Sunday, September 13, 2015

Thankful for Preschool and Diners And Other Stuff But Not Webworms

Nothing like waiting until nearly the Zero Hour to post my Ten Things of Thankful, but I'm having trouble getting them down. I have a cold, a little birthday gift from my daughter, and I feel crappy. Volleyball has not been a good experience, and when my child is hurt, especially by an adult, then it hurts me, too. The weekend has gone by too quickly, and I haven't gotten any good sleep. Whine, whine, whine. Sucking it up now and writing my thankfuls:

1. For a short week, it was reallllly long! It was the first week of preschool, which means two First Days of school, one for my Primary class (three year olds who will turn four over the course of the year) and one for my Pre-K class (fours turning five). The first week is exhausting, but it's so fun to see those excited little faces come to their first day of preschool! And all went well, meaning no one cried and no one wet their pants, so there's a thankful.


MY first day of school pic

2. It rained on Tuesday, the first day for Primary, which is a TRAGEDY, because not only do those kiddos WANT to go out and play on the playground, they NEED to go out. And their TEACHERS need them to go out, too! But you know how it sometimes says "scattered showers" on the weather forecast? I looked out the door of my classroom, where I could see out the glass entryway to the playground side of the building, and rain was falling like crazy. Looked out the windows in my room, which are on the opposite side of the building from the entryway, and not a drop was falling from the sky. That was pretty cool, and my kids thought so as well, when I showed them.

3. In spite of the scattered showers we received, the playground stayed reasonably dry, thanks to the two GINORMOUS sweet gum trees that grow there. The trees sheltered most of the playground from the rainfall, so we were still able to go outside and play. Thank you, sweet gum trees, even though you are currently harboring your share of the web worm infestation that has come to the area and it's really creepy to see those webby nests of what I know are nasty little caterpillars in your branches. (On Friday, at recess, one of those little fuckers fell out of his nest and was crawling on the back of my shirt, which is NOT a thankful, but one of the other teachers saw it and picked it off of me and I never had to deal with it.)


Ewwww - gross!

4. I haven't had a decent raincoat in years, especially for warm weather. I have one with a fuzzy lining that I wear when it's cold (and which is Barney purple and I HATE it - what was I THINKING when I picked that color?!), but I would perish in it when it's 90 degrees and raining, so a few weeks ago, I finally bought a thin one at Eddie Bauer that can be stuffed into its own pocket for travel convenience. Since I had to go to the grocery store after school (right about the time the rain went from "scattered" to "downpour"), I made good use of it, although I will tell you that, even though it is a wonderful convenience for traveling, it is a bad, BAD idea to STORE said raincoat in its own pocket, as it came out looking like a wadded up kleenex, but as long as it did its job (which it did), then I was able to overlook the wrinkles.

5. I had to renew my driver's license, and while there is more to this story that I will tell later, I got it done before the rain wreaked havoc on my hair. 

6. Wednesday was the first day of Pre-K. We had a birthday, and the birthday boy (whom I loved even before this happened) brought doughnuts for his birthday snack. And not just ANY doughnuts, but Dude's Doughnuts, a local delicacy.

7. I painted hands for a craft in my Primary class the first week of school and lived to tell about it.


The first of many painted hands this year.



It's a frog, okay? A FROG.

8. My daughter was officially asked to the homecoming dance this week by the boy she is currently Talking to. (This is the second step in teen relationships, the first one being texting and snap chatting, then Talking, then dating.) 

9. While relatively nothing volleyball related has been good lately, my husband and I did find a fabulous restaurant when we drove to Springfield to watch a volleyball tournament on Saturday. We went there for breakfast, before the tournament started, and if we had had time, we probably would have gone back for lunch and dinner as well. From the outside, it was a place most people would have glanced at and kept on driving, but thanks to the reviews on Trip Advisor, we went there ON PURPOSE, and were we ever glad! It's on a portion of old Route 66 that has not been renovated or made hip and trendy, and has been a diner in one incarnation or another since the 1920s. Come visit me and I'll take you there!


Almond encrusted French toast with raspberry drizzle,
homemade sausage, and biscuits and gravy.
In the background is my husband's omelette
(ick - I hate eggs and upgraded mine to the B&G)
and coffee (double ick)

10. After many hours of searching, we found a homecoming dress. That's a thankful in its own right, but here's the big one: it only cost $24.15. BAM!

It's the start of a new week; hopefully, the thankfuls will be so bountiful that I will have to pick only the highlights of the week!

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Thursday, September 10, 2015

Perfect: A Six Sentence Story


It was a silly conversation, really, one they had shortly after they were married as they were lying in a tangle of sheets, her head upon his chest as he lightly stroked her hair, and as their breathing slowed and their hearts returned to a normal rhythm from the heights both had reached earlier, they talked about everything and nothing.

"It would be the perfect murder," he said, laughing, after explaining his imaginary plan, "and no one would be the wiser."

"Goodness gracious," she exclaimed, drawing back slightly and looking into his face, "It's a good thing I know you well enough to know you wouldn't harm a fly!" She laid her head back on his chest and pressed her body against his as he resumed the gentle stroking of her hair until his fingers slowed and he fell asleep.

While she never dwelt on it, the memory of that long ago night flashed across her mind occasionally, and when it did, it brought a secret smile to her lips.

He was correct; it WAS perfect, and no one was the wiser.



Linking up with Ivy at Uncharted for Six Sentence Stories with the prompt "perfect."

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Ten Things of Thankful: The Birthday Edition

It's my birthday, it's my special, special daaaaay!


My 5th birthday. Picture another 50 candles....


Can there BE a better reason to list Ten Things of Thankful?

I'm okay with getting older, because it means I'm not dead, even though my family has already picked out my epitaph:




Except for my neck, I'm pretty okay with how I look.

I still feel 11 inside.

I have some pretty great friends, both in real life and in the blog world. I've received Facebook messages, emails, texts, and voice mails (including a singing one from my Person and her daughter) wishing me a happy birthday. I feel loved.

My mom still calls me on my birthday every year to tell me how miserable it was to deliver a 10 lb. baby.

I got a haircut for my birthday (thanks, Darlynda), and I really like it. This leads me to...

...avoiding 1661 Sydrome. I read about it somewhere, but I can't find the site to cite it (tee hee). Basically, it's when a woman looks 16 from the back (long hair, short skirt, tight jeans), but when she turns around, she's actually more like 61 from the front. While I still insist I am in NO WAY ready to wear Alfred Dunner, I am thankful I realize that the best way to age gracefully requires making a few changes in the ol' beauty regimen.

Dollar Store reading glasses. They work, they're not hideous, and THEY'RE ONE DOLLAR!

A birthday that often lands on Labor Day weekend (I was actually born ON Labor Day). THREE DAY WEEKEND, BABY!

Spending a lazy weekend with my husband and kids at my favorite place for such a weekend, the lake house.

Be thankful always.


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Thursday, September 3, 2015

Content: A Six Sentence Story



For Christine, because I killed her in last week's Six Sentence Story:

Breakfast made, lunches packed,
Chickens fed, dishes stacked.

Kids dropped off, errands run,
Groceries bought, laundry done.

Kitchen cleaned and for a bit,
She is now content to s--zzzzzzzzzzzz....



Linking up with Ivy at Uncharted for Six Sentence Stories with the prompt "content."


Saturday, August 29, 2015

Back To Work, Back To Fall Sports, Thankfully

I went back to work this week, and even though I really think God intended me to be a lady of leisure, whiling away my days reading and writing and baking cookies and pies and stuff, my husband thinks otherwise. So while Ruby is missing me terribly, it's back to the salt mines for me (do they have snacks and recess and hugs from preschoolers in salt mines?). How about I give you my Ten Things of Thankful for the week?

1. I work with a great bunch of women, so if I HAVE to work, at least it's with people I like!

2. I could not ask for two better assistant teachers. There are what seems to be a million things that need to be done in order to get the room ready for students, and about 999,999 of them wouldn't get done without the two of them. 


I spent HOURS making frogs to go on birthday party
blowers so it would look like the frog was sticking
its tongue out. HOURS. HOURS AND HOURS.
This was the one thing I did by myself....

3. My Primary class changed rooms this year, and I'm THRILLED! The new room is much smaller than my old one, but it's next door to my Pre-K room; no more trips up and down the hall between the Pre-K room and the Primary room to get supplies or books or whatever else I forgot or needed. I'm thankful, and so are my feet!

4. In spite of many recent bat sightings in our building, I didn't have a single one all week. No lizards, either.

5. I pulled a bookshelf out in my new-to-me room so I could vacuum behind it, and what I thought was a bean from a sensory table kept trying to crawl away from the suction of the vacuum cleaner. I used my college degree to deduce that that was no bean, IT WAS A SPIDER, a BIG one, but as long as it stayed near the baseboard, the vacuum couldn't pick it up, so QUICK THINKER THAT I AM, I picked up a nearby hammer (yes, a hammer) that I had been using to fix said bookshelf and, well, I won't have to worry about THAT spider any more. (Before anyone gets all self-righteous about Living Things, I would like to point out that this was a brown recluse spider AND THEY ARE VERY, VERY VENOMOUS.)

6. Volleyball started this week. I won't say I'm thrilled with the amount of playing time my daughter is getting, because she deserves better, but it's still a joy to watch her and her team work together, win or lose (they did one of each this week).




7. My daughter is a pretty tough cookie, but she was upset about Tuesday night's game, and afterwards, one of her coaches, who is not ordinarily a touchy-feely kind of person, took one look at her face and wrapped her arms around her in a big hug, speaking kind words to her and helping take the edge off of a bad night.

8. It's Friday Night Lights time again! Our first home football game was this weekend, the weather was perfect, neither too hot nor too cold, the stands were full, I had a delightful evening with my fellow bleacher buddies, and the evening ended with a Joplin Eagles WIN.




9. One of our best football players and a good friend of my daughter's was injured during the game. It happened on the far side of the field, in front of the visitor's stands, and it took us awhile to figure out who was hurt. The trainers, coaches and the two orthopedic surgeons who are at the games were out on the field with the player, which didn't look good, but when they sent for his mom to come out, we knew it was potentially serious (a sweet note: as Joe's mom came out of the stands and started walking out onto the field, one of our players left the sideline and went over to her and accompanied her - my heart!). He was loaded onto a stretcher and Gatored over to an ambulance. The rumor mill, aka the student section, had his leg practically severed below the knee, but the good news is it ended up being a Grade 2 sprain (I have no idea what that means), and he will be out for a few weeks but should be as good as new after that. 

10. There is an awesome buy one/get one free coupon for one of our favorite* frozen custard places in town that is printed on the football programs,** so my husband and I went there after the game and had a little treat. 

*There are three frozen custard stands in town, and any one of them could be our favorite at any given time, although we're particularly partial to whichever one is offering buy one/get one free coupons.

**I may or may not have dug around in a trash can to get more coupons.

How did your week shape up? Do any dumpster diving? Kill anything with a hammer? Join us in the Ten Things of Thankful by linking your post up below.




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Thursday, August 27, 2015

Project: A Six Sentence Story



Christine never expected to meet anyone while sitting alone, sipping her coffee, at the lunch counter at the drug store near her office, let alone someone as handsome and dashing as Clark, and she certainly never expected their relationship to progress at such a rapid pace; within only a few weeks, they had gone from eating lunch together, sitting at the very lunch counter where they met, to having elegant dinners at some of the finest restaurants in the city, and each time Christine stole a look at him as they dined, she noticed how his dark hair curled just a little where it touched his collar (something she found very endearing) and watched his finely boned hands as he delicately and precisely cut his steak, and she marveled that he wanted to be with her, ordinary Christine, the girl who moved to the city alone mere months before.

They had just finished having dinner at the Starlight Room, with its red leather booths and discreet wait staff, when he took her hand across the table, stroking it lightly with his thumb as he said, "I bought a new piece of art, a small sculpture, that was delivered today, and I would be so pleased to show it to you, if you would agree to stop by my home with me before I see you to yours." 

"Yes," she whispered, and Clark ushered her out of the restaurant and into a cab, pulling up a few moments later in front of a large apartment building with a liveried doorman who greeted them with a solemn nod. Once inside his apartment, Christine tried not to show how impressed she was with its opulence as he led her into the drawing room and stopped in front of the new sculpture; she admired the piece, hoping she was making the right sort of comments, as she really knew nothing about such things, when she noticed a door with a heavy lock on it that was tucked away beside the bookcase, nearly hidden from view.

He followed her eyes to the door, smiling a smile that didn't reach his eyes as he said hoarsely, "That's my project room," and a flicker in his dark eyes, the twitching of a muscle in his cheek, and the barely visible beads of sweat forming on his upper lip as he firmly pulled her to him gripped her with fear. "What have I done?" she thought to herself just before he slipped a cloth over her nose and mouth, and she caught only a glimpse of the evil deep in his soul as she slipped away into oblivion to the sound of a key turning in a lock.



Linking up with Ivy at Uncharted for Six Sentence Stories with the prompt "project."


Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Best Daddy/Daughter Date Day EVER

My fairy godmother was looking out for me last week when my dad and I decided to go to the Missouri State Fair. Usually, temperatures in Missouri are in the 90s and the humidity high during fair time, but some delightful alignment of the stars (or the jet stream) brought a cool front to the area, making for perfect weather to go to the fair.

Our plan was for me to drive to my parents' house, an hour north of me, arriving by 7 a.m., then my dad and I would jump in the car and head for Sedalia, home of the Missouri State Fair and a good two hour drive away, arriving at the fairgrounds around 9 a.m. or shortly thereafter, just as the gates opened.

I did my part. I got up before dawn, showered, tossed a change of clothes and shoes into a bag for just in case, and took off. Did I let the fact that my brake light was on the entire way deter me? Nope. Hoping I had no reason to stop suddenly, I cruised along past soybean and corn fields, the rain I started out in tapering off and leaving mostly cloudy skies. When I got to my parents' house and went inside, they were in the kitchen, my dad reading the paper and eating grapes out of a big bowl, my mom pouring orange juice. I was anxious to hit the road, but my dad kept reading and eating grapes. Then my mom reached in a cabinet and pulled out a box of Cream of Wheat. 

"I'm just fixing your daddy some Cream of Wheat," my mom said, shaking cereal into a bowl, adding water from the faucet and putting it into the microwave.

"I thought we were leaving at 7:00," I said, to which my dad said, "We didn't think you'd really be here that early."

The microwave dinged and my mom took the bowl out to stir it, only to find it was a big, gluey glob. She added more water, stirred some more, added a little more water, then said, "I have trouble getting it the right consistency sometimes."

"Measuring it usually works pretty good for me," I said.

"I used to do that, but it's quicker just to eyeball it," she said, and I decided to let it go and not point out that her method wasn't exactly efficient. Eventually, the Cream of Wheat was cooked AND the right consistency, my dad ate it, and we were finally off by 7:45.

It was a pleasant drive through farmland and tiny little towns, some of which were mere crossroads; the rain moved out of the area, and we arrived at the fairgrounds a little after 10:00. Now, here's a real perk of going somewhere with my parents, especially to a place with lots of people and parking is a nightmare: they have handicapped permits; we got to cruise right on up and park just a few rows from the front gate. Suh-weeeeet! I put on a hoodie and my dad put on a light jacket (remember the unusually cool temperatures?), then my dad took the cane out that I made my mom make him bring. He looked at it a minute, then put it back in the car, saying, "I don't think I'll need this."

"Uhhh," I said, but I let him leave it in the car, and we walked (very slowly) to the gate and went into the fairgrounds.

Arriving at the fairgrounds. We. Are. Freezing.

There were only two things I really wanted to do while there (I had checked the schedule of events online the day before): I wanted to see the pig races and I wanted to go to a presentation called "Aprons And Their Uses," because I could only come up with two - to protect your clothes and to use to gather eggs. My dad wanted to eat pineapple whip and see a little bit of everything (except the midway, as neither of us cared about that, although my dad remembered that when he was a kid they had sideshows that he wasn't allowed to go in and he would have LIKED to do that, but I told him I was pretty sure those were a thing of the past). Note: the only other thing he mentioned wanting to see was the antique tractor pull, but as he had to EAT A BOWL OF CREAM OF WHEAT before we could leave the house, we didn't get there in time for that.

We walked inside nearly every building and looked at exhibits. We watched rabbit judging (we were disappointed to have missed the chickens, but they left the day before to make way for the rabbits). We saw the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion steers. We saw dairy cows, which my dad loves because he was raised on a dairy farm, but these dairy cows were assholes and wouldn't let him scratch them behind the ears like the ones he grew up with always did. We saw the Budweiser Clydesdales. WE SAW PIG RACES. We watched a tractor parade. We shared a barbecue pork sandwich. We ate pineapple whip, which we both agreed was okay but wasn't as good as we remembered it.

Baked goods entries.


Fair Queen sighting!

Rabbit judging.

Grand Champion steer

Talking corn.

Mmmm. Pineapple whip.

Big horse, big picture.


This is Donnie. While all the other Clydesdales were standing in their stalls,
Donnie apparently had tied one on last night and needed a nap.


Tractor parade.

Trying to pet the Jersey cows, who were little jerks.


Passed Donnie later and saw that he had finally
decided to get up and at 'em.

And we watched a presentation about aprons*. 

We were both pretty tired by the time we were ready to leave, but my dad's tail was really dragging (and at 80, it's no wonder). In the four years since his retirement from the farm supply store, he hasn't walked much further than from his recliner to the refrigerator, and we walked and walked and walked (slowly, but still). He wobbled a couple of times, but he never fell, even without the cane. In spite of the cloud cover, though, he did manage to sunburn his face pretty good; we thought he just had a wind burn, as there was a brisk wind blowing out of the north all day, but we thought wrong (he has been doctoring himself by putting Preparation H ointment on his face to soothe it...). 

Best Daddy/Daughter Date Day EVER.

Waiting for the apron presentation to begin.
*About the apron presentation. It was held in the Women's Building, on a small stage with park benches for seating. We got there just a couple of minutes before it started, and the way the benches were arranged, plus the fact that only about ten other people were there to watch with us, we realized we were pretty much stuck there for the whole 30 minute presentation, whether we liked it or not. The presentation was done by a woman in her late 60s and consisted of her pulling apron after apron out of a large suitcase, almost all of which she had gotten at yard sales or were gifts from people who found them at yard sales, and holding them up for us to see, She talked about the pretty fabric, she told us that many of them were embellished with rickrack and pointed it out every single time an apron did, indeed, have rickrack on it, and she told us almost all aprons have pockets. She told us some aprons were made from feed sacks, but she knew nothing about the history of the feed sacks themselves. Not only had she done the apron presentation several times at the fair, she also went around to church groups and clubs and such and did the presentation, only THERE, she also played and sang songs that she felt went with the aprons she was sharing. For example, she kept a baggie with some flour in it in the pocket of one apron (remember, MOST aprons have pockets) and would then sing "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake." And after thirty minutes of watching her pull aprons out of the suitcase and pointing out of the obvious, the presentation was over and SHE NEVER TOLD US ABOUT THE USES OF AN APRON.

Apron show and tell. Check out the size of that suitcase!