Half-Way There

So I just sat down to complete one of my two finals that I've been putting off forever. I completed it in 30 minutes. Why was I dreading that? Hopefully the other will be just as easy.

Library Logo- Revised

Here's the revised version of next year's library logo.  What do you think?

Using TV as a Sedative

I just want to point out that TV is often used as a sedative for the children (and adults?) in this country.  It is very effective.

It's spreading!

No, not the Swine Flu, though the first confirmed case in Georgia is here in LaGrange.  It's panic and fear.  That, it turns out, is harder to cure.

Fine Free Day

Today and tomorrow are fine free days in the media center.  I hope this will bring some of our long-lost books home.

LOST!

No, not the TV show, though I am looking forward to watching it tonight.  I've misplaced one of the yeard gnomes.  I can see how this could be funny.  Traveling yard gnome goes missing.  But really, I can't remember where I put him or if I gave him to someone.  :(

CONGRATULATIONS!

In all my sleepiness yesterday, I forgot to mention that Nate got accepted to Columbia yesterday!

Field Day

Today is the elementary students' field day.  Tomorrow is the middle school students' field day.  If you don't mind chaos, competition, yelling, and sweaty kids, then you might enjoy field day.  As I don't enjoy these things, I'm extra thankful to be a librarian for the next 2 days.

So Tired

I don't know why, but I've been so tired this week. All I want to do is lay around and nap. That's why I still haven't finished my final.

Earth

Today, I am chaperoning the 8th grade as we walk down to the movie theatre to see Earth.  Yea for field trips!  Yea for free tickets to movies!

Almost Done

It's the LAST day of the CRCT!  Only 3 more hours of mindlessness before it's over! 

Weekly Walk

Noelle, Megs, and I took our first weekly walk today. It was great!

Impressive

It's only 3:45 and I've already posted 7 times today.

I did it!

I actually completed everything on my to do list by 3:00!  I'm not sure if I was just extra efficient today or if I just set the bar pretty low. 

I want one!

I want a Smart Meter!

I fail to see the connection

I don't know why, but proctoring standardized tests makes me very hungry!

If I had a million dollars...

I'd pay off our mortgage and my student loans.  I'd set aside enough to pay for Nate's schooling.  I'd invest some money making our back yard pretty.  I'd build a playground at the church.  I'd put aside $200,000 for our retirement.  I'd buy 2 hybrid cars.  I'd buy matching bedroom furniture.  I'd take Nate on a vacation to Japan.  Then I'd give some money to my siblings to pay off their student loans, I'd give money to NPR, the UM Global Missions Board, and to the soup kitchen at First UMC in LaGrange.  Lastly, I'd pay the neighbor kid to mow our lawn from now on. 

Testing Continues

Since we have testing again, today I think I'm going to spend part of my time planning out how I would spend a million dollars and imagining what my life would be like if I could fly.

Shout Out

Here's a shout out to my mom.  I wore the top you gave me for my birthday yesterday and got tons of compliments on it!  Thanks!

 

Here's a shout out to Dani.  Your shower last night was so much fun!  Thank you for including me in your pre-wedding festivities!

My Principal Is So Nice...

that when she asks me to take on more responsibilities, it's really difficult to say no. 

 

I now have a 2 hour meeting to go to on Friday and I'm the new PLU committee chair. 

It's Just So Satisfying

I love checking things off my to-do list.

Count Down!

20 more days of school!  18 if you count that I'm taking the last 2 days of school off for my brother's graduation and my sister-in-law's wedding!

Reading In Bed

I love to read in bed. I'm going to bed right now to read Graceling by Kristin Cashore. So far, it's really good. Good enough to go to bed 30 minutes early to read.

Wannabe

I wanna be more...
creative, healthy, sustainable, interesting, fun, laid-back, kind, peaceful, joyful, hopeful, artsy, talented, thin, and thrifty.
I am a big wannabe.

Sleeping In

I slept in until 9:15 this morning. I can't remember the last time I did that.

Symphony and Allergies

Nate, Noelle, and I went to Callaway Gardens tonight to see the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra perform. It was really wonderful, except for my itchy eyes and runny nose. Thank goodness for Benadryl.

Taking Bets

Which will I end up doing? Taking a nap on the couch or finishing my final?

Final

If I finish my final today, I'll be done with all of my grad school stuff for the semester and have a whole month off. I'm not sure if that's enough to motivate me to work when it's so pretty outside.

Spring Fling

From 11 AM-1 PM I will be at West Side's Spring Fling. My job will be to make sure no one dies on the inflatables. Join us!

Windows Open!

Last night, we slept with the windows open for the first night. Spring is in full swing!

I'm in love

It was like the first time I stepped foot on the LaGrange College campus. I'm totally in love with Columbia Theological Seminary. It's beautiful. I really hope Nate decides to go there (he's leaning that way) just so I can visit every once in a while.

Interview

I'm taking a personal day because Nate has his interview at Columbia. We decided to go ahead and visit Candler while we're in Atlanta. I'm hoping we can also visit Ikea, too!

You Really Have Your S*** Together

Someone said that to me yesterday. My life is good. I'm fulfilled because God provides my life with purpose. I imagine to a nonbeliever, that kind of hope and confidence looks a lot like having your s*** together.

Interview

Nate has his interview at Columbia today at 2.  Please keep us in your prayers.
Love,
Katie

It's nice

It's weird how good getting just one question right at trivia can make me feel so good about myself. Our team, Dumbledore's Army, did well this week- 3rd place (even though we were in 1st before the final question). It just feels nice to win.

Relieved!

I've finally got all of the library accounts squared away (or as close as it's going to get)!

That's one big thing I get to check off my To Do list!

 

Only 4 more weeks of school!

Super Glue

Every time I use super glue, I get it all over my fingers.  Every time.

Raise

So I got my contract the other day.  I looked over the pay schedule.  :)  I'm getting a nice raise in just a few months when I finish my masters.  It's good to know I have a job next year, better to know I'm paid pretty well, and best to know it's a job I love! 

Negative Nancy

It has come to my attention that I've sounded pretty negative these last few days.  Let me clarify.  I love my job.  I love my school.  My school system is a good system.  Politics, standardized tests, and No Child Left Behind drive me nuts.  It really comes down to what Nate always says about me.  I want to be in control of everything and I think I can do everything better than everyone else.  Sure, that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but unfortunately, not by much.  So, I'm going to try to be more positive and joyful today and I'm going to try to believe that other people in the world of education are not idiots and they truly have children's best interest at heart.

Too Bad

After a clip on the Daily Show about Sweden, I decided I'd like to move there. Upon further investigation, I found that you can only work there if you get a job offer and there are currently no education openings for English-speaking teachers in all of Sweden. There goes that dream.

Button Maker

My button maker has gotten a lot of use in the last few days.  I made motivational buttons with sayings like "WSMS Rocks the CRCT" for most of the teachers.  Today I made an Earth Day button.  The custodians asked for buttons.  Everyone loves the button maker.

Allergy Shots

I've been getting allergy shots once a week for 2 years now.  My spring allergies are better, but it's days like today where the roof of my mouth and lips itch like crazy, my eyes are watery and itchy, and my nose is running all over the place that I just don't feel like they've helped much. 

I feel like throwing a chair!

I am so angry right now.  I just got a phone call from central office.  Honestly, it's not about the actual thing they said no to that makes me so mad.  It's that they want to control over me.  They make me ask for permission to do anything, (to use donations we recieve, to apply for a grant, or to download free software) just so they can always say no.  She just kept making up excuses and I was able to dismiss each one.  SO FRUSTRATING!  Why do they hate my school so much?!?

Happy Earth Day!

How are you celebrating?

Impatient

My spinach lasagna is taking too long to cook. I'm hungry. Now.

Contrast

My morning was boring. I had nothing to do.
My afternoon was chaos. I had too much to do.
Tomorrow and Thursday will be more of the same.

Things to do

Here's some of the things I do when I'm not allowed to do anything (like during test administration):

• See how long I can stand on just one foot without falling over or distracting the kids
• Memorize scripture, poetry, or a list of the presidents
• Find out how long I can hold my breath
• Try to remember the names of all my teachers back to kindergarten

CRCT

Let the testing begin.  3 hours a day or walking around a small space, watching the students but not looking at their tests.  5 days of worrying I might loose my job over something stupid.

Alone

Nate's gone to a Dave Matthew's band concert tonight.
Noelle and Chuck were nice enough to invite me over for dinner.
Now I'm home alone, trying to work on a homework assignment.
All I really want to do is eat jelly beans and watch tv shows on hulu.

Pep Rally

I am about to go to the CRCT Pep Rally.  That's right.  The day before the big state standardized test, we're cramming all of our kids into the gym to try to get them excited about taking a test by doing cheers and skits.  I'd be a lot more excited if I knew that the questions were valid, but the kids like the cheers.

I should have known

The last few weeks, I've been feeling like I've got this librarian thing down.  I was leaving school most days at 3:30!  Today though, I realized that we've been slowly creeping towards the end of the school year, which means I hardly noticed that time is now short to complete the millions of things I have to do.  I should have known things couldn't be that easy.

Drama

All of the school drama from Thursday and Friday was waiting for me this morning.  Blah.

Sunday Nap

I think that naps taken on Sunday afternoons are better than naps at any other time of the week. Naps on a rainy Sunday are the best.

6 Months

I just realized that I've been doing this blog for 6 months. It doesn't feel that long. It's weird to think that I (and you) have a record of nearly every thing I have done and felt for that last 6 months of my life. Wow.

Wedding Shower

This afternoon, we're headed off to Prattville to attend a shower for Nate's sister with the rest of Nate's family. Wahoo!

Catching Up

After having 2 kids for 10 days, Nate and I finally had our first work-free, child-free day. Already, we cleaned out the gutters, went to the grocery store (and Walmart, Walgreens, Staples), vacuumed, cleaned the bathroom, did laundry, paid some bills, and unloaded the dishwasher. Now I'm going to sit on my butt for a few hours and read.

Final Reference Log

I have spent several hours looking through 40 reference books and writing one page summaries of each.  Today I complete the final 10.  LaGrange College library, here I come.

Productive Work Day

Today I have successfully cataloged 6 books, took photographs of a class project, "fixed" a computer (it wasn't plugged in), and designed a first draft for next year's library logo in addition to making book suggestions to students, manning the circulation desk, and even shelving a few books.  I am Super Librarian!

What do you think?

Here's my first draft for the library's logo/theme for the next school year.  Suggestions and comments would be greatly appreciated.

Running Out of Unique Titles

I was just about post on how I am putting off cataloging (again) when I realized, I've probably already titled posts "Cataloging" and "Procrastination."  And that made me realize that if I keep posting about the same things, it means I keep experiencing the same things.  And that means my life is pretty boring.  I think I'm ok with that. 

Worry

I worry about the future, but I know I should thank God for each day and live in the present.  Today, I'm only going to think about today.

95% Online

My graduate classes are 95% online.  Today is the other 5%.  I'm off to Carrollton for the evening.

Bulletin Board

I just make an awesome Earth Day bulletin board.  Yea for the earth!

Shelving

I don't really like shelving, but because I was out yesterday, there's a lot to be done.  It just makes me all the more thankful for my assistant since he usually does all of they shelving by himself.

Anxiety

We had a great time at the David Sedaris concert last night, but getting there was another story.  I HATE traffic.  It makes me very stressed.  Maybe it's that I live in a small town with little traffic, but it could be that rush hour traffic in Atlanta is enough to make anyone have a panic attack.

Woke Up LATE!

I woke up 35 minutes late this morning and still made it to school on time.  I am awesome.  And frazzled.

New Vacuum

I just bought a new vacuum on Amazon.com. Our old one has gone through 3 belts in the last few months. I love shopping in my pjs.

David Sedaris

Dan and G are on their way! We're going to see David Sedaris tonight! I'm loading up on the cough syrup!

Sick Day, Really This Time

I really am taking a sick day today. I'm getting better, but I want to get all the way better TODAY. So really, today isn't a sick day- it's a getting better day.

Pizza for Dinner

I think I subconsciously forgot to thaw the chicken this morning because I really, really wanted to order pizza for dinner. Sammy D's here I come!

Accelerated READER

I had a parent write me a note today.  It said that her daughter had watched a particular movie and that she wanted to know if she could take an AR test on the book.  I was shocked.  Did this parent really not understand the point of Accelerated Reader?  I mean, it's kind of implied in the name.  I wrote her back and told her that the program was to encourage READING and tested READING comprehension, so unless she decided to READ the BOOK, she couldn't take the test.  Ridiculous, right?

Abs of Steel

I think I should market this cold.  It makes you cough so much your abs hurt, but I could sell it as "a great way to get flat abs- just in time for swimsuit season- with no crunches!"

CRCT

One of the reasons that I love my new librarian job is that I don't have to worry about our dumb state standardized test.  But wait, they just asked me to admister the test to a small group of students in the library.  Curse you, CRCT!  You found me, even though I hid in the library.

Coughing

Coughing is disgusting.  It's like the germs have taken over my throat and lungs and are hell-bent on spreading themselves to anyone in a 3 foot radius.  I feel like a germ-spreading, snot-producing machine.  Gross.

Sick Day

I'm sick today (coughing like crazy) but I can't stay home.  There's too much to do.  I might be able to take a sick day on Wednesday, if I'm still sick then.

Childless

Nate and I are once again childless, but our house is still full. My family is visiting for the day and Nate's mom is spending the night.

Freedom

This morning at the sunrise service I was finally able to forgive. If you know me, you know about the pledge in church incident. The pastor from that church preached at our sunrise service and God helped me finally let go of all of the hurt. I was able to talk to her after the service without any feelings of anger or judgment. God is good.

A and B- Part 5

They boys beg to watch the same movies over and over. In the last week, we've watched Wall-E, Spy Kids 3D, and Harry Potter 5 twice each.

Under Warranty

Today I am thankful for Tech Tires because, once again, the thing that is wrong with our stupid car is a part that's under warranty.

A and B- Part 4

Today is our last full day with both boys. I'm looking forward to reclaiming my routine (and my living room) but I will really miss reading to A and playing Sorry! with B. It's been a real learning experience and I'm very thankful for it.

Baking Machine

After a few doses of cold medicine, I was well enough to bake. Today I baked 3 different types of muffins, a loaf of bread, and 2 desserts for Easter (actually, both of those were no-bake, but I count them anyway). I am a baking machine!

Curse You, Walgreens!

I am sick.  I have 2 kids to take care of.  I need to get better.   I go to Walgreens and they won't let me buy sudaphed and zycam in the same day.  I look like crap.  Maybe I think I'm a junkie?

COLD

I have a sore throat and a runny nose. Feel sorry for me.

Yard Work

My mommy is coming today to help me with yard work!

Monkey Joe's

Today I took A and B to Monkey Joe's. If you don't know what that is (like I didn't until yesterday) it has a lot of those blow-up bouncy castles and slides. I thought it would tire them out, but it turns out that sitting and reading for 3 1/2 hours makes you sleepier than running around for that same amount of time.

New Toy!

Nate's new MacBook is here and I'm having fun playing with it!

Good Parent, Bad Parent

So, I've been called a "parent" for the first time in my life this week and today I practiced being both a good and a bad parent.

I was a bad parent this morning. I let them play video games for 4 hours straight so that I could do some homework and housework.

I was a good parent this afternoon. We played Sorry! and Candy Land and then we made home-made play-dough.

I love this blog

There are lots of blogs that I love (see ever-growing Blog List) but here is a new one that I love- the only one I read where I do not personally know the author.

Stuff Christians Like

Hilarious.

Rule

Here are some new rules at our house.

• You have to stay in your room until the clock says 7:30 AM.
• You can't play the Xbox until Nate gets home.
• Bedtime is 9:00. If we have to come in your room after that time to tell you to be quiet, it's 5 minutes off your bedtime tomorrow.
• No GameBoys at the kitchen table.

A and B- Part 3

Me: Is Bakugan a TV show?
A: There wouldn't even be no toys without TV shows!

Sore

My arms and back are sore from playing Wii boxing and bowling. I think that means I'm out of shape.

A and B- Part 2

Legos, Bakugan, picture books, and lots of drawings of Ben 10 have taken over my living room.

Groceries

Grocery shopping with children is more difficult than grocery shopping alone.

Homecoming

Yesterday was our Homecoming/Building Dedication service at church. I counted 94 people at the service and nearly all of them stayed for the delicious pot luck lunch. We could have fed twice that many- there was so much good food!

A and B- Part 1

I'm calling this part one because I'm sure there will be more. In case you didn't know, we are providing respite foster care for A (who is 8) and B (who is 12) for the entirety of spring break. Pretty much every moment is an interesting experience but here are a few highlights.

• Last night, A and B asked for mac-and-cheese on their quesadillas. They loved it!
• Both have been entertained by Nate's lego collection for hours.
• There is no arguing with an 8 year old. Their logic is unfathomable.

Self-centered

Nothing will make you realize just how self-centered your life is as an 8 year old boy living in your house.

Nervous and Excited

It's just about time for me to go pick up A. from school to spend the week with us.  B. will be joining us tomorrow. 

8th grade

After that walking field trip, I remembered how much I love middle school students.  They can be annoying and self-centered but they can also be fun and silly. 

Blocked

Ok, so first my blog got blocked and now gchat is blocked.  IT is catching on to me.  :(

Walking Field Trip

Today, I am going with the 8th graders on a walking field trip to the LaGrange history and art museums.

NATE

Today is my amazing husband's birthday.  Happy Birthday, Nate!  I love you and I'm very thankful for you.

Roller Coaster of Hope

School got donated iPod Touch.  iPod Touch had a smashed screen.  Found out it had a warranty.  Shipped it off.  Got an email from Apple saying warranty doesn't cover accidental damage.  :(  I wanted a free iPod Touch.

"With Liberty and Justice for All"

The third graders are putting on their big play (with the above mentioned title) and I will be playing the important role of photographer.

And the winner is...

The book that won just happened to be the book the principal read to them this morning.  Did they really love it the best?

Budgets

I went over budget in 3 of my 5 library accounts.  I don't know how it happened because I've been so careful, so meticulous.  It's because they are not totally in my control and that drives me nuts.  Thankfully it was only by a couple of dollars in 2 of them.  The other, I went over by almost $200.  There must be a mistake.  I will figure it out.

Free Lunch!

I just found out that I am getting yummy Jin Express for lunch for free!  Thanks PTO!

Voting

Today the 3rd graders are voting on their favorite picture book for the Georgia Picture Book Award.  The library is now a polling station.  

Can you come get me on Thursday instead?

This is what the 8 year old boy who is staying with us for spring break said yesterday.  He came to the house yesterday to meet us and drop off his stuff.  When he was getting ready to leave, I said that I would pick him up from school on Friday, but he prefered Thursday.  I think he's looking forward to spending the week with us!  I'm looking forward to it too!

Over the Phone

No, I cannot explain to you what's wrong with your laminator and how to fix it over the phone.  Please don't act like I should.

Skullcrusher 2: Return of the Skullcrusher

You guessed it.  I have that horrible headache again.  

Flexibility

One of the things I love about my job is that I have flexibility- flexibility to take the time to sit on the floor and get out my yarn and lace up the too-big boots of a student who came to school without shoe laces.

Impromptu Birthday Party

Last night, we had cake and ice cream at the church while we put together office furniture and cleaned.  It was really nice.  Thanks, Laura!