Grate-full

With being in the thick of personal struggles right now (don't get me wrong, I know I am very blessed- I'm actually thankful for getting the chance to worry about my own mess versus anyone else's), I was so fortunate today.

I went in to catch up on observation hours and to learn more about the kids in this new classroom and was able to step out to celebrate a birthday of another teacher aide during lunch at a local restaurant. I got a thin crust personal pan pizza that I was able to save some for future meals. I was also invited to accompany the new class on a field trip in two weeks to the local zoo! I love zoos and I've really wanted to go to this one for the past two years and now I get to go with a bunch of lovely crazy kids! So excited. There will be plenty of pictures then.

I'm working on converting cassette tapes of music into MP3's/ CD's for the preschoolers and... it has not gone smoothly. It wasn't until an hour or so after I was home that I could even get a recording onto my laptop so after this post, I'm going to try to edit the entire thing into manageable files. Hopefully, it will not be as painstaking of a process as I believe it will be. :P

While that was underway, I was able to go to dinner with other coworkers to this amazing Italian restaurant downtown. I've been there once before, it's been around for a while, the food is pretty darn amazing, but the service is pretty lacking. It was decent today but my first experience was the worst service I have ever received in person and, if it had been up to me or the SO, we would have been long gone before experiencing any of that blatant disregard. It's really nice being with really laid back, honest, down to earth, and fun people. There are plenty of quirky senses of humor and it's just refreshing to not have to deal with drama. These are the type of people I would choose to have in my life and they are. Amazing how that works.

The greatest thing about all of this has been the fact that it was a treat after treat. All simply acts of kindness or different people's ways of paying it forward and for that I am so grateful to get some of their kindness and positive energy. So, right now, I am not only grateful but full on many levels.

I didn't think I'd manage to write that much today because I'm working on a caffeine withdrawal headache (my own fault, sigh), but I at least wanted to share two songs that I've recently discovered and fallen in love with:

Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years" for the new movie about sparkly vampires. Not proud of that but I adore her work, so here's the lyric video instead:

Train's "Drive By" is just a fun song with an interesting melody that I just love, here's the lyric video:

The same song but the actual music video because I love the cars. It's like a somewhat modern version of Romeo and Juliet but doesn't make you groan and roll your eyes at the corny-ness:

They just make me so happy.

New Garden Arrivals

I've been very good this year about not overwhelming my blog with garden updates but I did want to share a few pictures today because that's the biggest news I have thus far.

This week was on the later end of the time frame given for most of the new crops to make an appearance, so I was getting a bit anxious. I figured if we couldn't find anything by the weekend, I'd replant the seeds if possible. Well, good news, we had a handful of appearances overnight!

 These are the beans and more keep popping up each day!

We've spotted at least 6 so far.

These are the peas that pop up with a plethora of leaves.

There are 8 sprouts in this picture!

Uncovered some Serrano chillies today too! 

Only in one pot so far so I added what seeds we had left in the other one.

This is the Tarragon that has come back to live that I unintentionally uprooted not too long ago. Whoops!

It's sprouting at least 3 new plants from the original.

This is Gryffindor finally starting new leaf growth at nearly every knob.

You can see the sad state of what leaves it has left from last year.

Slytherin is pretty much doing the same thing as well while Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff haven't shown any forward progress. There were also appearance in one (out of two) of the Big Boy Tomato pots, actually three sprouts that have appeared overnight. There is one little cherry tomato seedling that also came up overnight too. We're all getting pretty excited to meet and greet this year's crop. I'm crossing my fingers that progress continues. Still waiting on Basil, Oregano, Chives, Stevia, and more Lettuce. I temporarily succeeded growing them all last year but am aiming for substantial plants this time.

Alright, I'm off to finish prepping this slow-roasted pork shoulder and wrap up a few more projects so we can see the table top again. :P

15 Weird Questions Tag

Another idea from YouTube via j1mmyb0bba aka Jim Chapman and nearly everyone in his life are YouTubers. He and his girlfriend, YT makeup artist, Tanya Burr, did a tag video and answered fifteen questions that I'm going to answer too.

#1. What's a nickname only your family calls you?
I... don't think we have one. My name is only two letters and is pronounced like a letter so it's kind of pointless, lol. We might go for Chị __, which means "Big Sister__" sometimes.

#2. What's a weird habit of yours?
Where do I start? I straighten things out in stores, correct people's spelling constantly in text, and I cannot sit in a chair at a desk like a normal person- I'm usually contorted somehow.

#3. Do you have any weird phobias?
Many people are creeped out by bugs but sometimes I can't handle a dead bug being shoved at me or pick it up. I think it's usually the ones that tend to twitch after they're dead. I have discovered since moving out to the desert where everything is not just flat that I panic when trying to walk on uneven ground. It really is unsettling!

#4. What's a song you secretly love to blast & belt out when you're alone?
I don't think it's any secret that I love to blast terrible pop/ hip hop/ dance/ R&B music. Thanks to voice communications and video games, I've lost nearly all of my shame in having solo karaoke parties in front of small crowds. Hm, I'm probably embarrassed to rock out to some of the Biebs' music, if anything.

#5. What's one of your biggest pet peeves?
Recently? Terrible typing in text messages or online. I do short hand and slang sometimes but overall, I like to communicate like an evolved human being. Poor texting manners just drops off handfuls of one's perceived IQ.

#6. What's one of your nervous habits?
Ha! Just one, mmk. Biting the inside of my cheek. I'm doing that now, lol.

#7. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
Alright this is weird. I didn't think I had a habit, but upon thinking about it, I have a bunch. If I'm sharing a bed with a family member or friend during some overnight trip, I tend to end up on which ever side is closet to the/ a wall. When it's just me, I tend to be away from the wall/ something like a dresser or nightstand and have stuff on my bed against the wall to prevent falling into the gap. I think I prefer to be against a wall and away from the bathroom or door because I can't stand waking up or surprises coming through the door. Nope, not having it.

#8. What was your first stuffed animal & it's name?
I still have my first stuffed animal! It's this red and white bear that a family friend gave to me when I was still in the hospital after being born. She used to have writing on her stomach that read: "Somebody <3's You". My mom has repaired her so many times and tried to get rid of her so many times (and has since given up). We ended up calling her my "Baby".

#9. What's the drink you always order at Starbucks?
I don't normally drink coffee because its too much for me to handle, but if I'm feeling extra brave or crazy, I'll get um... something that's more like a smoothie texture with more chocolate than coffee. I tried looking it up and maybe something like a Double Chocolaty Chip Frappucino? Often, I either don't get anything or a Chocolate/ Strawberry smoothie.

#10. What's the beauty rule you preach, but never actually practice?
Using Proactiv. It worked while I used it and gave the results that it promised for my troubled skin but I would forget or run out of time and not always be on top of the routine and I would notice major issues that very same day. I didn't want to be that dependent of a line of (at the time) hard to find and expensive products. That and the third thing felt the best but was the tiniest bottle, so you'd run out and need to buy the whole set just for that third step and I didn't think that either.

#11. Which way do you face in the shower?
I face away from the shower head during most of my shower because most of the time is dealing with my thick hair but for washing face and front of my body, I'll face towards it. I never really thought about it before now, lol.

#12. Do you have any weird body skills?
I don't think I have any normal body skills let alone weird ones. The SO does this things where he hooks his hands together with his arms straight in front of him and makes his shoulder blades squeeze together and really stick out that weirds me out. XD He's tried to teach me to do it, but I really don't want to see if I can!

#13. What's your favorite comfort food that's "bad" but you love to eat it anyways?
Oof. Most of my usual diet is like this. Hence why I'm changing it little by little. Ice cream or chocolate. I can eat a tub of ice cream in less than a weekend. I only have my mother's genes to thank for my not being a gargantuan whale by now.

#14. What's a phrase or exclamation you always say?
I say a ton of odd things often. One of the more uncommon ones, I suppose, is "Good Gravy!"

#15. Time to sleep!! What are you actually wearing?
To sleep in? Most of the year, I'll wear an over-sized soft and thin (aka old and worn) t-shirt with loose fitting, elastic banded, long pajama pants that my mother had made from random cotton fabrics. I didn't get my first pajama bottom until 5-6 years back as a Christmas present from a friend. I was genuinely excited even though I love my usual bottoms. I do wear cotton shorts or tank tops from time to time.

I just really like talking about myself, don't I? It's the most Leo that I get, I swear. :P

Simply Finished

I really am not pleased with myself when I prep a post early and forget to finalize it until the very last second because at that time all I want to do is have some quality time with my bed.

I think it might be due to all the caffeine that I've been hopped up on and can't quite tell if I'm coming down or not but I was pretty darn productive today with finish projects that have dragged on all of February. Kind of like these sentences. >_> Sigh.

The SO discovered that some critter has annihilated 70% of the lettuce seedlings. It's still okay since I was thinking about thinning them out soon but nature has done that for us. It may have been the family dog or quite possibly rabbits reaching up and into the planter. I just find it odd that its happening now instead of when I had this lettuce growing directly in the ground. Who knows?

I have taken over the dining table again and I'm so sick of it but can't bring myself to put so many unfinished projects away. It just decreases the chances of me finishing them any time soon by an obscene amount. I'm working on a set of 30 cards right now but I'm wiped and making noob mistakes but I did finish a set of jewelry inserts for a co-working friend today! (Why can I not put together normal length sentences right now?!) Argh, just- just look at the pictures. XD

  

Based on her personality and things that I know for sure that she really likes plus some holiday and school themed things for school because, well, school. I also made her a folder to keep them in that are like mine but is blank so she can decorate it herself. Each of these are 1 inch by 1.25 inches and I had a whole lot of fun making them once I found enough inspiration. I hope she likes them too!

I need to go, I think I feel my brain melting out of my ears.

Heart & Soul

I wanted to say that our hearts go out to all of the victims of the hundred of tornadoes that have struck the middle of our country over the past few days. We watch the news and keep hoping that the death toll does not continue to rise. Our hearts also go out the shooting victims up in Tempe.

I guess I'm still feeling pretty sensitive (and caffeine crazed) but with the heartache and subdued atmosphere around the household today, I was very touched by these videos that I found on YT.

The first is the vocal cover by Tiffany Alvord and The Piano Guys of One Republic's "Secrets" mixed with Beethoven.

The next is the extended instrumental by the Piano Guys with the Lyceum Philharmonic. It's super stunning and lifts my soul to see the passion and happiness coming from musicians of all ages.

I hope this brings a dose of joy into your life today too.

EDIT: Wanted to add a note because I realized today marks 2 years of blogging. : )

A Single Cup

I was about to start writing a very touching post... and then I broke my favorite SHIFT key. *eye twitch*


D: The SO tried to help me so its mostly attached again. Alright, where was I?

It's amazing what one cup of coffee will do for the spirit. It's been a long and rough week and I was really looking forward to it being pay day today. We really needed it. However, I failed to put together that I haven't had work in the past two weeks. Resulting in no check this time around. I have no idea why I didn't think to take a few seconds to process that sooner. Forget about that though, I don't mean to whine. I'm very blessed to have people who genuinely care about me and a roof over my head.

What I was getting at is because of the generosity of those around me, I have food this week. A parent brought in mocha coffees for each of us adults in the classroom today out of nowhere. Although I have yet again loaded up on two cups and prepared for gauntlet of events, the gesture was so touching that I had all of mine throughout the day. Yeah, it result in a perpetual heart attack and I probably won't sleep this weekend, but it does make my heart swell with gratitude too. It's very humbling as well.

It still surprises me when people at school think of me above and beyond the bare minimum required to work together. I also got a special classic chocolate bar that's divided into four little sections filled with something different in each. Fruity cereal grain bars to munch on too. All right before it sank in how much I was going to struggle getting groceries for the next two weeks. Thankfully, my family sent some help too even though I hardly ever admit to struggling financially to them. They, especially my mom, just seem to know better. The universe has just really pulled through and provided so much for me just in the knick of time. I don't really know what to say about that other than describing the details because I'm just stunned.

All the little gestures just really add up to one very grateful person: me.

I can only hope that the things that I do can give even a fraction of the feeling and relief it gives me when I'm on the receiving end. I know I don't have much and can't give much, but I really have learned quite a bit about how every little effort helps.

I'm pretty sure I can hold on for another two weeks with cutbacks that I should have started a lot sooner, but I think I can manage that much better with the kindness that has been brought my way. Here's hoping I can honor these wonderful gifts by holding my head high and doing the best I can by giving it my all.

Sorry for being such an emotional wreck. Thanks for listening, as always.

Quick Fix

It was pretty much readying myself for the battle of my life when this non-coffee drinker had two cups this morning. Then... the day went fine. Everyday is always a little rough around the edges so that's nothing new. I worked closely with kids that I haven't had a chance to really see a lot of today and loved learning about them. I was fascinated.

Not too long after we got home, I started to feel a crash. However, an hour later, I got some sort of second wind and annihilated a plate of spaghetti, drew up a new to-do list (I haven't written up one in more than a week), and began to attack it. It was lofty, but also included little details that I knew I would definitely get done by tonight so it's satisfying checking off a few things. Errands are already planned for as soon as I can get out of school tomorrow so that's setting a mild panic through me. That just might be the caffeine coursing through my veins. O_o

Let's get on with the tiny, blurry, and vague previews of some of the projects that I've worked on tonight:

 The crochet- amigurumi purple hedgehog. It looks like Friar Tuck! XD

 Sparkly!

 Silver markers are another love of mine...

It's been way too long since I wrote music...

I get more excited about each piece as time goes on and I get into a much deeper creative groove. It's such a wonderful place to be. I would liken it to your favorite sports team not only in the lead but playing a entertaining solid game. It's such a hard feeling to hold onto it seems. 

Alright, I'm about to get all philosophical or nonsensical (or both) quickly, so