069. Fairly Done

A lot of things seem to be fairly done today. Quite a bit of the extra tension is finally coming to an end, so that's always great- some of the kids today were just done with everything and everyone today and lost it- and I also worked on planning and prepping the Father's Day card and gift for the class (on top of what I've had on my agenda).

The sick doggie also has an appointment with the vet tomorrow. :( And of course, he's rallied up over night but we know it's just a matter of hours before he's worse than ever. We shall see what happens there. Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. :(

I'm a little too wiped today to feel like a complete jerk for not posting any media today. Lol. Just two more weeks of students and then I can go back to tackling all of those projects at school and at home again. As much as I love what I'm doing, I can't wait for the summer and what it may bring. It has gotten me pretty darn motivated to use my collections of craft supplies and resources much more wisely as well as to really want to tidy up my spots around here. I space take up good. :P

Apparently my brain is pretty done for the day too because I cannot remember what I was going to write about today. Boo. Once I get this consciousness thing right or school ends for the kids, I want to write more than "Dear Diary, Today I..." Maybe I can post some craft projects and such soon?

Keeping my fingers crossed! <3

068. Oh My. / Happy Mother's Day!

More puppy problems today. :( Sadness. He will be taken to a small clinic after school tomorrow. Still stumbling, he got himself caught/ stuck/ upside-down in the homemade doghouse today. It was originally made for a smaller other dog that is no longer with us. Not sure why this doggie was trying to get in there today though. In all the time that I've known him I haven't seen him really try to go in, he's much more happy on the old couch bed. Well, I was working on a project and sitting at the breakfast bar when I heard a weird sound (I was listening to music on my headphones) and turned thinking maybe one of the dogs had seen a snake. The family has been telling me that they took all of their dogs to a training school that them to fear snakes and to alert their owners of the presence of a snake with a specific bark.

I thought that sound might be it, but I saw the dog I expected to be making that noise just sitting at the door begging to be let in. Then she got up and rushed towards the doghouse and I went out to follow her gaze and realized it was our sick dog stuck. I called FMIL for help and she turned him right ways up. He somehow got in, turned around in the back to head out again and must have had too much momentum (again) for his weak joints to handle and fell forward. He head was stuck upside down and his weight on him awkwardly bent under front paws. The sound I heard over my music was his cries from inside. That poor thing. He just can't be trusted to make it up or down any size step. He has always been such the gentle and laid-back giant, but lately he's been very fickle and indecisive but insistent about anything and everything. He has even gone as far as getting into the habit of bullying his way into the house when any of us go out to check on him.

SO's mom spent most of today doing paper work or comforting/ worrying about the doggie. She has been helping him sit, lay down, stand, walk up & walk down steps, wiping up his various goobers, trying to get him to eat or drink more, and petting him. We tried to help her out being on guard duty or at least around the house, but even so, she just wanted to be with him. Completely understandable. I wish we could do more and hopefully the doctors can do something this week.

I have been able to do some organizing between my working on projects today, so I'm somewhat satisfied, lol. Still have a long way to go, so I don't want to be too easy on myself. I did get mildly sidetracked by all this great music I have been finding on YouTube today. /shakes fist at internet. I've only subscribe and watched about two videos for each artist I've found today, I actually stopped myself from obsessively going through each of everyone's videos. It's a step up and a lot coming from me, lol.

Let's get to it!

"Break Your Heart" yet again because it's such a catchy song.

Carrie Underwood's "Temporary Home" such a beautiful, haunting, and somber song. I'm not sure why I haven't it it before today.

Akon's "Beautiful" on an electric violin! I don't think I knew that that was an instrument. Really cool to see the process of looping!

And just a change of pace:

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

"Galactic Empire State of Mind" by College Humor. So hilarious- and well written! As usual.

Um... on another pretty cool note, I was able to catch up with my baby brother this evening. It was really cool and we made a pact to keep working on that. I can't believe he's about to graduate! Holy cow, where has time gone. At the most, he's still 12 years old to me. Ugh. I kind of can't handle it, lol. It was a nice talk and I can't wait to go back and visit. /crosses fingers. I hope to make it there this summer. :D

I need to get back to work. Oye. Lol. But before I do:

Wishing all the wonderful mothers a Happy Mother's Day! ♥ 
No matter how time flies, we'll always be your babies and appreciate all that you have done/ continue to do.

067. So That's Where They Went

I'm still pretty tired today. This whole waking up early thing isn't quite sinking in for me. :( I also forgot to mentioned yesterday how the doggie that has been sick had a tumble yesterday. It sounded horrible and he keeps tripping like that through the night and today. We've resolved to either not him into any area that has a step, even if it's just under 2 inches, or we're going to have to carry him down/ or them. Not an easy task, especially considering that the other doggie is a complete neurotic spaz. She has been incredibly inconsiderate and interfering these past few weeks. She also doesn't understand how the sick one gets to charge (as best he can) into the house during the day and gets extra mini meals made of rice and chicken/ beef and she's stuck with her usual feeding time and dog food. I still can't shake the horrible cries and screams of him when he fell and crashed that first time last night. :(

On a lighter note, I have been hard at work either working on orders for my shop, getting and prepping supplies for the kids at school, or researching and ordering materials for an exam I have to take a month from now. I love how I have to take an assessment test for my certification months before I take any classes whatsoever. Good job, state legislation, you totally understand the value and mechanics of education. You know I'm tired and cranky when I don't hold political-related criticism back. But I am grateful for the ability to do that in a public venue. Hoorah, America. More or less. Lol. Hoorah for any soldier that has done the right thing that allows for that freedom. I think that's more like it.

Wait, that wasn't actually the lighter note. Oops, lol. I am more awake at this time than I was yesterday because I realized those music videos I wanted to post but was too tired to find again were in a convenient list called 'My Favorites' in my account. Go me. :P Without further ado because I may pass out before I finish:

An ASL interpretation of The Script's "Breakeven." I love this guy's videos. I need to start learning ASL : / As if I couldn't love this song more.

A cover of Taio Cruz's "Break Your Heart." I love this song too, as you've probably seen (:P). Zomg they're Asian, lol. <3 I've had poor experiences with Asian guys, ha ha.

A cover/mash-up of The Script's "Breakeven" and B.o.B.'s "Nothin' on You." I probably should have shoved this with the other cover of  that song... hm. Too late! :P

Man, I need to update my tags with the people in all of these videos I have been posting the past few weeks... Well, there's always tomorrow! Lol. I also realized last night that I've posted pictures every day for the past week. Bet your feeling pretty spoiled now, huh? I'm going to feel like a jerk the next time I don't post any media, ha ha! Watch it be tomorrow too. /knock on wood.

I keep zoning out and then getting distracted by the internet, so I'm going to bid thee adieu until tomorrow! <3

066. Boxed

An alternative title for today would be: Box That Up- I'll Take It To Go.

I think I'm mostly over that mild head cold or whatever it was that has been bogging me down for the past week or so. I occasionally have a huge sneeze that comes out of no where- it stuns small children and scares the bejeezus out of cats. : ) I'm pretty sure those are the only pluses to my... condition/ ailment.

Remember how I may have mentioned in yesterday's post that I was probably going to post a bunch of music I was discovering the past few nights here? Um, yes. Well, I would like to make good on the disclaimer I had installed for myself. :D

I have been bummed out lately for various reasons and wanted to tackle (from start to finish!) projects that have been on my to-do list one by one. It's really hard for me not to multi-task even though I am well aware that too much multi-tasking leads not to me being more efficient with my time, but rather to me doing a bunch of things half-baked. I just need to stop trying to do everything all at once, plan what I need to do when, and then just do it. I can do that better on a week-long basis, but on a hourly/ daily scale? Forget it.

However! I have done well today! I set out to make a handmade card organizer (instead of spending a bunch of hours hunting for one online and in person) with pretty much no blueprints and complete laundry today before the pile became obscenely large. Right after I'm done here, the last load should be done drying so I can fold it all before heading to bed! Hooray! It's the little things that count, huh? Lol, funny how said things seem a lot like really mundane chores when you get older. XD

Anywho, I'm telling you about my card thinger because I took pictures of the final product! I'm not a complete disappointment. :P

Ta- da!

It's made from a facial tissue box that I've adored and we recently finished. 

The "Colors" Side.

The "Occasions" Side.

My stash of pre-cut card parts in the back.

I really wanted to find a way to save that box because it looks really cool and I think it's one of the first things I got for my own place when I moved out here that was just for me. :) I didn't like it being in public spaces at all, lol. I was just about to give up finding another use for it and toss it into the recycling bin when I realized that it would could be perfect for holding my cards! And it was/ is!

Decorated cards are sorted by the main color of their background on one side and if I've already managed to add a sentiment of some sort to it, it's moved to the occasions half. I have a section for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, brown, white/gray, and black. For the occasions, I tried to keep it simple by having Congratulations, Happy Birthdays, Just Because, Thank You's, and Reserved (for cards that I've made for specific people but have yet to write in or send out). I also have that blank bits and pieces section in the back in case I want to throw one together from scratch- all the pieces are already cut out! 

I can't wait to finish what I need to do and then get back to creating and stock-piling cards again! I was so much fun and now that I have this little system, it's going to be that much more... well, exciting! Man, I really wanted to think of another word for that, but couldn't in time. :P Lol. Oh, and I used my new and only border punch on the labeled tabs as well. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the quality yet. I thought it was a bit pricey but average cost for it. I guess I have to splurge on a really nice one and/or get a cheap packet of a million somewhere to really judge. Or, heaven forbid, I just borrow and try someone else's punch(es). That would just make all the sense in the world, so I couldn't possibly take that route. /roll eyes.

Why does laundry somehow take all day to do? No matter how little the piles are- a week's worth or a busload- it seems to take an entire day. It may not help that today seemed to be longer than usual and it was a pretty crazy Freaky Friday at school. The kids got to take home a pot of herbs that they planted last week in small pots as a Mother's Day present. Some sprouts/ pieces were just starting to show this morning! I believe there were chives, basil, and... parsley. They also finished up their shaving cream- painted cards to bring home. The only thing left to say about it all is: TGIF! 

Sigh, I keep starting/ glancing/ poking at my new card organizer. I am so pleased with myself, lol. It was pretty darn simple too. Granted, it's not the best way to do so and I'll admit to why. Yes, it's great that I up-cycled (recycling but you make it even better in terms of use or value than it in its original form- I think that's the definition, I'm too tired to look it up right now), but for handmade cards you should keep them in a closed container, like a photograph organizer box, to protect your hard work from sunlight and dust. Well, from liquid spills, pets, and children too. I've seen really cute projects where elaborate binders are bought/ made with sleeves that are pockets that you can close. Many of them sort the cards out by month with a list/ calender of the days of each month so you can fill-in any annual event like a birthday or anniversary. This is so you can just flip to the month, see a birthday coming up, pull out the designated card, and mail it out! Some goes as far as to have a section in the back area for jotting down all the addresses too! How fancy right? I am more than satisfied with my cute little box for now though. Chances are, I'll be constantly moving it around to play/ use it for a while. I can't wait! /happydance.

Bah, I'm falling over as I type this, so I'm going to stare at the dryer until it's done. :) See you tomorrow! <3

065. Meet & Greet

I don't have all that much to report today. But I do have this:

If all of that doesn't brighten up your day just a little, I'm not sure what would. This is the amaryllis (well, one of them) that has been in the classroom. The kids have been measuring the growth of the bud height-wise, counting the leaves, and drawing pictures. It grows a a phenomenal rate! Two Fridays ago it was 5.5 inches and by the afternoon it was 6 inches. Last Friday, it was a whopping 15 inches tall. Yesterday, the flower was starting to come out of the bud and turning sideways, and today we came in to see this! Just two, I have been told that sometimes they have four to five, but wow! There was another one being kept in the classroom that has leaves that are about... three feet in length and no buds. Funny, where plants decide to put their energy into and how just slight weather changes can alter it drastically.

The rest of the afternoon/ evening was spent working on a project for next week for the kids. We had quite a bit of fun working on it and I'll post pictures of it once they're completed, which may be sometime next week actually. Just more stuff down with the Cricut, of course. My passion for crafting seems to be spreading at a fairly rapid rate, of course, not fast enough for me. :)

I found some new music today via YouTube (surprise, surprise), but I don't really feel up to hunting specific videos down amongst my favorited list atm. So, tomorrow's post should be filled with musical goodness, unless I get completely distracted. :P

Well, I hope you enjoy the foliage yet again! See you tomorrow. <3

064. Maybe Not.

I started writing today and realized that what I was writing should be said to someone specific, so I turned it into a letter instead. No point in saying it if I can't tell them personally. If that makes any sense, lol. Hooray for converting negative energy into positive action. One of these days, I'll get it right more often than not. :)

Anyways, I cooked dinner again tonight! Whoa, two nights in a row. I think that may be a new record. Wait, I think I actually did it three nights in a row... I didn't really consider Velveeta mac and cheese with instant cheddar and garlic mashed potatoes from two nights really counted as cooking, but I guess it kind of does, lol. Well, I baked some chicken today and paired it with rice and steamed vegetables. The chicken was breaded with Italian-seasoned bread crumbs, I added some more herbs and cheese! Towards the end I added some buttermilk ranch and more cheese on top. It was yummy. I guess I should have taken a picture... shoot. Ha ha, I guess we were all a bit too hungry tonight!

I'm still under the weather, probably with a mild cold, but I have made some progress with my to-do list this week- thank goodness. I'll catch up soon. Or else. /shrug. Lol. Isn't that how it always is? Ooh! There is some good news: the household's big project list for last month was finally completed today! Hooray for us! This month's task list has already been posted and we're not so sure we can manage this one, but the list is optimistic. I think we'll be happy if one thing on it is completely accomplished by the end of the month.

We, or rather I, must be a on a plant kick these past couple of days. When one of the SO's brothers was doing yard work today, he found a baby mesquite tree nestled under a palo verde aka the Mother Tree. It wasn't going to get much bigger as long as the palo verde was around, so he dug it up and put it into a pot until it's decided where it should go. Now this, I took pictures of!

 Baby Mesquite!

It's about 18 inches tall atm.

The Big Mesquite! 

The SO and his family planted it as a baby years ago, I believe. I was also told that these are probably two different types of Mesquite. Oh well, I still wanted to compare the two anyways, lol. Oh! I forgot to mentioned yesterday how the school was having a mini (two-day) book fair with BOGO! I haven't been to a book fair in ages and used to love them- that and the classroom that I'm in is directly across from the library where the fair was being held- I knew I had to visit. I ended up getting a fun pen with multi-colors that clips to my belt loops and these goodies:

Because I think Jan Brett is friggin' amazing.

A heartwarming story about winter migration and mooching, lol.

A book about feeeeelings! Bear is so fluffy.

Another really cute story with oh so soft looking pictures.

Oh come on, how could I not get this?!

All in all, I think the conclusion = I really need a classroom of my own. I need a place to put all of this stuff I have and stuff I want to get! Ahh! I do believe this was a steal though. They are all quite cute books too. Hm, I just noticed the winter-theme... minus the Halloween mummy. That kind of explains the whole sale thing. I actually didn't meant that and there were other really cute and well-written books there that I just had to let go. Lol, there was one that had to do with a pouty fish... he ends up kissing everyone... I felt that it was kind of germy... XD. Ugh, I love the artwork in each of these! They are all pretty much considered pictures books, I believe. I'd read some to the kids but I think that would just further mess with all the spring time activities we've been doing. Oh, another funny thing is was that FMIL had also chosen almost all of these books at an earlier time too! Great minds do think alike! Or maybe I'm better at this than I thought I was. Or maybe these books are just that awesome that everyone has to have them. I'm voting for that last one, lol. 

Eh, I'm done rambling for the night. See you again tomorrow! <3

062. Such A Diva

Today's rant is not nearly as interesting as it's title may imply. Sorry. :D Lol.

I'm pretty flippin' tired today so I'll briefly recollect today today. ... Um, I should probably change that sentence but I don't think I will, lol. Funny how I would rather write an entire sentence commenting about the weird things I do when I could have taken the less than or equal to amount of energy to fix my weirdness. XD

School was fine, today, one of the kids got to play the role of teacher during the opening routine, it was really pretty cute. He put on the guitar, sang the good morning song while trying to play it at the same time! He also gave out the names to do attendance and led the calender count. We also marched in a mini parade around the room for music time and I got to lead it for a little bit in the afternoon, that's when you know we're desperate to keep going, lol. Both classes made paper tacos as well, which was really fun to prep and make.

Person 1 (teasingly): "Oh no! You guys got taco stuff all over the floors! I don't like it when it gets all messy in the kitchen!"
Me: "Sorry. Does that mean we're going to get paper ants now?"

Lame humor like that is greatly appreciated in the moment and while dealing with kids, lol. We do get ants when kids leave food stuffs behind, so we teach them that and how to eat snacks neatly. This exchanged happened around the kids too, so I ended up making paper ants, lol. I can't help doing silly things like that. :P

Fast-forwarding, I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Using a recipe I found at the grocery store, I used linguine, made garlic bread out of wheat toast, and stuffed the large meatballs with cubes of Velveeta cheese. :D Nothing too special and I forgot to take a picture of it. It was satisfying and satisfactory.

Backtracking a bit, remember Lucy? My new lucky bamboo? I was meaning to dress her up a bit, so I tried to get some supplies while at the grocery store. We had to improvise so she could actually move in today, but here is what her home looks like now!

The top layer of stones are a bright red, but the middle stones are actually a pale lavender. The bottom layer is just her original batch of rocks. It took some maneuvering to get this arrangement just right, so I started calling her a diva for being so difficult. :) I can't wait to see her continue to grow. She has such humble origins, lol.

Sigh, I really can't wait to catch up on sleep tonight and tomorrow. I hope I can get work done for my shop as well as other personal projects (Some that include traveling! Yay!). We'll see! Until tomorrow, <3