Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Happy Hump Day! Today I am participating in two fun link ups!
This month’s Currently with Jenn:
Loving:
Having a puppy in the house again! We are in love and our little Eddie Otis is getting more mature by the day.
Profile Pic:
He can be so serious. When we open his crate he just sits like a statue for a few minutes before coming out. He does this pose many times a day.
Having the kids living at home this year! The house is full! It’s a little messy! We can’t keep food in the house!
Looking Forward To:
Something this fall that I will tell you about soon!
Scheduling:
Something in the fall that I will tell you about soon!
Buying:
Amy got some back to school stuff!
Does my new backpack make me look young?
Solid gold, baby! Why didn’t I think of gold Stan Smiths? You all know of my deep love for a golden shoe.
Skechers Cleo Mary Janes. Sometimes a gal needs a flat. I saw these at DSW and couldn’t believe it was a Skecher.
Gearing up for:
A loss of freedom! A loss of unstructured time! A loss of down time!
But, hopefully gearing up to meet a great new group of kids. Most of my students this year will be new to me. Some years I have many I have already taught. This year I only have 10 maybe?
I got to meet a transfer student named Wren – isn’t that a pretty name? She and her mom were walking her schedule while I was working in my room. The mom was very nervous about her daughter starting at a large public school as she was coming from a small school. I told her that our school seems much smaller than it is. She was worried about the metal detectors and safety and I was trying to reassure her. Just as I finished talking about this, my colleague popped her head in and said, “have you been able to find that active shooter video training yet?” I was like, oh man, your timing is not great! Ha!
This week’s Hodgepodge with Joyce:
1. What’s a task you do on a regular (or semi-regular basis) that feels like it should be an Olympic event?
Unloading the dishwasher? I have timed myself before because I’m a nerd. This used to be a dreaded task but now I realize how quickly I can do it. Also, I got rid of a lot of the stuff in the cabinet that made it so hard to put things away. I had a really good system when twins were in high school. We would eat, they would unload together and then re-load together. That habit went away and now I’m an unload first thing in the morning while coffee brews kind of person.
2. What’s in the trunk of your car right now?
I like an uncluttered car. I currently have a quilt and a birthday gift for a friend. Remember how Tom had his truck contents stolen? That man keeps so much stuff in his vehicle and it drives me crazy and always has. Emergency camping trip? He’s got his gear! It’s a Suburban and there’s hardly a place for a human.
3. Summer foods vs. fall foods…which do you prefer?
I think my answer would be different in March, but fall foods? I have become a real soup person. I love roasted vegetables. My kids get very animated with me and say that foods don’t have seasons.
Would you rather-watermelon or caramel apple? iced coffee or pumpkin spiced latte? potato salad or sweet potato casserole? barbecued ribs or roast turkey? ice cream sandwich or apple pie? corn on the cob or candy corn?
caramel apple (caramel is one of the best things on the planet)
pumpkin spiced latte
sweet potato casserole (no nuts!)
roast turkey (what am I – a cave woman? I do not enjoy holding a messy bone in my hands and eating like a savage)
apple pie – with ice cream on top
corn on the cob but I do like candy corn. It’s quite controversial!
4. August 7th is National Lighthouse Day. Have you visited any lighthouses? Do you have a favorite? Is a lighthouse something you seek out if you’re visiting an area known for theirs?
I know I have but none really stand out. I really don’t, but maybe I should.
5. Light at the end of the tunnel, out like a light, give the green light, a lightbulb moment, in a new light, in the limelight…of the ‘light’ idioms listed which applies in some way to your life lately? Explain.
Wow – tough question! I’m stumped. I am transitioning from stay at home puppy mom to full time high school teacher so a lightbulb moment that I had years ago was to make choices on how to balance my home/work life. The pandemic really blurred lines. I don’t check work email after school anymore. I keep up with email throughout the day but then I do one final check and leave it until the next morning. It seems so little, but this has helped immensely. My department knows this, so they text me if something comes up. I plan to do something for myself every day and that might just be reading for 10 minutes, reading blogs in the morning, having a favorite snack, having a cup of tea after school.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Women have such a productivity mindset! I hear friends and my sisters say they “didn’t do much but rest” but then they list all these things they did. Maybe resting was the most productive thing for you that day, by the way. Why are we like this? Me included! We also think we have to put everything on our shoulders. I also see women choose productivity over fun – me included. Or, they cut out the one thing they look forward to each week. Stepping off of soapbox now.
Thank you to Joyce and Jenn!
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
Wonderful post, thank you! I hope you’re enjoying your first week in school! Have the students showed up yet? I actually took my first day off (Monday) to visit military girl at her ship! It wasn’t popular, but my principal is a very nice person!
University girl picked up our dog-for-loan yesterday and I’m already worried for returning him. She loves dogs so much, and this one is a real cutie! They will come to the cabin tomorrow and I have borrowed the neighbor dog’s life vest!
Stan Smiths with gold details! Gaah! I had planned to buy new ones this summer (with dark blue details) but I actually thought they were too expensive… The dollar is not fun for us right now!
Enjoy your day dear you!
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Kids come tomorrow – eek!
Good for you – family comes first.
Awww – so fun to have a dog on loan.
She can come here and watch Eddie Otis for me!
I’m sorry the dollar isn’t your friend. These were under $100 I think. It’s hard to find a sneaker for under that these days.
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Love the answers & will stay tuned for your upcoming things! I’m with you, no nuts on the sweet potato casserole please & I also like candy corn. What a story of that mom of th new student 😌
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Thank you! I’m not often a woman of mystery. I hate nuts – except I love peanuts and pistachios. Have you had the mixture of candy corn and peanuts? It tastes like a Payday candy bar. So good!
Right? That poor mama!
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I’m laughing not laughing at your co-worker’s comment while Wren and her mother were talking to you! Ugh!! The state of education – gotta love it!
I cannot wait to hear what you have going on this fall, it sounds BIG and exciting!
I like the Stan Smith’s. I have found I need more of a platform on my sneakers, so far my Adidas Nizzia’s are my faves. I am still thinking of doing a post on sneakers but have to get working on it!
xo,
Kellyann
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Haha! You have to laugh in this line of work!
I found the platform hard to walk in with my adidas. They could have been too big!
Isn’t that funny – all of us are different with our feet and what we think is most comfortable.
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The timing was unfortunate, but I suppose we should be glad there is some sort of training in place for the staff. Sadly it’s the world we live in. I enjoyed your random thought as I have been thinking along these lines too. Even in retirement we feel like we need to accomplish so much. I told hubs recently that we should make more time to do the little things we enjoy, like reading for instance. And blogging too. I’m doing it! Have a great back to school week!
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Right? We have to train for it but it was just really ironic timing!
I can’t figure out where a summer day goes. I feel like I’m always doing something and rarely sit down.
Yea you should make a daily schedule that involves “choice activities”. Your hub might laugh.
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Your random thought is SO on point!! So very true- I feel guilty when I am not productive….hope you have a wonderful school year…always love reading about your teaching adventures 🙂
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I loved reading your answers, and now I want to know what you’re doing this fall! I know you’ll share soon…hopefully. 🤣 I saw that Sketchers flat shoe, and I had an immediate dislike of the look of it; how do you feel about that style? It’s the bow and the point that do that for me. I like those golden sneakers! I’m very tempted to try some sneakers from Walmart; Tanya influenced me!
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Post next week!
That’s what I love!
The bow and the point!
Mary Janes are very trendy now, too!
Teachers always need a black flat, though. It’s in the contract.
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Maybe it’s because I live in Florida but to me, I can eat any food, any time. We have a friend, though, who won’t drink a stout in the summer. I can drink any beer, any time!
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So happy for you! There’s nothing better than having all the kids under one roof and a cute puppy too 😍 My middle daughter is going to grad school about 3 hours away and my youngest is finishing her last year at OU so my son will be the only one at home. 😕 I know all my kids will move out eventually but I really love having them here. I love those Mary Janes! They look so cute and comfortable.
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I love those sketchers! Ugh, I think I emptied that dishwasher 3 times yesterday! I am so glad it such a quick chore though and I find if I unload it right away it cuts down on loading since everyone will put their dirty dishes in it if there are no dishes in the sink.
Your ribs answer made me chuckle! I definitely feel there are some foods that only go with certain seasons. My husband was laughing because he was making menu suggestions last week but they were things like pot roast, chili, etc. and other “fall” things. I’m all for a good pot roast but in our much too short grilling season I want all the grilled meats this time of year.
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Firstly I’m in love with your puppy! What a handsome little guy.
I should have said, emptying out the dishwasher. I hate it and always rush through it.
I much prefer a clean uncluttered car. My husband likes to keep a toolbox, and stuff we really don’t need. It’s still a new car! Why does he think we’re going to break down? We have roadside assistance! Now it’s empty. Just took it in to be washed and detailed. I love it this way!
Enjoyed your answers
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Hey, it’s not midnight when I’m commenting! I always loved when the kids came home for Christmas with their families. Our house was full to overflowing then. Now, we all live close enough so no one spends the night. So, I miss that full house feeling. Eddie Otis really reminds me of my granddog, Charlie. He’s a silver lab. I didn’t really ever necessarily think of foods as seasonal, but now I realize I totally do! Love those gold Stan Smiths!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
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I laughed at the poor timing of your collègue asking about the active shooter video. We had to watch a similar video. We were talking about how the video tells us that it’s a good idea to have water and snacks in the closet for kids to make them more comfortable during a code red. However, the reality is that we can’t use our supply money from the state to buy the water and snacks.
I’ve done 5/6 of the compliance videos, and more will be added during the school year, but it feels good to clear the list quickly. Our first day with students is next Monday, and due to excellent timing and somw rare good luck, I’ll miss the behavior assemblies that week! 🙂
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Love EO’s profile pic! The white sneakers are great! I love Jansport…I had a purple one for my high school years. I shared a pick of small Jansport lunchboxes that I spotted at Dick’s Sporting Goods a couple of weeks ago. So cute.
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Your dog is adorable. I had a Jansport bag back in high school. They are a great company – if the zipper breaks or anything, they fix it!
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I love both pairs of shoes!
Wren was a girl name I loved for Sutton. Scott did not lol.
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Thank you! I have worn both and loved both! It’s hard to find names that both partners like! We had that problem, too.
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I love those Sketcher Mary Janes. They are so cute!!!
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Thank you! They need a bit more support for a full day, but are good for just a few hours on your feet.
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