Friday, September 26, 2014

It's Fall and Other Thankful Stuff

At the risk of sounding whiny, I'm still exhausted this week, and the bone aches, especially in my legs, are keeping me from sleeping well. I can't hide that they hurt when I walk, especially after getting out of the car, and it makes me walk like Chester from Gunsmoke until I loosen up a bit. I HAAAAAAATE feeling like this. 

Whining session over. Time for my Ten Things of Thankful.

1. Today is Thursday. And this week, Thursday is my Friday, because there is no school on Friday. 

2. It's fall! It's fall! It's fall! 


THIS IS ONE MUM, PEOPLE!

3. We hosted the jv volleyball team for a pasta night this week, and it forced me to do some long-overdue deep cleaning of the house. I scrubbed and dusted and vacuumed, and the end result is a shiny clean house. Now, if it would only stay that way....

4. After I got the house clean, I got out the fall decorations. I like having the house decorated for fall even more than I do for Christmas. Maybe because my house is largely decorated in fall colors? When the house was all clean and decorated, I sat, all alone, in the family room, enjoying the oranges and browns and reds and yellows in the lamplight and froze a picture of it in my mind. Then, knowing the limitations of said mind, I snapped a couple of pictures on my phone to refer to when it's time to decorate again next year.

5. I made some pretty amazing lasagna for pasta night. I only make it once a year, at the most, because lasagna is such a pain in the ass to make, but this recipe from a friend who used to be a caterer is worth it. I doubled the recipe, so we have some for the freezer and some for our tummies.




6. No bats OR lizards in the building this week at preschool. That I know about, anyway.

7. A visit to Fredrickson Farms Pumpkin Patch rendered me three of the most ginormous chrysanthemums I've ever seen in my life. I had to drive with one in the passenger seat and two in the backseat to fit them in the car. AND THEY WERE ONLY $12 EACH!





8. I kind of forgot that they didn't take credit cards at Fredrickson's, and I, of course, didn't have cash with me, and I quit carrying around my checkbooks years ago. I felt like an idiot, but dear, sweet Farmer Tami let me take the mums home, telling me I could take care of it later. HOW MANY BUSINESSES LET YOU DO THAT? It doesn't hurt that I had her daughter in pre-k several years ago, but still. Live near the Joplin area? THEN GO BUY STUFF FROM FREDRICKSON FARMS!

9. It was "C" week in pre-k, and we did several "C"-related activities. Last year, one of the teachers saw on Pinterest that you could put a bar of Ivory soap in the microwave for a few minutes, and it would billow and grow into a big, fluffy soap cloud, and we tried it, and it was cool. We were pressed for time this week to get everything done we wanted to get done during "C" week (no school on Friday, 'member?) and had to squeeze the Ivory soap cloud experiment in near the very end of the day. I showed the unwrapped bar of soap to the class (nothing up my sleeve), after which my assistant teacher put it in the microwave, asking me how long to leave it in there. I had no idea, not able to remember from last year. She said she would set it for five minutes. At one point, she said it was growing, but she couldn't remember how big it would get before it was done. And then, very shortly after this announcement, she let out a yelp, pulled the paper plate with the soap on it out of the microwave, where it had not only gotten puffy and cloud-like, but also had smoke rolling out of it. With a trail of thick, soapy smelling smoke following her, she ran out of the room, down the stairs and out the doors, carrying the soap with her, and threw it in the dumpster. There are probably several thankfuls here, including, but not limited to, thankful that there were no actual flames billowing out, that the dumpster didn't catch on fire, that the smoke didn't set off the smoke alarms, and that we didn't asphyxiate from the smell of burned soap. I told the kids we'd try it again next week. Stay tuned.


What it's kind of supposed to look like.
Imagine this, but with smoke
billowing out of it.

10. I had the hiccups tonight during my daughter's volleyball game. I rarely get them, and when I do, they make me feel stupid. I was sitting at the game with a friend, and she said when you have the hiccups, it means someone is thinking about you, which is a pretty sweet sentiment. They still made me feel stupid, but wondering who might be thinking about me RIGHT THEN kind of took my mind off the hiccups (and the fact that our volleyball team was getting their clocks cleaned).

She played well, even without a win.



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38 comments:

  1. A very thankful week. Lovely large mums. The lasagna looks delish. Don't you love those 4 day weeks. Friday off is the best.

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    1. 4 day weeks are the best! Not sure if I'd rather have Mondays off or Fridays off, but I'll take either! And isn't that mum incredible?

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  2. The lasagna looks gorgeous!

    It's about time I cleaned my kitchen thoroughly...

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    1. Thanks! It tasted as good as it looked!

      I hate cleaning, but it sure looks nice when it's all done!

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  3. Hey, Dyanne, those Chrysanthemums look fab. And Tami was so sweet to let you have them first!! You're right, not many businesses trust customers and want to build relationships that way!

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    1. Tami is a peach! She also knows she can shake me down for the money when I go there with my preschool classes to visit the pumpkin patch :)

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  4. Ooohhh the lasagna looks delish and the mums! how exciting and nice that there are businesses that still do that! Also I can totally relate to the whining session. As a side note.. have you had your vitamin D level checked? I know our problems are probably different but I found it helps with the bone pain.

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    1. The lasagna WAS delish! And the mums are spectacular!

      I get bloodwork done every other month or so, and I'm not sure if checking vitamin D specifically is included or not. I'll have to ask. I take 1000 mg of calcium with vitamin D every day, plus another 10,000 IU of vitamin D every day. It's the Fosamax that's causing most of the problems - sure hope it's helping what it's supposed to be helping!

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  5. What a great farmer--referring both to her ability to grow huge mums, and to her reasonable prices and customer service!

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  6. Wow the Mums are gorgeous - I need to decorate for fall too...I love a clean house afterwards (who doesn't ) lasagna looks delicious - sorry about the hiccups - :) I was thinking about you ;)... sorry to hear about aches hope you feel better soon!
    :)

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    1. You should see all the mums together at the pumpkin patch! I am enjoying my clean, fall decorated house, wishing the clean would last until time to get the Christmas stuff out! It was YOU that was thinking about me?! Awww, thanks :)

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  7. You always make me miss my pre-school teaching days.
    What kind of hopped up mums are you people growing in Joplin!? Jiminy Cricket!

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    1. Did you ever have any unintentional fires when you taught preschool? I'm afraid this isn't my first....

      I don't know WHAT she uses on those mums. Unicorn poop? Powdered fairy wings? You should drive down to Joplin and get one!

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  8. Do I remember Farmer Tami from something to do with pumpkins and a trailer ride last year? She seems awesome, and the 'mums are GREAT!

    I love that you just SAT and NOTICED your house, all shiny clean and beautifully decorated. That's the kind of thing I do with the Christmas tree :) Lovely :)

    Hope your legbones stop hurting soon :/

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    1. Good memory! We visit Farmer Tami every fall with preschool to pick pumpkins and take a hay ride. She does a fabulous presentation to the kiddos about how pumpkins grow. She should be in theater!

      I do like to sit and admire Christmas when the house is decorated, but it's harder to sit still and enjoy it when there's always so much to DO during the Christmas season. No pressure during the fall.

      Me, toooooo!

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    2. I remember the video you had last time. It looked like fun :) Good for her for getting the kiddos engaged in it! That's awesome.

      Yes - I guess that's a silver lining for me - less to DO in the Christmas season here, for us, at any rate!

      Hoping your legs are better this side of the weekend.

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  9. Those mums are crazy big! And lasagna...yum. You do have a lot to be thankful for this week.

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    1. It's amazing how much thankful you can find in a week, isn't it?

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  10. Hiccups - when you get them, take your fingers and press them on the spot right under each of your ears. It suppresses hiccups. Truly. Try it - it works. It's an acupressure point that triggers your diaphragm to stop doing whatever it does to make you hiccup.

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    1. Okay, I'm going to try your hiccup cure next time I get them. I'll let you know how it works.

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  11. I haven't eaten yet tonight and that lasagna isn't helping :) I'm STARVING! Love the first pic of you hiding your ...... behind the bush :) Oops did I just say ....

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    1. I wish I could send you some of it! We have a whole one in the freezer.

      Perhaps a trim is in order.... ;)

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  12. so…that isn't a photo of a car full of ch…ch…chia Plants?

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  13. Your lasagna looks amazing! Hoorah for pasta, and house cleaning - and businesses that trust you to pay later - that must have been a great moment!

    As for fall, I think I'm coming around - looking forward to pumpkins soon. - Louise

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    1. I think there was 5 pounds of cheese in that lasagna, so of course it was good :)

      Fall is awesome. Pretty colors. Pumpkins. Cool but not cold weather. No gifts to buy :)

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  14. I WISH I lived near Fredricksons! Those mums are to die for and it sounds like the type of family business I would enjoy spending money at. I have a local place for mums and pumpkins that I hit up every year. Their quality and prices are great and we get our Christmas tree there as well. Fall is hands down my favorite time of year - the smells and flavors and colors are the best. As soon as the first chill is in the air I want to eat pasta and treats too - that lasagna looks amazeballs. Have a fab week, and keep us posted on those mums - I am curious to see the colors when they are in full bloom!

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    1. The Fredricksons are a wonderful little family! I wish you could come buy mums from them, too!
      I want to make soup and casseroles and bake bread and stuff as soon as fall starts! I get a little tired of doing that by the time winter really rolls around, but in the fall, I'm all about the cooking!
      I'll take a picture of the mums when they are in full bloom and post it for Wordless Wednesday.

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  15. Poor little Calvin has hiccups a lot, too, and he doesn't like it either. Always makes that mopy face while hiccing away. That lasagna indeed looks delicious. Maybe something to spoil the family with :-) Have a great week, Dyanne!

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    1. Tell Calvin that when he has the hiccups, someone is thinking about him. That will make him lose that mopey face! :)

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    2. I'll let him know :-) I definitely have to take a picture of the sweetest mopy-face I know!!!

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  16. Thanks for the reminder that I need to go buy some mums for my front planters! I have to admit that I haven't seen any quite that large at Home Depot. I wish I lived near Fredrickson's...I love business owners like that. It reminds me of the good old days when people trusted other people. I love lasagna and haven't made one in forever. Yours looks really good! I can't wait to hear about the next fluffy soap attempt. I'd be tempted to try that at home.

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    1. Drive up here, Sandy. You have plenty of free time ;)
      There are a zillion calories and over 5 pounds of cheeses in that lasagna, which is another reason I don't make it very often. Go big or go home.
      I'll let you know how the second soap cloud goes. Maybe we should take the microwave outside and plug it in with an extension cord, so if we have another fire, well....

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  17. That sounds like such a fun experiment! I hope I remember that one for when my son gets a little older. I love fall colors and decorations as well. The beautiful naturey look is priceless.

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    1. I found your comment in my spam folder! If you do the soap in the microwave thing, go for two minutes rather than five!

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  18. Your lasagna looks amazing! I'm thankful that my new baby slept 8 straight hours last night!

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    1. I wish I could send you that lasagna! We're getting pretty tired of all the lasagna around here, and that one's in the freezer for another day (or month).

      Yay for new babies that sleep through the night! My daughter was a champ at that!

      You know, you really, really should join our TToT and write a list and post it next week. No pressure.... :)

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