It's been awhile

A catch up of happy moments and not-so-happy moments. . .

Every Thursday, there are 8 tiny, clear plastic cups filled with fluoride delivered to my room. Parents pay a small amount to have their child swish fluoride every week, due to well water lacking in that. After they swish it around for i minute, i say "spit" and the students spit into the cup and wipe their mouth with a napkin and then put the napkin into the cup and put the cup into a clear plastic bag held by me. The sound of 8 students spitting is rather disgusting and sometimes (depending on the flavor) the smell is very fetid like. Anyway, i have one student named Emma (one of my favorites. . . i know i am not supposed to have favorites, but occasionally i do) hates to hear or be by the students when it is time to spit the colorful spitty liquid into the see through cups, so she stays as close to me, the bag-holder, as possible. As soon as i say"spit" she quickly and with great gusto spits into the cup, throws the cup into the bag and runs far away from the other spitters, who, for some reason, take their sweet time spitting and throwing the cup away. There is always great talk about the flavor of the fluoride at this point. Last Thursday, Emma was doing her normal standing close to me, ready to project the grape flavored fluoride into the cup at even the hint of the word "spit." I said "spit" and she forcefully spit and got ready to run. . . only she aimed for her empty hand instead of the cup and sprayed grape spitty fluoride all over my shirt, my pants, the carpet, and of course, her hand. We were laughing so hard i almost started to cry. She was absolutely devastated. The look of horror on her face is something i will never forget.

The happy goat that i like to look at was standing atop a narrow stump the other day. I made sure no one was behind me, stopped the car and laughed till i cried. The stump was as tall as the little black pygmy goat. I want one.

I haven't been on in awhile because i have been busy, but also our hard drive completely went kaput. Luckily we have a back up hard drive that TJ occasionally saves all our stuff too, but it takes awhile to reinstall crap and he has also been busy.

I stayed with my good friend/ sister-in-law this weekend in G.R. It was wonderful to spend time with her, but was under very crappy circumstances. My mind has definitely been else where since then.

Next weekend i am visiting my granna, aunt and uncle, and TJ's family. It is gail's birthday on Friday. I cannot wait to see granna. I miss her. I cannot help but think how many more times i am going to be able to visit her and hear her little giggle. The weekend is going to be very strange, happy, uncomfortable, celebratory, and a little tense. How emotional.

Well, i guess this is enough for now. So much more, but i will ease you in.

Texas Sheet Cake

I shouldn't have gone into work today, but i did. I was sitting there reading out loud thinking "i really shouldn't be here. Why did i come?" And then, i remembered why. I didn't have the energy last night to come in and make lesson plans. I made it though. I feel better tonight than i did last night.

Tomorrow night i am going to be out and about and i need to bring in a dessert and salad for Friday's treat day. So, i made a Texas Sheet (Shit, as my oldest brother calls it) Cake. I don't know if you have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to sink your teeth into a Texas Sheet Cake made by my mom or myself, but if you have then you know what i am talking about. I am salivating just typing about it.

I remember making my first one completely by myself at my aunt carol's house. I had to smuggle the recipe out of my mom's house and take it to my aunt's, after we stopped at the store for the ingredients. I was making my first Texas Sheet Cake for my mom's birthday. I had helped my mom make it many times, but i was never the one in charge. It was at this time that i discovered how easy it is to burn cocoa and butter. You really can't leave it on the stove alone for a second . My mom loved the cake because finally she could enjoy one without having to make it or clean up after making it.

I just want to dive into this one that i made tonight, but my frosting looks perfectly glisteny and delicious. I don't dare try a bite because that will lead to more "bites". Yummmmm

I am home. . .

sick. Sunday night i started getting swollen glands and a bad sore throat and chills. Conferences yesterday were terrible because of how i felt. I went to urgent care during lunch to make sure it wasn't strep and bought sherbet at the store on my way back. I am glad that it didn't hurt to talk to all those parents. It just hurts to swallow and turn my head. Today i stayed home and slept till 11. Then slept again from 12-3. My throat still hurts, and if i don't keep the Tylenol in me i get super bad chills. What a year. I had one parent yesterday ask me how my health was because i had missed so much school. I wasn't about to tell her that i am trying to get pregnant and had some complications with it. Oh well. That is what is up with me. I am going to lay back down because i have to go to school tomorrow. I need to rest up while i can.

Magnificent Muffin

After finishing up taxes, we went to Famous Dave's while we were out and about running errands. I got a Corn Bread muffin to go. I am so excited to devour this magnificent muffin. a tiny bit crispy on the outside and delicious on the inside, with just a dollop of butter. . . real butter. I am saving it for a special time. I am not sure when yet, but i am looking forward to it.


Montague is an awesome small community. TJ and i went to a silent auction and spaghetti dinner where 800 people showed up to raise close to 20,000 dollars for a friend's family. I got emotional as i looked around the huge cafeteria at all the people. TJ and i won some good things at the silent auction. Hip, hip hooray!

Parent conferences are tomorrow. . . all day until 8:40. I am going to die. Besides that, it should be a good day.

The little goat made my day

On my drive home, there is a place near my house that just put up a horse fence last summer. The horses are alright, but what i yearn for every day is to see their goat in a separate, littler pen. You see, the little goat makes my day happy. I can only recall one time when i past the goat that i said to myself "this day is so crappy, that the little goat is not even going to be able to make me smile" He did. He continues to. He is not out there every day (which is good because i don't think i could emotionally handle all the goodness. . . i would be constantly wetting myself with joy) As i drove and saw the fence, i thought "oh, i hope he is out today. That would make a perfect day perfecter." And there he was. His black/gray body with his stubby stout legs. It just cracks me up. God sure created some bizarre looking creatures. Maybe he created that very goat just for me. Selfish thought, but i kind of like it.

Merry Chirstmas

On Saturday, i was busy making loopies and TJ was playing on his laptop. All of a sudden we hear someone shout "Merry Christmas" on our porch and knock on the window. We had someone knock on our window last Saturday, too. I guess we should start turning on some outside lights. Anyway, TJ bolted out there to find a fake Christmas tree and two wrapped presents. He immediately grabbed his boots and keys and was planning on going after the group of teens. I, of course, was panicked and didn't know what he was going to do when he got to them. But, that didn't matter because TJ got stuck in our driveway. He was able to follow all the foot prints in the fresh snow to a house. We know where they live.

We were thinking that next Saturday we would leave a thank you note for the presents and maybe some hot cocoa. The presents were wrapped in Christmas paper and the tag read "to your family from David Moore" I didn't want TJ to open them, for fear that they had wrapped up their own poo or something. The tree was picked up by the garbage people and the presents were too.

At first, i couldn't believe that a group of teens would spend their Saturday night putting together a fake Christmas tree, finding Christmas wrapping paper, and wrapping up two boxes complete with a tag. Then i remembered growing up with my brothers, and it seemed very believable all of a sudden. I could totally see my brothers doing that. It wasn't a harmful prank, just goofy. If i was home alone, though, it may have been harmful. My heart was beating so fast as it was, i might have died if i was alone.

Merry Christmas!

A Wonderfully 'Normal' Weekend

So far, i have had such a wonderful, normal weekend. I have not had to sit with my feet up, had intense cramps, had to play catch up, nor vomited. It has been wonderful. On Friday, i was driving home from school, totally exhausted. I had given it my all this week by staying late and staying on my feet all day and all week. March is Reading month, you know. Schools go crazy, and as a classroom teacher, i am expected to go crazy. I like to get the kids all excited about reading, but i kind of do that all year. Anyway, this year's theme is "catch the reading wave.' So, i have been hanging student made fish from our ceiling , hanging streamers in waves, covering wall and doors with paper and kid made decorations. I was so tired by the time i left, i didn't even notice how tired i was until i sat down in my car. I wanted to cry.

Friday night we went to a birthday celebration for the two greatest Ryans ever. We were celebrating a Ryan that was born three years ago on leap year. And an adult Ryan came to the shindig expecting to only be celebrating little Ryan's birthday. Little did he know it was a celebration of his birthday too. His family was there to greet him. It was so refreshing to see everyone and to all be together again with friends. It was insane how many kids under the age of three were there. I think i counted 8, or was it ten. It was kind of hard when every one was coming in and getting settled and seeing all the babies, but it got easier and i was definitely able to enjoy the company. After most people left and the kids went to bed, we sat and chatted for awhile and before i knew it, it was 11:30. Way past my bedtime for a Friday night. Last Friday, i was sleeping by 7, but last Friday night sucked. I should just forget about it.

Today, it was great because TJ and i ran errands like we used to. We cleaned part of the house first, then went to Olive Garden for soup and salad and then went here and there. I made 6 Loopies by Lindsey today. I was completely out. One of my good friend's mom has cancer again. The community in Montague is having a spaghetti dinner and silent auction for her and her family. She is not only my friend's mom, but a bus driver for our district. She has also had to take custody of her three grandchildren and raise them as her own kids. I have had one as a student. Anyway, my grade level is doing a ducky theme baby basket for the auction, so i made a big Loopie by Lindsey and tomorrow i am making a card (with ducks of course). Hopefully the basket will raise some money.

I am tired and i am going to church tomorrow, so i better get to sleep. Good night.