Scrap Fever

So the last few days I have had scrap fever! It all started when I scrapped those cute pictures of that adorable Caitlyn. Then, I just couldn't stop. I have been ignoring the laundry, my looming workload (only 5 more days until I have to be Kindergarten ready... ack!), the list of phone calls I needed to make this week, everything! But, I actually finished Kyla's 2005-2006 book. It has 42 pages of 8 1/2 by 11 goodness. I started this book in 2006 (when I made the "Be a Gypsy" layout) you can go by and look at it in my 2006 archives if you want. This morning I made the layout above.... one of my favorites. I just love this picture of Kyla and Pepper. So now I have been looking at the pictures in Mason's 2006 album. It is a photo sleeve album, so even though it has 32 pages, it should come together pretty quickly. Hopefully before 2010!

Little Accomplishments

So today was a fairly productive day.
1. I made 2 scrapbook layouts of sweet Cindyanna's Caitlyn. This is the first... well, part of it anyway. I have photoshopped it a little to protect the innocent!
2. I ironed 3 very large, very wrinkly kitchen chair covers for our kitchen area. You know, those cool ones they have in the Pottery Barn catalog which are made of linen or something. Mine came from Target and are made of cotton or something equally difficult to get wrinkles out of. They look a heck of a lot better than my old chairs, though! (I did this while watching Harry Potter)
3. I dusted the entire living room area. (While still watching Harry Potter)
4. I organized all of my 2008 pictures into 6 places... a family album to be scrapbooked, K's album to be scrapbooked, M's album to be scrapbooked, 3 little mini albums for events, a sleeve type of album for pictures I don't want to scrapbook, and the trash. This took a very long while and used up all of my energy. I had to keep moving things out of the "to be scrapbooked" albums and into the sleeve album. I had vowed not to add any pages to the album of pictures to be scrapbooked, and it was full by October or so. Anyway, it is done, and I am thinking I may work a little on my "Welcome 2008" album. I think there's a post about it somewhere in January if you're interested.

Anyway, here's to little accomplishments! Cheers!

Peace, Love and Merry Days

Just wanted to say I hope your days this week are full of peace and love and merriment. Last Saturday, my mom and my sister and her 3 girls and my 1 girl all loaded up and drove through ice and sleet and snow to go to Granny's Christmas party. It was a terrific day with lots of laughter and chatting and catching up. I am always amazed at how lively and energetic my Granny is at 76. I pray for that when I am older. On the way home we stopped and played in the snow for a little bit.
Here is Kyla looking awkward.

And Alyssa. Gotta love those teenagers!

Here is Madi getting ready to whack me with a snowball.

Alivia chasing someone.

And my favorite is my mom. She was really into the snowball fight. Every time she threw a snowball she would stick her tongue out. I wish I'd have gotten a picture of that!

Merry Christmas!

The post in which....

I apologize for feeling so sorry for myself like a big blubber-er.
Anyway, things are feeling much less hectic around here now. I have finished my work (at school anyway) for 2008, and I don't think I forgot anything really important.
Wrapped and sent students' presents? CHECK
Gave gifts/cards to work people? CHECK
Sent gifts to parent helpers home? CHECK
Put items in bags for custodians and secretaries? CHECK
Sent home giant bags full of work and messy gingerbread houses? CHECK
Ate delicious piece of cake left on my desk by former parent? OOOOOPS!

Uh oh! I hope their aren't any ants in my room when I get back to work next week!

A quick note (or maybe not so quick)

Life is so complicated sometimes. For so many days and weeks and months we have been waiting for our house to sell. We have been kind of on hold... like we are not living our life like we should until the house sells... like we can't be happy until the house sells... like nothing is ever sweet enough or completely fulfilling until the house sells.

Well, now the house has sold, and I have fallen into a deep dark hole of depression. For about 4 weeks now, off and on, I have been sleeping poorly, eating unhealth-ily, exercising irregularly, and feeling horrible. I dream about which drawer or cupboard the pots and pans should go in. I wake up in the middle of the night worrying about getting recycling containers. I carry pictures around the house for hours wondering where I should hang them. I feel frantic and frenetic for 18 hours of most every day.

I know part of this is due to hormones (I have been seeing a doctor to help with issues dealing with peri-menopause), but also I think I have just been under this enormous weight of pressure for so long, that I am going through a period of decompression. I am shedding the weight of all of that expectation and waiting and disappointment mostly through tears (I can feel them building up in the back of my throat even now), but I am also yelling at my kids too much and snapping at my husband too much. It is getting better little by little. Soon I hope to be back to normal. I am wishing you will keep checking in here, and not write me off as hopeless.

I will be back, I promise.

Love, Nancy

Taking a Break

I know it's a little late to be telling you this, but obviously life has gotten too complicated, and I need a little blogging break. Will try to get back before Christmas, but no promises.

Moving update....

Well, our "old" house's sale closed about a week ago, and our new house sale closed on Friday!! I just can't believe we are back in the business of living in a house we love! The electricity has been out over there (at the new house) and PG&E can't hook it back up until tomorrow, so we can't move in just yet, but today we went over and started painting the kitchen. It was a bright mossy green color, which in my opinion didn't look great with all the taupe and brown and red on the other walls (which I LOVE!) so I decided to paint the kitchen a sunny light yellow! We got one wall all finished, and it looks terrific! We could have done more, but the first coat just wasn't drying fast enough in the Arctic weather we were having today.... also, the light was beginning to fade. So, tomorrow I will be back at it all by myself. I have so many goals of things to get done this week while I am off work, that I know the week is gonna fly right by!

My week

I am feeling super fragmented and stretched out this week.
I had a delightful weekend in Tuolumne County. I drank wine and lemondrops and even some beer. I hung out and chatted with lots of wonderful old friends. I collected the sparse remnants of a previous life from the nooks and crannies and cubbyholes of my past home to make it ready for it's new owners. I breathed in the crisp dry air of the Sierras. It was lovely.
Then, it was home and work and busy, busy, busy. The highlight of my week has been meeting Caitlin. (You can click on over to Cindy's blog and meet her, too!) I got to hold her sweet little soft, sighing self for 40 minutes or so. Ahhh.
Buying a new home is complicated. More paperwork and jumping through hoops than I remember. More stress as well... since we've had such trials in this journey we are always expecting the worst. We could use some prayers for this if you're so inclined.
I am looking forward to the weekend. I have LOTS of plans. Too many I am sure, but hopefully some boxes will be packed, some sleep will be caught up on, some work (house, school and exercise) will be accomplished.

She's Here!

The call is in! Who cares who the president is.... Caitlin Marie is born!! Yay for Cindy and Dennis! P. S. This is not a picture of her... I just snagged it off the net.

Election Day

Well, after work, I hustled up to my polling place, not sure what I would find since I had heard lots of reports of long lines, etc. But, as usual, things went fine. I didn't have to wait at all, and it took me about 15 seconds to fill in all the bubbles I chose on my ballot. I won't bore anyone with talk of what I vote for or against or who I chose, as for me this is too personal of information to share on the web. I actually refuse to talk about politics with anyone except those who are closest to me. It infuriates K that I won't tell her who I voted for.

More exciting than the presidential election, for sure, is the knowledge that sweet Cindyanna is as we speak giving birth to her new baby girl. I just can't wait to meet her! Will definitely post a picture of her as soon as I get within 10 feet of her with my camera.

SOLD!

After 874 days, our house finally sold. We have been in escrow several times before, but this time I really think it will go through. It is a cash offer. Very positive. I should be jumping for joy, but all I can do is wish and hope that we will be able to afford a house here that we like.

A birthday boy

So, since it hasn't been that long since I gushed about how much I love my wonderful husband, but I thought I'd list a few reasons why I want him to have a wonderful birthday:
1. He has been really stressed out at work, but still does all his helping out at home and is almost always in a good mood.
2. He has been super supportive and wonderful during our "trials" while trying to sell our home.
3. He is getting all handsome with his smiley eyes and a few (very few) gray hairs.
4. He is always the first person I want to see when I am happy or sad or stressed out or anything.
5. He is really knowledgable about politics and history and money management (which are all the things I know very little about).
6. He is my prince charming.

Love you, babe.

Digging my way out...

I really have felt like I am buried under a gi-normous pile of crap lately.... School work needing to be cut or glued or hung up or taken down, class book pages needing covers and bindings, dirty dishes and unfolded socks... Yuck!

But this week I am beginning to dig my way up out of the pile. I have less stuff scattered around my room. I have faithfully been doing the dishes right after dinner. I have my eye on the dreaded sock basket. Soon, I think. Soon I will see the light at the end of the tunnel. I just hope it is not a mirage!

Going, going, gone

Life feels like it is rushing by in giant, swooshing chunks. I am busy doing chores or working out or shopping or reading a book or getting stuff ready for school and WALLA! 2 hours are gone! I am shocked almost every time I look at the clock. There are just not enough moments in my days. So, I am pledging to take some big, deep cleansing breaths (like my friend Cindy will be taking very soon when her sweet, bubble blowing baby girl is born) and SLOW DOWN. I will find time to enjoy my days. I will find time to listen when my husband is talking. I will find time to hug my kids. I will find time to appreciate my students. I will find time to answer my emails. I will find time to blog more than once a week. I promise, I will.

Beautiful Day

Such a beautiful day... Sun shining, a project with our big buddies (who we adore). Even though things were set to go badly... in a classic Monday way... I arrived at work at my regular time. I proceeded to glance at my lesson plan book and realize that I forgot to buy the ingredients for a cooking project I needed to make (twice... once for my class, once for the other). After pacing around irritated for a bit, I decided to drive up to the little market at morning recess for supplies, but the oned I had planned (a colorful trail mix) didn't seem likely, so I just completely made up a new project... bread slices cut with cookie cutters then covered with apple butter or peanut butter and some sprinkles and exactly 4 chocolate chips. The students followed the recipe and LOVED the food. It turned out pretty well. Then, a long staff meeting that didn't bother me at all. And not getting home until 5:30. Then dinner and watching 4 long and blissful hours of LOST on Sci Fi (It's now a commercial) while glueing labels on 24 color books for tomorrow. Somehow it still feels like a beautiful day. Was it the sun? Was it that my hormones are finally coming under control and I'll no longer be a raving lunatic? I really can't say, but it was nice to feel content.

I want you to know...

Even when I am snappy or yell at you, I love you.
I miss the way you used to run up and hug me when I got home.
You can call me anytime you are in trouble.... I want you to always put your safety first.
My happiest nights are when there is laughter at the dinner table with all four of us there.
If I could, I would make all your wishes come true... but would that really make you happy?
I worry sometimes because you say you do not believe in God, but I was full of questions at your age, then I grew to love God and have a personal relationship with him, and I pray you will too.
I want you to find something you love to do, that you are passionate about, and make it your life's work.
I think the world is a better place because you are in it.
Even when I am snappy or yell at you, I love you.

Yikes!

I knew I had been neglecting my blog life, but wow, I didn't realized it had been WEEKS! Do I have an excuse? Not really. Unless you count menstruating for 16 days straight and counting. So sorry if that is TMI for most of you, but it's all I've got going on. Am wondering what my gyno will say to this info. The original appointment didn't really resolve any of my issues.

I have been glued to the TV lately, LOST for 4 hours every Monday night on Sci Fi. It's the first seasons episodes which I haven't seen yet, and I am reveling in every single detail. The Biggest Loser on Tuesday... hate that obnoxious brown team! Project Runway on Wednesdays... getting down to the last few. I like Leanne. That does not bode well for her, as my fashion tastes do not usually mesh with those snooty judges. Thursdays are, Of course, Grey's Anatomy (which I thought was really blah and boring last week) and ER (which was great, and I had to watch it on the computer later, cause I missed it for a so so episode of Grey's... won't make that mistake again!)

Mark and I are still into working out. I am averaging 5-6 days per week even with school in session. That is pretty good for me. We walk together 3 or so days per week... with our naughty little Pepper in tow. It is good for our marriage. It gives us time together without distractions (except trying to keep Pepper from attacking a German Shepherd and being eaten in one gulp), we talk about everything that's going on. I must say I am more up to date on financial news and politics than I have ever been in my life! It also gives us time to come up with strategies for dealing with those 2 teenagers that live in our house. I'm telling you, if you try to deal with them spur of the moment, you are toast. They are ruthless, so we have our planning sessions while we walk. And, we work out our disagreements... so then we can present a united front. This is also very important... divide and conquer is a teenager's best technique!

Anyway, nothing of excitement around here. Just living life day to day. Trying to appreciate the beauty and embrace the absurd... or at least laugh at it.

Never Forget

After 7 years it seems some have forgotten. Certainly the feelings of this day are not as raw as they were. I just wanted to put a little tribute out there. To let people know I haven't forgotten. I chose this video primarily because of the song. These are the perfect words.

What a Kicker!!

One of the hardest things for me about living 400 miles away from my family for 10 years was special events. You know, when your kids have their Christmas program or football game or first communion. And their you sit, just you and your husband (or maybe just you if your husband works over 70 hours most weeks, which is what mine did). There's no extended family. No one cheering with you.
So, when my sister told me my niece Madi had her first soccer game on Saturday, I was happy to rearrange my schedule to be there.
And, boy, was it a game! Madi scored 3 goals and was right in there on every play. She is just a natural athlete and had fun to boot!
I am so glad I was there to capture this picture, and the memory in my heart to go with it. It is truly priceless.

For my Girl

Some things I want to remember about you right now...

1. How you occasionally still call me "Mommy"
2. How you are good at confessing things to try to eliminate or reduce the magnitude of problems.
3. How you get completely angry whenever we say you cannot do something you really want to do.
4. That you made 2 necklaces to wear. One with five simple beads and one with the caps off of energy drinks.
5. That you and I keep stealing the hairspray from each other and really need separate cans.
6. That you like Pikachu and have a pikachu toy you sleep with.
7. How you are waiting so patiently for your braces.
8. That you listen to screamer metal at the computer while you are working or on My Space.
9. How you don't really pay much attention to Pepper, but worry about him if you think he's in danger.
10. That when I look into your eyes I see beauty and caring and intelligence and (usually) a little bit of annoyance.