Ice scraper

After days of forgetting, i finally remembered to put my ice scraper back in my car. I guess i often remembered, but i was never at a place where i could do something about it. Teaching kids to subtract three digit numbers with two regroupings as the vision of my ice scraper entered my head was not a useful time. Nor was it when i was sitting in a dreadful meeting this morning or in the shower this morning. But, today as i was washing dishes, the image of my ice scraper came to me. I didn't want to stop to dry my hands only to get them wet again, so I told TJ "when i turn off the water, can you blurt out ice scraper for me?" He didn't need to. . .just the effort of saying ice scraper made me remember once the water was turned off. Finally, i can be at peace. What a day full of success. I hope you had a day that was as successful as mine.

Goodbye Grumpiness

Have you ever had one of those days of unexplained grumpiness? That describes my day (poor TJ) I think school is to blame, but i am not sure. I had such a wonderful day yesterday setting up my villages, sewing, reading, shopping for a table, and relaxing. Then today happened. I decided that i did not need to devote all day to school work, so i decided to go shopping. I think that made it worse. Because i had to eventually come home and get to work. Report cards are due this week, along with parent teacher conferences and only one day that has planning for me this week.

So, now i finally feel the grumpiness leaving me. Maybe it leaves when baby ellis kicks. Maybe it leaves when i relax with a good book, turn off most of the lights except for my lighted village. Maybe it leaves when i eat a dark chocolate drenched mint milano cookie. Maybe it leaves when i see TJ enjoying his hobby in the garage by working on the built in. Whatever made it leave, i am thankful for. I hope this week goes quickly.

Thank You, Granna

With some of my granna's inheritance money, i ordered a new dining room table, bench, and chairs today from Bells of Whitehall. I have been wanting a new table for years now. Our current table only seats four, leaves no room in the middle for food, and is badly dinged up. We are thankful for the table. When TJ and i first got married, our table was a card table. Then Sarah gave us this table and four chairs. It is still a sturdy table, just not very big.

Granna has bought us the crib for baby ellis, our entertainment center, and our dresser. Because of her, we have some beautiful furniture. This table is one that will be with us forever. . . and we got it for a real excellent price. We went for the bench, to save our paint job on the wall that is so close to the table. . . and we love the look of benches. . . they are hard to find. It is a custom order because they can not keep them in stock, so we could get it anywhere from 1 week to 6. I hope sooner than later. Now when we have company, we can actually all sit down. How exciting!!

Thank You, Granna!

Description:

42"W X 60"(W/2-16"LF)-92"

Additional Information:

Solid oak trestle table features an equalizing ball bearing metal glide leaf system which allows a single person to use. Also has self storage for both leaves. The bench also has additional storage.

Apple Juice

TJ just got back from meijer and found the greatest apple juice on earth. It is called Simply Apple. . . we get Simply Orange, but didn't know they had apple. It has no preservatives and no added water. . . just 100% pure pressed apples. And it is pasteurized. Yippee Skippie!!! It is yummy goodness, especially with crushed ice.

Stranded with a Perfectly Good Car

Friday, i had to race to north muskegon from work to get my flu shot and then race back up by work to meet my friends for scrapbooking. My appointment was at 4, and they actually took me ten minutes early. I was so excited because that meant that i would not be late to scrapbooking and dinner. I got into my car, my arm a little soar, and put the key in the ignition and it would not turn. The steering wheel was completely locked and the ignition was too. Now this is just a reminder that i am pregnant, so i have the patience of a pregnant person, i just got a shot in my arm, i was supposed to be somewhere, i don't have a cell phone, and i am sitting in a one year old car that is refusing to let me start it. I tried for a half hour trying to start my car, tilt my steering wheel, read my owner's manual, move the gear shifter, insert the key gently, harshly, upside down. No luck. Because i didn't even have heat, it was starting to get cold. I went back into the doctor's office, asked to borrow their phone, and i called my husband. I am not going to write how it ended. . . you might be able to find the ending on his blog.

The result of this? We both have brand new, first ever cell phones. Mine is pink. The people at verizon could not believe that we had never had one. I think we are one of the last people to get one. We will see if we both need to have one. We went in thinking only one phone, but you know how it goes. I will have greater peace of mind this winter.

We are Back

It has been a long three days. A lot of waiting. A lot of tears. A lot of hugs. A lot of small talk. It feels good to be back. I tried unpacking our luggage and the stuff from my granna'a apartment, but i am so out of energy. Friday, right after school, i have friends coming over for scrapbooking, which means tomorrow night i need to clean the house and go grocery shopping so that i have something to feed them. Then in less than a week, we will be back on the east side of the state for Thanksgiving. Busy. My school plans are so screwed up, but i am not going to worry about it tonight. I feel like it is 9 and it is only 6. I am going to have to go to bed early tonight.

Well, just wanted to check in. I am going to go now.

Granna

My dad called at 10:30 last night to let us know that Granna had passed away. I don't think it will really hit me until i get into town and see the rest of my family. Plans are up in the air as of now, and i just continue to sit at home and wait. My dad's birthday is Monday. . . i don't think it is going to be a good day for him. I'm not sure of jason's plans. i miss him greatly. I need to make sub plans, but i am not sure for what days yet.

I feel really bad for my dad and my aunt. I am sure they are exhausted, sad, and numb. Yuck. . .

My Granna

Today my Grandma turned 85. I call her granna because she hates the sound of granny and grandmother sounded too snobby to her. . .so Granna was invented. When i called, my aunt picked up the phone, which is not abnormal because she lives there most of the week. What was abnormal is that when my aunt held the phone up to my granna's ear so that i could wish her a happy birthday there was moaning and groaning coming from the other end. I can still hear that horrible repeated groan. My aunt was just told by the hospice nurse that my granna has about 48 hours left in her life. She cried when telling me, and i cry when writing about it.

I don't really know what to do. I want to visit and say goodbye, but i don't want to visit a dying, groaning granna and say goodbye for the last time. The last time i left her, which was a couple of weeks ago, she was with it. We hugged and kissed and i told her i loved her. She returned the sentiment and then i waved and said i will see her soon. That is a better way to say goodbye i think. Or am i just in denial? I don't have any terrible visions of my mom dying. . . it was so sudden. I know George does and he probably replays them over and over in his head, like i play over and over in my head the phone conversation when he told me my mom was gone. I have terrible memories of my grandpa trying to breathe before he passed away. The rasping sound of him trying to get air will stay with me forever. Now, i have the sound of my granna's groans. Will i have any regrets if i don't go say goodbye? She knows i love her. Would she be happier if i came and said goodbye? Would she be with it enough to know? Right now, i have a vision of the last time i saw her in my head. . .of her propped up in her bedroom surrounded by family photos, hooked up to oxygen, smiling and laughing and being so excited to meet baby ellis. I think that is how i want to remember her. Is that being selfish?

Staying Home

I got up, felt pretty miserable, but decided i needed to go into school. I really don't have sick days to use. . .i guess i do if i don't get put on bed rest or don't have a C section. Otherwise i am short on sick days. I didn't put any eye make-up on due to constant watering of my eyes. By the time i got to work, i felt terrible. I decided that with a lot of new stuff i was introducing, two meetings to go to, and recess duty that it would be better for me if i stayed home and was able to rest. The day at school was not going to be an easy one, like on Friday when i felt crappy. So, i might have just taken an unpaid day off, but i do feel rested and better. I ate TJ's homemade chicken noodle soup and drank a ton of juice. I slept a ton. In fact, i never really left the couch. Now, i am going to bed to get even more sleep. Wednesday is our doctor appointment. . . hopefully we can hear our little girl's heart beat!!

My Morning

So far, i got up and sat on the couch for an hour and a half with a caffeine free chai latte and a box of kleenex. This should be a fun day. My plans for getting a lot done are vanishing. I just want to get better and fast. I think now i will drink a huge glass of orange juice mixed with sprite (an Ellis thing, not a Michael thing) and sit on the couch for a little longer. I did manage to get a Pregnancy magazine read, but i really wanted to do laundry, clean, and get my schoolwork done. YIKES!

Nasty Cold

I have had a nasty cold for the last couple of days. . . almost didn't make it through school on Friday due to my throat and voice. I am trying to rest up this weekend, but as i look around i see so much i need to do. On Friday, i came right home from school and we went to GR to Babies R Us to register. That was so much fun. TJ was so helpful. Instead of saying "i don't know" he gave his opinion and helped immensely with the big stuff. He had already done a lot of reading/research on the stroller and car seat. It took a long time, and we kind of knew what big stuff we wanted already. It was things like bottles that was so overwhelming we just skipped it. There are so many kinds and we had no idea. We can update our registry online once we decide, and we want to register at Target too. They have the cutest classic pooh stuff and they are close to everyone. TJ got us a room at the new Marriott and we stayed the night. He got a room with a soaking tub, which is just what i needed after a long day on my feet. It felt wonderful. We woke up and headed to the Brandywine to eat the best breakfast food and to say hello to my brother, who appeared not to have to work there today. That kind of stunk.

I came home and took a nap. I feel pretty miserable. I hope Baby Ellis doesn't even know that i am sick. . .

Celebrating

After our ultrasound we planned on going out to eat to celebrate...if it was a boy we were going to New Holland Brewing Company (TJ suggested that knowing it was far away, but also being confident we were having a girl). If it was a girl we were going to go to 2 Tonys in Spring Lake. I had the tastiest Fettuccine Alfredo ever! Then we went to Target to buy a little newborn hat. :)

Check out the baby ellis blog for more details.

Money Well Spent

Our (mostly TJ's) life in the fall will be made easier by this purchase. . .

It blows OR sucks & shreds leaves.
You would not beleive the amount of leaves that have carpeted our lawn. It is so thick, the grass is completely buried. TJ would come home everyday and as he pulled into the driveway, would feel an overwhelmed feeling hit him.

Today, i am going to the mall and then i am going to come home and make loopies and clean the house. I have high hopes for my energy today!

Happy Saturday! I love being home.

Sleeping In

I slept in an hour today. Instead of 5:15, i got up at 6:15. It is becoming a Friday tradition for me. That means i got almost 10 hours of sleep last night. I have just been feeling so incredibly tired lately. I like Fridays, not just because it is the last day of the work week, but i am more relaxed with the kids. We have more fun, laugh more, and i am much more flexible.

I am so excited that we are staying home this weekend. I have quite a huge list of things i need to get done. My loopie basket is almost empty at school. I have mums to plant and ornamental grass to move. The house needs dusting and cleaning. Laundry, there is always laundry. Schoolwork, there is always schoolwork, too. I hope to eat a tasty pot roast. . .i miss my mom's pot roast. I want to bring in the patio and porch furniture. I wonder how much i will get done. I hope i am motivated and full of energy that i just don't know what to do with!

Well, i should probably go get ready for school. My grape juice is gone.

An Amazing Weekend

We just got back from our amazing weekend. The color up in traverse city and then down the west side was absolutely stunning. We left on Friday at about 4:30. We made a surprise stop at little river casino to surpirse my dad as he worked a blackjack table. His table, like many, was empty, so we were able to stay and chat for awhile. . . no hugging, of course, because his hands have to stay in plain sight and can't touch other people (not even a shaking of hands is allowed). I walked into the casino with a dollar in my pocket and left with the same dollar. Pretty impressive! While we were walking around, waiting for dad to get off of his break, we ran into John and Sherry DeBoer. They live in Muskegon and we never run into them here, yet we visit Manistee and there they are! John married us six years ago. He is one of the greatest guys we know.
We then left dad to his bordem and made our way to The Cherry Inn Hotel. It was really windy and as we got close to the hotel we ran a traffic light becasue it was out. We noticed that it was very dark on the bay side of the road. We went to the outskirts of Acme and didn't see our hotle, so we turned around and figured it must have been out of power. In the dark, i was able to make out the sign for the hotle, and we pulled into the dark parking lot. We checked in by flashlight. Apparently the power had gone out 40 minutes ago. The elevators were down so we climbed up the steps to the top story of the hotel, opened our room and it was pitch black. TJ grabbed a flashlight from the stairwell, so i could pee on our toilet. I have never been in such a dark and unfamiliar place. We lit the gas fireplace and opened up our balcony window and listened to the waves. TJ went back downstairs and carried all of our luggage up the stairs. The power came on while he was walking up the stairs, but he didn't want to get stuck in the elevator, so he kept walking. What i loved about it, was our attitudes and the attitudes of the workers. TJ and i didn't let it get us in a bad mood. . . we made jokes and did our best with what we had. It is very typical that something like that would happen to us. When the power came on, it revealed a wonderful room. . . we had a giant soaker/jet tub for at least two people, a fireplace, a sitting area with a view of the bay and a balcony. We even had three tv's. . . one in the bathroom! The relaxing bath was one of my favorite parts. TJ bought sleepy dream bubble bath from bath and body works. That stuff was awesome.
On Saturday, we had a delicious breakfast, shopped on Front Street, and drove around to look at color. We also checked out a new coffee shop and other shops that they are putting in a renovated giant former mental hospital. We ate at the blue tractor. Because my bed time is so early, we headed back home around 6, took a relaxing bath (without the tubside alcohol of course), and then watched Knocked Up.
Today we drove around to North point, then down to Empire and Beulah. That drive was the best drive we have ever been on. The sun was shining, the trees were on fire. The road curved and wound through hills and lakes. We stopped and ate at the Cherry Hut on their last day of being open. We both had a hot turkey sandwich with potatoes and gravy. Then we went between Platte lake and Crystal lake. I asked TJ to turn on Platte drive because it sounded familiar. Then i had him turn on Birch trail and Birch drive and we took the windy, leaf covered road back to my dad's old cabin on Platte Lake. I have so many good memories there. I couldn't believe i was able to find it after 10 years. We pulled into the driveway and all the way to the house (we could tell no one had been there for awhile). TJ laughed as he said, "we better not tell your dad what is hanging in the window." I looked and there was a stained glass Ohio State O. Yikes! I pointed out the beautiful field stone that made-up the fireplace and how the huge windows on the front mimicked the ones on the back, so you could see right through the house to the lake. I pointed out the driftwood address holder at the end of the driveway and the tree i think my dad hit where the bark was scarred. I pointed out the dirt road that veered off to the side where i road on the back of my dad's motorcycle, being very careful not to touch the exhaust with my leg.
On the drive home, we took our time. It was beautiful and relaxing. When we got close to Hart, we both started thinking about all we had to do for school. Then, as we pulled in the driveway, TJ said "screw school! I am working in the garage." He is still in there. I unpacked, started laundry, and picked up. Now i have to get to school work. Tomorrow i have a TAT meeting, a grade-level meeting, a staff meeting after school and recess duty. Tuesday, i am meeting with the lady at central office after school to sign some papers about my leave. Busy. But so glad we took time to get away and spend time with each other. TJ truly is a great companion.

TGIF

Tomorrow, after school, TJ and i are getting away for the weekend. It is greatly needed. he was out of town and then parent teacher conferences. By the time he got home, i was half asleep. I am looking forward to spending a quiet, relaxing weekend with the man i love. I truly enjoy his company. I wish we could leave now. Poor guy is at conferences again. YUCK! And i am getting sleepy. . .

Besides a getaway, tj also seems to need a few days of being at home. He is anxious to start the built-in, but hasn't had any time. The day he took off to work on it, he was sick and wound up doing smaller chores, like blowing out our irrigation and buying me a precious moments. Maybe next weekend. . . less than 160 days until baby ellis could be here!!!! It is going fast.

The newest member of my collection. . .

When i came home from scrapbooking on friday, there was a card and a wrapped present for me. Our anniversary was on Saturday, but knowing we would be out of town on that day, tj thought ahead and got me the best, most fitting card ever and this. . .It is called "together is the nicest place to be." This is a typical night at our house. . .TJ rubbing my head as i go to sleep, remote or another cat in his other hand. Because it is past my bed time, i really cannot even begin to put into words how thankful and happy i am about the last six years and the man i got to spend them with. I am excited as i think of the next six years. i love you, TJ. . . i always will.

I forgot the mention, i totally got TJ a woman's card by accident. It said just what i wanted it to, so i missed the fact that it had a pink peony on the cover, fancy writing on pink paper, and a detachable bookmark with a ribbon! When i had realized what i had done, I was laughing so hard i was crying. I signed it anyway, hoping he would focus so much on the words that he would be oblivious to the fact that it was made for a woman!! Ya, he wasn't oblivious. . .really how could you be, unless you had baby brain.

Grocery Shopping

I was going to go grocery shopping yesterday after school, but just didn't have the energy. I barely did today, but i managed it. TJ is in traverse city, so i went alone. Some of you are probably thinking "i always go alone." Well, i don't. Since we have been married we go shopping together, until recently. TJ has been going alone because i couldn't stomach it or have the energy.

Today my cart was such a mess without TJ compulsively putting everything in its place. In single life, i would have never noticed what a chaotic mess my cart was, but after grocery shopping with the man for over 6 years, i am able to see my weakness in cart organization. Notice, i am only able to see it, not fix it. I love that TJ has rubbed off on me. Before i even entered the store i wrote most of my check out because i can never handle loading, writing, and bagging at the same time.

When i arrived home and unloaded the car, i noticed another TJism that i have picked up. I took everything out of the bag and set it on the counter. I used to laugh at tj for doing this, thinking why touch an item twice. . . just take it out of the bag and put it away. I did it. I caught myself when i had already emptied four bags onto the counter. I touched each item twice!

After unloading, i realized that the cashier gave me back my check after it had been run through the register. I don't think he was supposed to do that and i didn't notice until i got home because it was in a pile with the receipt and coupons. I should probably run back up there. . . no way!

TJ will be gone at the conference and then parent/teacher conferences for the rest of the week, so dinners are up to me. I immediately resorted to my single days filled with pasta roni, rice-a-roni, and nachos. I am pathetic!

Most of all, i realized just how much i look forward to seeing tj after work. On a cold and rainy day i want to cuddle and eat some of his chili or soup. I am sure some of you are rolling your eyes. I am just not used to tj being gone. I know i will make it. i always do.

I dragged myself home today

I am tired. Tired from the weekend. Tired from the lack of sleep i have gotten recently. Tired from doing curriculum work today. I am tired. My plan was to grocery shop on my way home today. impossible. Instead, i came home and saved energy for cleaning up the kitchen, unpacking from the weekend, and correcting papers. I just need to sleep. TJ leaves for a conference in traverse city tomorrow for two days.

Despite being tiring, my weekend was wonderful. I have missed my family dearly. We got to hang out with matt, lori, trevor, steve, gail, dad, granna, and aunt carol. We also got to talk to jason, which was great. I really miss my brothers. i didn't get enough dad time, so we are going to meet for dinner later. We didn't get into town until 11:30 ish. . . way past my bed time and i was unable to fall asleep in the car. Then i was up late (okay late for me) on Saturday trying to visit with people when i was half asleep. Then we didn't get home until 8 yesterday. I am tired. Did i mention that i am tired??! AND we are going out of town on Friday, again!

Good News

My union person met with our central office person to discuss my wanting to take the rest of the year after the birth of baby ellis as a leave and to take all of next year as a leave. We met today during my planning. Both union people i talked to were a little concerned because the contract states a year from birth will be granted, which means i would have to come back to work in April of next year for nine weeks. Well, the central office person interprets the contract differently, but in a good way for me. She says that i get my 12 weeks and then my child care leave would kick in for a year from that date. So, i am good until June or August. . .depending on which schedule we go with.

I am so relieved. He said that there still could be some problems up ahead, but he didn't foresee any.