've done.</span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We moved my dad to a rehab facility near us, so life is a little easier now. He is doing OT and PT every day to get strong enough to go back home.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My dad has been telling all kinds of stories from his past, and there have been a few surprises thrown in that I had never heard before, including how my grandfather flew some secret missions into Vietnam for the CIA.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My husband has been my rock through all of this. Because he works remotely, he was able to stay with my dad at the hospital when I had to go to work, and when my dad was dismissed from the hospital, my husband helped orchestrate the two hour trip via ambulance and got him settled in the rehab facility. He's my rock star.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I was able to go to Pride in Kansas City and had a terrific time talking to attendees who stopped at my church's booth, telling them that we are an open and affirming congregation where all are welcome, and all means all. The parade was such fun, I made a new friend while watching it, and while it was lightly raining as my daughter and I walked from her apartment to the parade route, it stopped before the parade started.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWErMUYXPvoAvU6XyB6Lplw8SXfP_94xr_JJ5otX2_o6460HliT83am9snLgy_gdD0QNeGpf-0Ly4lnZu8QUTVh2uYdNpEkaOuvn7vV-0OCW4iZot0gmGaq0kXEXUqyF1_uKDOXsnua8zEEa3ptafQ-Sgtw2Li5qfT4qXAn15lVHL9Hl_fHBnTCxe10c/s3088/70810748777__36E6DA4C-DE33-47E8-BC13-08935D3828CE.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWErMUYXPvoAvU6XyB6Lplw8SXfP_94xr_JJ5otX2_o6460HliT83am9snLgy_gdD0QNeGpf-0Ly4lnZu8QUTVh2uYdNpEkaOuvn7vV-0OCW4iZot0gmGaq0kXEXUqyF1_uKDOXsnua8zEEa3ptafQ-Sgtw2Li5qfT4qXAn15lVHL9Hl_fHBnTCxe10c/s320/70810748777__36E6DA4C-DE33-47E8-BC13-08935D3828CE.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my daughter at the parade</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_i0X9WmSZhsJSJ48VK2LwlEDaFInE8waZnOmToJLmlAOE6TV8ZdiMCxoVsjXKpComKVQzVkx3QHsSYEhVPlsC2Lg9fvmargPtzidA0G4JaQ5eAxyy-WQ9ajes1XpX_ZqNW5t-Hgai48CbWbJAc1Zvs8SV09wmvxHWs5K06aWphWKfH2_uqpo-H61Cwy4/s3088/IMG_4750.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_i0X9WmSZhsJSJ48VK2LwlEDaFInE8waZnOmToJLmlAOE6TV8ZdiMCxoVsjXKpComKVQzVkx3QHsSYEhVPlsC2Lg9fvmargPtzidA0G4JaQ5eAxyy-WQ9ajes1XpX_ZqNW5t-Hgai48CbWbJAc1Zvs8SV09wmvxHWs5K06aWphWKfH2_uqpo-H61Cwy4/s320/IMG_4750.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Pride!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTqGxMGk3quAHqrY6jGebYo-iPaDt79CsD1oi1G1eqm5dHHmx7zk1OqRtULhIIWL_RUgBk1bc5DCcvVH99UWu8pu52ohuwY08YAvqgaKWDs0j_XvLkCmIXskuFFHjFgZwNmj5MmvvkdI9DIz3f0E4gbmkFEwsW_bpXuLXa_Q89OFmn9qP_7GttQSZYSk/s4032/IMG_4788.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTqGxMGk3quAHqrY6jGebYo-iPaDt79CsD1oi1G1eqm5dHHmx7zk1OqRtULhIIWL_RUgBk1bc5DCcvVH99UWu8pu52ohuwY08YAvqgaKWDs0j_XvLkCmIXskuFFHjFgZwNmj5MmvvkdI9DIz3f0E4gbmkFEwsW_bpXuLXa_Q89OFmn9qP_7GttQSZYSk/s320/IMG_4788.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This just makes me laugh</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnoWsccw1L8GUhvb0QY-QaZDv0UT4nmHTR8SxMjlaJX_LRmeKbCvUjVtC4JrfLT5seifOcCeWRlz5XBQGxOsX8Ice5HdBnp7MwNaFoNYoeRzTeBqcWGVvvVVydaOLyd16TOQR4Y802W_rLpZZg2i5cnxrdzIfVIxNOIpPP6nLSRP-NdjDBfX3pzE-cdY8/s4032/IMG_4853.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnoWsccw1L8GUhvb0QY-QaZDv0UT4nmHTR8SxMjlaJX_LRmeKbCvUjVtC4JrfLT5seifOcCeWRlz5XBQGxOsX8Ice5HdBnp7MwNaFoNYoeRzTeBqcWGVvvVVydaOLyd16TOQR4Y802W_rLpZZg2i5cnxrdzIfVIxNOIpPP6nLSRP-NdjDBfX3pzE-cdY8/s320/IMG_4853.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahh, Queen!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">My assistant Baylee has kept things going in my classroom this summer when I've been gone, as have my student workers. I've missed my little nugs, but I knew they were in good hands.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">When "Dirty Dancing" came out back in 1987, I saw it probably 5 times in the theater and then countless times on tv, so when the Alamo Theater in Springfield had a showing of it, I knew I had to go, and I knew I had to see it with my friend Traci. We sang along with the movie and received cool props like a motel room key and a (bouncy ball) watermelon *IYKYK </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uI80LvUSk7aMD1s6SvVL3riXIOKtasFiy40-h0KCcGvY8woHbW-BNKhMScEMTXiQuiVuMQXRHnkablf8lUW35ugUa5NMDyEqW454zXYlgNdug83xEzwL7ciADJIkPGITMGoPWvHMcZRuaLonOhy8bN5_XQ_uV64gNvXXtI5k2g_NB2BqQD5vXJ-NGgQ/s4032/IMG_4948.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uI80LvUSk7aMD1s6SvVL3riXIOKtasFiy40-h0KCcGvY8woHbW-BNKhMScEMTXiQuiVuMQXRHnkablf8lUW35ugUa5NMDyEqW454zXYlgNdug83xEzwL7ciADJIkPGITMGoPWvHMcZRuaLonOhy8bN5_XQ_uV64gNvXXtI5k2g_NB2BqQD5vXJ-NGgQ/s320/IMG_4948.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nobody puts us in a corner</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I attended Dr. Becky Bailey's Conscious Discipline Institute along with my co-worker Alyssa and my bestie and center director Nikki. It was seven days of intensive training, and I came away from it with tools and skills for helping children with their social-emotional growth. I'm really looking forward to implementing what I learned in my classroom! We also played games in the evening, one of which might have gotten a little vicious, went to a bbq place for dinner that turned out to be a biker bar and where I faked a phone call for an excuse to get us the hell out of there, and rode a luggage cart down the hallway of our hotel until someone (not me or Alyssa) tipped it over and nearly bucked me off like a rodeo cowboy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtyryxr1g4vT785HJfFClPymOxb6kE0aIaopA6kS17TioRLGlRA6u9D9prObmRsLSzdG1wl2V2B-1GyzjX14-Utlh35-RuNPBaMlJ8rXEWnARjS5JV49T5VZqWE-MMgZCeJ87CZVrvnXH3J2einN6mHS9zj1mvpgQaM5oASow6fKfBXnAz_LBUMrYzew/s3088/70960454477__DD2A1EE9-26A5-4599-9B78-616790A39655.HEIC.JPEG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtyryxr1g4vT785HJfFClPymOxb6kE0aIaopA6kS17TioRLGlRA6u9D9prObmRsLSzdG1wl2V2B-1GyzjX14-Utlh35-RuNPBaMlJ8rXEWnARjS5JV49T5VZqWE-MMgZCeJ87CZVrvnXH3J2einN6mHS9zj1mvpgQaM5oASow6fKfBXnAz_LBUMrYzew/s320/70960454477__DD2A1EE9-26A5-4599-9B78-616790A39655.HEIC.JPEG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the biker bar, before I ditched.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40joK_uDHSWrBAp3iv7h0Kj4LtUXxT4HkBedGm5qQnEQOIPQ4cl5uzSLJ4BypM6WpscKQAQRZ3sgwx0k7VAfZ5UPOWNzD66npzkVIfjpJbihrNm_LOIR7vljku1-GQHDZnQq3vNWI1xHpI4F-d6ynIBvBpGr4VHYtSOcSsZCwPhQ6rIKTTPAq_82KmrA/s3088/IMG_5167.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40joK_uDHSWrBAp3iv7h0Kj4LtUXxT4HkBedGm5qQnEQOIPQ4cl5uzSLJ4BypM6WpscKQAQRZ3sgwx0k7VAfZ5UPOWNzD66npzkVIfjpJbihrNm_LOIR7vljku1-GQHDZnQq3vNWI1xHpI4F-d6ynIBvBpGr4VHYtSOcSsZCwPhQ6rIKTTPAq_82KmrA/s320/IMG_5167.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's all fun and games...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtE7v0Z-Oqq9GOsEcKbDohI6PSbSEku1eyWFQWZI2a6VLESq6syZ36sX80u8RWfJ_53PoCmyiOXtT3w4C6Jfb3EE3i0dWNBzPHgV3cwePFWclXb0ubIQBTasN2K7JbYQWpY3woeNOfhruXMzhsPSVR6BK6O6s6zEWMjJlpTZzzNlq90z7bYapAbFfqTU/s4032/IMG_5168%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtE7v0Z-Oqq9GOsEcKbDohI6PSbSEku1eyWFQWZI2a6VLESq6syZ36sX80u8RWfJ_53PoCmyiOXtT3w4C6Jfb3EE3i0dWNBzPHgV3cwePFWclXb0ubIQBTasN2K7JbYQWpY3woeNOfhruXMzhsPSVR6BK6O6s6zEWMjJlpTZzzNlq90z7bYapAbFfqTU/s320/IMG_5168%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...until someone almost tips the cart over!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I also came away from the training with new friends! We shared a table with 6 educators who were from northwest Arkansas, less than an hour away from us. Considering there were people attending from a dozen states, it was a happy coincidence. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I didn't get a picture of it at its prime, with dirt and leaves all over it and milk spurting out on the driveway, but I opened the back door of the car after a trip to the grocery store and a gallon of milk fell out onto the driveway. I managed to get it into the house and wiped off without leaving a trail of milk through the house, so yay, and I couldn't resist a photo of the carton peeing milk into my sink.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6BZwV2kUFBKxT0HCDSV9gFVyPyhM67_cYG0ZW8IVYT3KxYjCq4YmgdVy8YQ85So6SJyB4W_qQOEvuLc2HCAEGR3h7pCyTTlAidwlphZpGUECblzi7D2NAhyJhf2tHX3d3aZOf96pcLqTWHelWbk94OLKGbYkHJHwzVhX_HN-eIWKgHK_W3HfCrA9WZM/s640/IMG_5400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6BZwV2kUFBKxT0HCDSV9gFVyPyhM67_cYG0ZW8IVYT3KxYjCq4YmgdVy8YQ85So6SJyB4W_qQOEvuLc2HCAEGR3h7pCyTTlAidwlphZpGUECblzi7D2NAhyJhf2tHX3d3aZOf96pcLqTWHelWbk94OLKGbYkHJHwzVhX_HN-eIWKgHK_W3HfCrA9WZM/s320/IMG_5400.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I did it! I can do hard things! How 'bout you? Can you find the thankfuls in a hard week (weeks?). Write your post and link it with us at the Ten Things of Thankful!</span></div></div><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="00e8244fe3194b0d96ccc9d1ca7ddcca" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/00e8244fe3194b0d96ccc9d1ca7ddcca" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814181789754982227.post-42939389143363255102023-06-11T19:48:00.003-05:002023-06-11T19:48:49.083-05:00Happy 10th Anniversary To The TToT!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ten years of Ten Things of Thankful. Wow. Potentially, that is 52 weeks of 10 thankfuls for per week for 10 years. If I lived up to my potential (which any teacher I ever had would concur that I don't) that would be, um, a really big number. And it's all thanks to Lizzi, who had an idea for a blog hop....</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzTr14PQhdMGFd3FGNGVvSPVycNx5u0oSPnap1U9g4lRPYknLOc4eDrjrK9ushPNNMokLqRNjQYoFy9BzRMg8WEhHvUzsiZbVkH2V1uT-uIvRE-heYJa2BYF6bcJDjT9PWmTpKBTKH4G4g_7sNHjAE1VzxBV4Vw6j89Il1I0CHZkeWCLYd4_Ug9vm/s1280/IMG_4988.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzTr14PQhdMGFd3FGNGVvSPVycNx5u0oSPnap1U9g4lRPYknLOc4eDrjrK9ushPNNMokLqRNjQYoFy9BzRMg8WEhHvUzsiZbVkH2V1uT-uIvRE-heYJa2BYF6bcJDjT9PWmTpKBTKH4G4g_7sNHjAE1VzxBV4Vw6j89Il1I0CHZkeWCLYd4_Ug9vm/s320/IMG_4988.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lizzi's trip to 'Murica - visiting Elephant Rocks <br />near Belleview, MO</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>I've missed some along the way, especially as I get more ADHDer. I feel terribly guilty when I do miss a week, because no matter how busy I am, mentally or physically, it's still of the utmost importance to me to reflect on the thankfuls in my life. Because even in a kind of shitty week like this one, there are still thankfuls to be found.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. I'm thankful I was invited to participate in the very first TToT by Christine of "A Fly On Our (Chicken Coop) Wall. She had been asked to be a co-host and I wanted to support her. I never imagined that it would become such a part of my blogging life!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fEu1ywYZV7fPfTrU_iONztFo5V_PHOJW4KAXpyD6Vp2a9vjBroS_UjrtsK3ouSm2ngl7PxQ6KXxsHbQCa2eIO3A79-ejbjlmv1HUNFrYDFA2dxZkTMPs_3a7lOjRLsk-jq6aCu9nIK3PqoD63v0tkD3Z_8J1TWW_sGKEfuJaM_7AS-NDFQBYpgRJ/s2576/IMG_2002.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1932" data-original-width="2576" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fEu1ywYZV7fPfTrU_iONztFo5V_PHOJW4KAXpyD6Vp2a9vjBroS_UjrtsK3ouSm2ngl7PxQ6KXxsHbQCa2eIO3A79-ejbjlmv1HUNFrYDFA2dxZkTMPs_3a7lOjRLsk-jq6aCu9nIK3PqoD63v0tkD3Z_8J1TWW_sGKEfuJaM_7AS-NDFQBYpgRJ/s320/IMG_2002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Christine at the confluence of the Mississippi<br />and Missouri Rivers, St. Charles, MO</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>2. I'm thankful for the family we created at the TToT from the get-go. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. Blogging about your personal life can make you feel vulnerable, but at the TToT, you are always valued and never judged.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4. Being friends with fellow bloggers from the other side of a computer screen is fun; being friends in real life with those same people is the icing on the cake! From in-person meet-ups with Christine, Lizzi, <a href="https://www.thankfulme.net/">Kristi</a>, and Beth to texts from Sarah as she tried on dresses and needed feedback to video chats with <a href="https://wakefielddoctrine.com/">Clark</a> and to emails, texts, and phone calls about the good and the bad in our lives, we are all true blue friends.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfo4SDn3mXiJtAYssXdx8-4RqsmsPW8qOXcLlWJsIPLkWb1h1bDoj8nFeQ2nzQjHUiUU2jkI3m4YrmD30c4XrPYVZnx9cNc3qusmAhyIJPKPNM4eq9DG1ThLZM5hURvEWFHbjueYLnKCiO83-9-mWI6_Njio38Od1znmCp6sqVTi5BbvJzqnhmi32L/s1280/IMG_4958.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfo4SDn3mXiJtAYssXdx8-4RqsmsPW8qOXcLlWJsIPLkWb1h1bDoj8nFeQ2nzQjHUiUU2jkI3m4YrmD30c4XrPYVZnx9cNc3qusmAhyIJPKPNM4eq9DG1ThLZM5hURvEWFHbjueYLnKCiO83-9-mWI6_Njio38Od1znmCp6sqVTi5BbvJzqnhmi32L/s320/IMG_4958.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With Lizzi and Christine in St. Louis, MO</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5. Oh, and although all who have participated in the TToT do not continue to blog, it remains that we are still friends who keep in contact and that I will never stop missing their blog posts (I'm talking to you, Lydia, Josie, Lisa L., Christine, Sarah).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6. I'm thankful for the format of the TToT that allows you to reflect on your entire week and how even in the worst of times, there are silver linings to everything if you search hard enough. I, myself, have had thankfuls that included breast cancer, mice in my classroom, ants in my house, SNAKES in my house, tornadoes, family illnesses and deaths, pet illnesses and deaths, car trouble and more. It has taught me that no matter the circumstance, there is a thankful somewhere in there.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7. I'm thankful I was asked to be a co-host way back in August 2013. I took a brief hiatus in 2016 but came back to it and here I am. I have too many irons in the fire lately and haven't been a terrific host, but I try and am thankful for Clark, <a href="https://prolificpulse.blog/">Lisa</a>, Kristi, <a href="https://aseasonandatime.blogspot.com/">Pat</a>, and <a href="https://messymimismeanderings.blogspot.com/">Mimi</a> for picking up the slack when I am a great big slacker.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsZ7EmxhexLaEGrsfQZpkGRjyUZHNoiqLAsnHqP05Ezpp0LA2qSAy3F2sqCKjCPUkI8XUnbo6l8b4DsuW2IkVPg3sv63fyFy8yAlczdhQjfqKeN3onyKf5N0eRon5oxi4DGoeuvrfso_GK1C4yIFvqgQDfoP1tZrvojwZi93dXAtDdFUDeWbcKk31/s2576/IMG_3890%20(1).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1932" data-original-width="2576" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsZ7EmxhexLaEGrsfQZpkGRjyUZHNoiqLAsnHqP05Ezpp0LA2qSAy3F2sqCKjCPUkI8XUnbo6l8b4DsuW2IkVPg3sv63fyFy8yAlczdhQjfqKeN3onyKf5N0eRon5oxi4DGoeuvrfso_GK1C4yIFvqgQDfoP1tZrvojwZi93dXAtDdFUDeWbcKk31/s320/IMG_3890%20(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Kristi of Thankful Me in Branson, MO</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>8. Then there's Facebook. Maybe we haven't met in real life. Maybe we don't call or text each other (unless you count being butt dialed by Lisa Listwa), but our blog friendships have also spilled over onto the pages of Facebook where we can continue to share in each other's lives even without the blogs (still miss those, though, if I may reiterate that). </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9. I know I've left individual people unnamed that I shouldn't have, and if it's you, I'M SO SORRY. You are awesome and I'm honored to call you my friend and co-blogger!<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10. The traditional tenth anniversary gift is aluminum, which isn't very exciting, but here's to ten, my bloggy friends!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6lDx5iC4r7m6StqSuH3Zx8hWTPvHe8ZyF58uQMH2VsJxo9RtixHJjIbANyfQ9gjSS8MWl1ZSVsGAadwfWghl5dgmY97trxSJY1NQrofF1nUwSuIdDfopt-Ez9SZD5BcXoSisSZwmP3nJ0CjaPh0vTFYRZY1VQNL5c6QfmF8h2o8CkBoGnogAtXgLV/s2500/aluminum-foil.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1407" data-original-width="2500" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6lDx5iC4r7m6StqSuH3Zx8hWTPvHe8ZyF58uQMH2VsJxo9RtixHJjIbANyfQ9gjSS8MWl1ZSVsGAadwfWghl5dgmY97trxSJY1NQrofF1nUwSuIdDfopt-Ez9SZD5BcXoSisSZwmP3nJ0CjaPh0vTFYRZY1VQNL5c6QfmF8h2o8CkBoGnogAtXgLV/s320/aluminum-foil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="inlinkz-widget" data-uuid="262e6eb8158d4e03a4f73bb3de343793" style="background-color: #eceff1; border-radius: 7px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 30px 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div style="padding: 8px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><br />You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz</strong> link party!</p><a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/262e6eb8158d4e03a4f73bb3de343793" rel="nofollow" style="background: rgb(32, 156, 238); border-radius: 4px; color: #efefef; padding: 5px 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to enter</a></div></div><span style="display: none;"><script async="true" src="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef"></script></span><!--ends InLinkz code-->Dyanne @ I Want Backsieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946323852124525597noreply@blogger.com6