Peking and Speed Scrabble

Had a super yummy dinner at Peking (sesame chicken is so delicious) and then enjoyed a few rounds of Speed Scrabble with my grandparents, Nate, and Todd.  Very pleasant Friday night!

GreatGrandparents

Korra's excited to see her great grandparents today!

Nightmare

I had a dream last night that I went to my yearly OBGYN appointment (just like I did last week) and they said, "Your back to your pre-pregnancy weight" (just like they did last week) and then during the exam they said, "Um, you're 9 months pregnant and about to go into labor" and I was like "WHAT?!"  So they took me directly to the hospital and I couldn't bring myself to call Nate because he was going to be so mad (like he was going to be less mad when I just came home with a new baby?).  And I couldn't bring myself to call any of my family because I was too embarrassed.  So what did I do?  I called TLC and talked to the producers of "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" while I was in labor.

Snow Day #3

Spent a few hours this afternoon successfully fixing our sink (it only took 2 trips to Home Depot, a little help from a neighbor, and about $20).

Oh, and I found out that we have ANOTHER day off tomorrow- pipes burst in a few of the schools and there are still a couple spots of ice on some country roads.  It feels extra crazy to have a "snow day" since it's supposed to be sunny with a high of 57* tomorrow!

Pictures and Dance

If I'm on the computer, Korra comes over and says, "Up please."  Then she says, "Pictures!"  She LOVES to look at pictures of people.

My mom gave Korra her old cell phone which has a lot of ringtones on it.  She'll bring you the phone and say, "Phone.  Dance.  Please."  Then if you put on a song from the ringtones, she'll run around dancing.

Use Your Imagination

I'm channeling Laura Ingalls Wilder this evening- doing some mending by the fire.  So, it's actually a space heater, but I'm using my imagination.

Kitchen Sink

We thought our kitchen sink issues were behind us when we replaced the garbage disposal, but alas, they haunt us still.  The tailpiece (pipe that goes straight down from the sink drain) is not connected to the U-bend below.  No idea why, but we'll be using up my final snow-day going to the hardware store and seeing if we can fix this sink once and for all.

Weird Weather

Yesterday and today: snowing, freezing temperatures.
Friday through Tuesday: highs in the 60s

Snow Day #2

We spent all of yesterday (Snow Day #1) inside.  Today, we went sledding!  Korra wasn't too impressed with the snow or sledding, but she rode down the hill twice!  And guess what?  Just got the call that school is canceled for tomorrow, too!  Trying to enjoy the days at home and not worry about when we're going to have to make them up.

Snow Update

About an inch on the ground, none sticking to the road yet.  Supposed to ice over tonight.  Crockpot is full of minestrone soup and biscuits are in the oven.  I think we'll take Korra out to play in the snow tomorrow.  I'll try to take a picture.

Total Mess

It is bedlam here.  Parents storming the front office, the kids are bouncing off the walls and it continues to sleet outside.  This is very poorly planned and executed.

Another Half-Day

They finally made a decision.  We're going home at 11:30.  School is canceled for tomorrow, too.  Kind of excited, but also dreading these make-up days in the spring.

Whining

So we're at school, but no one is happy.  Teachers, parents, kids, everyone is pissed to be here.  Me, I don't really care as long as the roads don't get dangerous before dismissal.  But it looks like they might be- it's currently sleeting.  And there's rumors flying everywhere that school is going to be dismissed any minute.  Not sure if they'd count it if we leave before noon and I really don't want to have to make up today if I've already been here for 3.5 hours.

Waiting

Waiting, waiting, waiting to see if school will be cancelled tomorrow.  It's supposed to start snowing around noon, but won't be heavy until after 3.  Place your bets now!

HALF DAY!

Taking a half sick day today because I have a dentist appointment in the afternoon, so Nate, Korra, and I are going to our lunch at our favorite burger joint!  Then because it's warmish today (but it's supposed to SNOW tomorrow), I'll take a walk.  Totally makes up for the dentist appointment that will include Xrays.

That Will Be Less Cute With Poop On It

Sometimes when I see baby clothes on Pintrest (like white lace-trimmed monogrammed diaper covers), I can't help but imagine them on Korra.  And by that I mean they would be covered in poop, spit-up, yogurt, or graham cracker drool (yes, that's a thing).

walk, soup, and cookies

Had an pleasant walk on this warmish day and then enjoyed sharing a dinner of my favorite vegetable chowder (recipe from the More with Less cookbook), rolls, and chocolate chip cookies with 2 of our neighbor friends.

Toot, Burp, XBox

These are just some of the newest additions to Korra's vocabulary.  Other additions include: flower, choo-choo, Uncle Todd, pocket, I see ___, and pretzel.

Korra Update

Korra's been kicking a ball around the living room.  Future soccer player?

Korra learned how to climb up onto the couch.  Hoping climbing out of the crib is still far off.

Korra says, "beep, beep, beep" at the end of every book since that's how her favorite book ends.

Homemade Yogurt

Today I've baked 2 kinds of muffins (veggie muffins for Korra and apple oat zucchini muffins for me), made granola and... have my very first batch of yogurt in the crockpot.  The only whole-milk yogurt I can is nearly $4 for a four-pack, so I did a little research and apparently you can very easily make yogurt in your crockpot.  It'll be done in the morning and I'm hoping it's good because it was inexpensive and easy!

New Garbage Disposal

Nate and my brother installed our new garbage disposal tonight!  Only had a minor glitch where we thought the dishwasher was also broken, but all is well now.

Webinar

I'm supposed to be participating in a webinar for our upcoming book fair.  In just the first 10 minutes, I've had to walk away from it 4 times.  Thank goodness I get credit for this either way (and that I already know a lot of this info).

Saved!

Nate's at trivia and Korra's in bed so I'm watching Saved! (according to Nate, it's the 100th time I've seen it) and crocheting.  Lots of baby blankets to make these days!

Boring, Boring

Things feel a little boring this week.  Nothing exciting at school.  Too cold to go outside much less do anything fun after school.  I don't even have any interesting dinners planned.

Another Sinus Headache

Sinus headaches for the last 4 mornings.

ABC Book

Finally got Korra's alphabet book bound yesterday afternoon!  I am super proud of how it turned out and very pleased with how much Korra enjoys looking at it.  She can identify almost every picture when you say the name (even all the family members!) and she also likes pointing at pictures, having you say the name, and then trying to say it too.

Just Like Her Dad

Tried to go through Korra's toys today to see if there are any she doesn't play with or that she's outgrown.  She grabbed each toy out my "give away" pile (even ones she's never played with!) and hugged them.  I've got a hoarder in the making on my hands!

Family Photo

Had such a wonderful time with my family this weekend.

Shampoo

I accidentally put shampoo all over my legs instead of lotion.  Had to get back in the shower to rinse it all off.  I swear the little hotel bottles look exactly the same.

Cousins Plus Dog

Raisins Down Dress

Korra dumped her entire box of raisins down the front of my dress during church.  Reach down and grab them or stand up and shake them out?

Brewery Tour

Lunch at Burger Worx and then a tour of Highland Brewery with the siblings!

More Lunchtime Reading

So interested in this concept!  I would love to attend a dinner AND host one!  Would definitely inspire me to be a better cook!

While Eating My Chocolate...

I read this article.  Very interesting!

Frustration

Feeling exceptionally frustrated with the leadership at school today.  With such a big school, communication is difficult.  I hate that often I am communicated TO (not with) and have no opportunity to dialog.  It makes me feel that who I am and what I do are not valued.  I know they don't want me to feel this way, but I don't even have the means to share my feelings.  Done venting.  I feel a little better.

MLK Weekend

Spending the upcoming 3 day weekend at my parents' house with ALL my siblings!  I'm so glad we discovered that it's easier for all of us to get together for those less celebrated holidays.

Exploding Disposal

I had a little extra time this morning, so I decided to wash the dishes before I left for school.  I ran the garbage disposal and soon after felt water all over my feet.  Somehow the disposal had become disconnected and it's contents (potato peelings, etc) and a sink full of soapy water filled the cabinet and spilled out all over the kitchen floor.  Not the way I wanted to start my morning.

Chocolate Time!

It's Friday!  I'm going to eat some chocolate!

Printed!

Korra's alphabet book is printed and ready to be laminated and bound tomorrow.  I'm REALLY happy with how it's turned out so far!

I love...

Nate: I love you, Korra.
Korra: I wud Bobby (translation: I love Nobby)

Interesting Afternoon/Evening

Spent a good part of my afternoon at school rearranging furniture in the library.  I'm still not entirely happy with the changes, but I think it's almost there.  When I got home, we went to pick up a few books from the library and also ended up leaving with a kitten.  Took said kitten to the animal shelter 10 minutes after they closed (but they were, thankfully, still able to take him/her off our hands).  We then went to Goodwill and though we didn't find what we were looking for, we did find an Radio Flyer push cart (like this one) for just $20!  When we got home Korra had a total melt-down for no apparent reason so she went to bed early and Nate and I were able to eat dinner alone.  Not at all the afternoon/evening I was expecting.

This Sub

She just sits across from me, watching me eat lunch.  She says, "Are those baby carrots?  You know they soak them in Clorox, right?"

Something in the Water

There are SIX teachers at this school who are pregnant and due between June and August.  I need to start bringing water from home.

Sub

They pulled my assistant to cover ISS and then gave me a sub.  A sub who cannot understand how to use the computer and doesn't know how to shelve books.  It's more work trying to figure out things for her to do than if I didn't have a sub at all.  Not a fun day for me, but I know my assistant (who I'll call SS for Super Spectacular from now on) is having an even worse day in ISS.

Hot and Brrr

Korra has discovered that hot and cold are opposites.  The problem is that she cannot understand that there's anything in between.  She points to an item and says, "Hot?" and I say, "No, it's not hot."  So she says, "Brrrr."  I say, "No, it's not cold."  So she says, "hot" again.  This continues until you tell her that the item in question is either hot or cold.

New Spotify Station

My newest Spotify station: Third Eye Blind.  (Lit, Matchbox 20, Bare Naked Ladies, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Gin Blossoms).  It's like I'm in high school all over again.

20 Minutes Late

Got lost on the way to church.  Better late than never, right?

Alphabet Book

Working on an alphabet book for Korra that will capitalize on the words she uses most often as well as family members.  Really having fun putting this together!  I hope she enjoys it!

Perfect Saturday

Today was great.  In the afternoon, it was sunny and in the 60s.  We got things done around the house we've been avoiding because of the cold, we went on a walk, I got my hair cut, and then we had a really delicious dinner with some friends.  Now it's time for a bit of crafting and reading before bed.  Really, a perfectly enjoyable day.

Phone Watch

I want a phone that snaps into a wristband so I can wear my phone like a watch.  Why has this not been invented yet?

Chocolate

One of my new year's resolutions is only to eat sweets on Fridays and Saturdays.  After all the over-indulging of Christmas, the chocolate withdrawal has been pretty intense.  But in an hour, after lunch, I will indulge in slowly eating 2 Lindt Lindor truffles.  Mmmmmm.

FrontPage Guru

I know I've told you how inept I am at using FrontPage to update the school website.  But for some reason, word has gone around the school system that I'm some sort of FrontPage guru.  People keep calling me with questions because they heard that I'm "so good" at website design/maintenance.  From whence did this lie spawn?  I am the last person anyone should be asking, but the calls keep coming.

Since Lisa Asked

Here's the link to where I got the Tupac or Shakespeare quiz:

http://severnlibrary.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/tupac-or-shakespeare/

Jekyll Island, Here We Come!

Just reserved our campsite at Jekyll Island for Spring Break!  Excited and a little nervous about taking Korra on her first camping trip!

A Few Random Thoughts

The pants I'm wearing are too big.  It looks like I have a saggy butt.  Why didn't I notice this before?

I managed to keep 55 7th graders quiet and reading for 20 minutes all by myself this morning.  In case you didn't know, this is a huge accomplishment.

They're making The Giver into a movie!  Oh, I hope they do it justice.  But more than that, it'll get the kids reading one of my favorite books!

Tupac or Shakespeare

Getting my latest library quiz ready- Tupac or Shakespeare?

I have 18 quotes and they have to guess who wrote it.  I hope the kids think it's as fun as I do!

No Morning Time

Korra usually wakes up at 6:30 and we have breakfast together before school.  She's sleeping through it today (for the first time ever) and I'm really sad about going to school without my morning Korra time.

Sushi

Since the nori I ordered from Amazon came in today, we had sushi for dinner!  We used the recipe from Relish (which I told you about a few days ago).  The filling was tempura fried sweet potatoes, cucumber, and avocado.  Very tasty!

Zombie Cat

Had to take Nobby to the vet because the side of his face (where he got bit) was swollen.  They had to put him under, shave more of the area, drain the infection, and then put a string through it so it could keep draining.  And we thought he looked bad before!  It was hard not to gag when I looked at him last night.

Necklaces

Korra discovered a couple of lanyards that we had in a drawer.  Now she wears her "necklaces" everywhere (they hang down to her knees!).

Fleece Lined Leggings

I was tempted to wear my fleece lined leggings to school today under my pants.  But I thought better of it since I wore them all day yesterday.  And slept in them last night.  I might need to buy another pair.

School Canceled!

School's canceled tomorrow due to the very low temperatures, but only for the kids.  I still have to come in.  BOO.

4 Good Books

I read 4 books over Christmas Break.

First, I read The Other Side of the Sky by Farah Ahmedi.  It's a memoir about an Afghani teenage girl and while her story is incredible and inspiring, the so-so writing (while totally understandable given that she's only been speaking English for a few years) took some of the enjoyment out of it for me.

Next I read Relish by Lucy Knisley.  This is a graphic novel style memoir centering on the author's favorite food memories.  It includes recipes!

I then moved on to some realistic YA fiction.  The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door by Karen Finneyfrock was fantastic.  I love the main character.  I love the writing.

I finished up with Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys.  I could barely put it down.  It was so, so good.  Set in the 1940s in New Orleans, this story of yet another amazing main character and a plot that kept me on my toes (and gasping often, much to Nate's annoyance).

All in all, a very enjoyable Christmas break!

Desperate Need for Sunshine and Warmth

It's cold and dreary.  Tomorrow is supposed to be 58* but still cloudy and there's a chance of snow on Monday.  I know it's only January, but I am in need of a warm, sunny day!  Clearly my 18 years in Georgia have sapped any of that Wisconsin/Illinois fortitude out of my blood.

Yogurt Face

I stepped out of the room for a minute while Korra was feeding herself breakfast.  I came back to find she'd abandoned her spoon.  Ewwww.

Game Night

Invited 14 people over for a game night and ALL of them showed up!  It was loud and our house is small, but we had fun!

Harry Potter Mug

Drinking hot cocoa out of my new Harry Potter mug makes this teacher work day a bit more bearable.

Ugly Cat

Our cat Nobby has this weird thing where if he loses hair, it never grows back.  We first noticed this when a collar rubbed a bald patch on his neck as a kitten.  Since then there have been numerous altercations with neighborhood cats that have lead to other small, not terribly noticeable bald spots.  Until now.  He is missing two quarter-sized patches of hair on the side of his face from some fight he got into while we were out of town.  He's only 4 years old.  If he continues at this pace, he is going to be one mangy, ugly cat.

Well Rounded

Korra loves shoes, purses, and brushing her own hair.  She also loves her airplane and dumptruck she got for Christmas and the only animal sound she knows is dinosaur (roar, roar, roar!)  I think we've got one well rounded little girl on our hands.

New Year's at the Cabin

Spent the past couple of days at the cabin.  We had a really enjoyable breakfast with my high school girls and their kids.  We enjoyed catching up with Beth and Kelley.  We had Christmas with Nate's family, ate lots of good food, and played board games.  Nate, his brother, and his dad went to the Duke vs. Texas A&M game on New Year's Eve while the girls stayed at home.  Once the kids were in bed, my mother in law taught me how to French braid and I practices on my sister in law's hair while watching Legend of the Falls.  Korra enjoyed playing with her cousin, Jude, who is 8 months old, though she didn't enjoy sharing her toys or when he tried to pull himself up on her.

New Words

Here's a list of some of Korra's new words:
pants, phone, Jude (her cousin!), button, iPod, down, water, teeth, eat, poop,
and...
I LOVE YOU!