pretty places

I may have mentioned a week or so ago that I have recently discovered the wonder of Pinterest. Now I can see how it can be Incredibly addicting. It's amazing. Really.

Now that I've been looking around a little bit on there I have found a few places I would like to be...

can you say perfect? 

All beautiful and different and wonderful for a completely different reasons. And now you know where I wish I were. See? I've found so many pretty places on Pinterest : ) 

a little surprise

The other day my supervising teacher from my student teaching days sent me a text asking me if I wanted some books. Well, heck yes I wanted some books. She told me one of the other teachers from my student teaching days had a bunch of books and wanted to know if I wanted some. I did. Yesterday I went over pick them up. I was expecting one box of books. Welcome the best surprise of my life. Ever. Okay, maybe not the best surprise of my life ever, but still it was pretty darn good.

There were three whole big boxes overflowing with books. I about died of happiness. I love books. I love that now I have a pretty nice library for my classroom. bah! I love it! So much so that I stood outside in the extreme heat looking through each box. Looking at each book. Ignoring the fact that I was an afternoon snack for the local mosquito gang. When I got inside I counted 38 bites on my legs and arms, hands and feet. No joke. They itch so much!

Anyhow. That's how much I love books. 38 bug bites worth. Extreme heat worth. Now, I just need a classroom to share them with  : )

Also, I just have to say I have the best supervising teacher ever. And the best teacher friends ever. Oh, I am blessed.

What surprises have you been surprised with lately?

Menu Planner

For about the past year I have had a little note pad with the days of the week on them. It was the perfect and cutest little menu planner for the week. On the side it had a spot for a grocery list. Amazing. Sadly there were only 52 papers and when I went back to get another menu planner just like it at the store, they didn't have them any more. Sad, but true. So for the past few weeks I have been planning our meals on list paper, which works fine and all, but it's really not the same.

Today I was out and about, which means: I was at Target, I found the perfect solution. Well, the perfect cheap solution. You see I have seen fancy planner thingys at the store before, they have the days of the week, spots for names and all kinds of goodness. They also happen to be a little more than I would care to spend on such an item. Today I was in luck. I wandered back into the back-to-school section of the store and saw a little white board. The packaging said it was magnetic (even though I didn't see magnets on the back of it) and three, no six, dry erase markers came with it. bah! So exciting! And the best part was that it was on sale for very very cheap :D

When I got home I opened the packaging and found the magnets that you could stick on the back if you wanted to. I wanted to. I mean, I needed to stick it to my fridge some how. I was soooooo excited! And then, after I did the taping I actually got to write with the dry erase markers. I have a thing for dry erase markers and boards. ooo. I Love writing on them/with them!! It's pretty much the best thing in the whole entire world. ...good thing I'm a teacher : )

So now I have a permanent solution to my menu planning. It's cheap, it's fun, and it's magnetic. It's also long lasting. Which I like.

I thought about making a little something like this:

via

Which is so stinkin' adorable and cute and fun and I LOVE it. Every single bit of it. But I decided after looking and thinking it over that I wouldn't have a perfect spot to hang it. Well, I could... but I am cheap, and while this project isn't too pricey, it's a little too pricey for the time being. Maybe after I get a job I can make it... One can dream, right? If you do decide to take the plunge and make this cute little bad boy you really need to tell me and then take pictures of it so that I can envy applaud your effort. For now I'm sticking with my mini white board. 

Anyhow. That made me happy today. The white board and the thought of one day making the darling menu planner board. 

  

just a few gifts

Today is Monday (though I'm sure you might be painfully aware of that fact). That means it's time for some more gifts from this week... 

14. Visiting family.

15. Birthday cake.

16. Slobbery toddler kisses.

17. Soft and squishy baby hugs.

18. Hot tea with honey.

19. Reading, for pleasure.

20. Enjoying the sweet aroma of baking banana bread.

21. Crocheting with friends.

22. A surprise phone call from a friend far away.

23. Learning, again, that God has the perfect plan, though tears and trusting him for his perfect timing.

24. Dreaming about running a marathon with my sister and brother [note the dreaming, I haven't taken the plunge yet...]

25. Riding in the car with The Hubs and chatting about nothing in particular.

26. Sipping a Mocha Coconut Frappuccino on a hot and sticky day.

27. Birthday presents.

28. New fluffy pillows.

29. Journaling in a real live journal with pink, purple, and blue pens.

30. Folding laundry while watching a movie on a warm afternoon.

31. An encouraging, supportive, and strong husband who works hard and provides for our little family.


Now it's your turn. Go on over and link up with Ann and share the gifts you have been given.


Happy Monday, y'all.

Cake Balls!

Remember the other day when I mentioned that I made Cake Balls? Well, I did. I've made them a few times before and since they are sooo yummy I just had to make them again. So I did. And this time, I think I figured it out. 

They turned out just like I wanted them to. 

scrumptious.

Now, you should go and make some for yourself. It's very simple really. 

Get a boxed cake at the store (any kind you want) and get an icing you want to eat with it. Chocolate, strawberry, lemon, confetti. Any at all. Really, it's impossible to go wrong. Cake is good. Icing is better. Any combination of the two has got to be divine! 

Then you:

Bake the cake as the directions say to on the box. Let it cool. 

Break the cake into chucks and in a big bowl mix in the icing.

(don't use the whole thing of the icing though, just most of it : )

Stick the cake in the fridge for a few hours. 

Remove from the fridge and start rolling the cake into little balls. 

After (or while) the cake is rolled up ... 

Melt some candy melts or chocolate chips (white or butterscotch).

One whole bag works pretty well, but I have a second one on hand just in case.

Dip the cake balls into the icing. 

(I have found that the dipping is more successful when you pour the melted 

candy/chocolate into a mug or something). 

Then you get to eat the yumminess you just made!

See?! Simple! Easy peasy! 

oh, they are so good! Now, go make some and then invite me over so I don't have to make more and then eat them all by myself! : ) 

cheers! 

pinning?

I signed up for Pinterest today. I've heard (and seen) so many good things about it. And finally curiosity got the best of me. I had to see what it was all about. So I took the plunge. Signed up for a twitter account. And got into Pinerest.

So far, I'm not really sure what to do. I see lots of pictures I like and I click, "repin". Is that what I'm supposed to be doing? How do you make boards? How do you edit board? Or pictures? I need a tutorial. Maybe I'm just over thinking this. It's simple, right? Please tell me it's simple. How do you get your Pins(?) onto blogger? So many questions!

I always see cute little collections of pictures on your all's blogs and I just can't figure out how you do it! Although, I suppose I did just sign up for it. I'll figure it out, in time, right? Right.

If you have any help, suggestions, or other useful information I would gladly welcome it!

I hope you all have had a happy Thursday!

Cheers! 

Ned the Dog Trainer

A few nights ago The Hubs and I were hanging out with our small group. We all decided it would be a fun idea to walk to Dairy Queen (since it is boiling hot here!) and get some ice cream. yum. So we did. We leashed up the dogs and buckled in the baby (our friend's baby, not ours) and headed out on our way.

Before I go on I should say that we had Puppy with us that night. We were coming back from getting Puppy from The Hubs' parents house. We didn't have time to stop at home and get to our friends' house in a timely manner so we brought Puppy along. Which was fine with the friends. In fact, they have two doggies themselves. So it was like a little party. kind of. not really. But still, it was quite nice. 

Anyhow. Like I was saying. We leashed the doggies up and buckled in the baby. And we walked. And walked and walked. Until we got to Dairy Queen. Ok. Really, it wasn't that long a walk. It was quite nice. Except the part where we about died trying to cross the street because there was no traffic light. yikes. 

And then there we were at Dairy Queen for some ice cream. Not long after we had sat down at one of the nice tables and were drinking enjoying our ice cream a car pulls up. Not just any car. An old boxy rusty noisy car. I really don't pay attention to makes and models unless it happens to be a kind of car I lust after. Which it wasn't. Obviously. In the car sat two men. Talking. Loudly. They sat in there for a while after they parked. But I could really see them as my back was to them. 

After about five hours of them sitting in their car Man gets out. And kind of stumble-y like walks over to us. To our doggies. The two little doggies greeted Man well enough and thankfully Man's friend came over and ushered Man inside the building. whew. 

But then . . . not too long after [I still hadn't finished my blizzard, forget the fact that I'm a slow eater] Man comes back outside. And starts talking to us. Ok. Whatever. Fine. We'll be friendly and chat for a little bit. Then Man introduces himself as Ned. Ned started talking to The Hubs. So The Hubs asked Ned if he had any dogs. 

In my head I answered Hubs' question: "yes. Pitbull."

Bingo! That is exactly what Ned said. That and a Mastiff and another big dog, maybe a Rottweiler or something crazy. Anyhow, according to Ned he is a professional dog trainer. At least, that's what he told us. ...he never specified as to what kind of dog trainer he was exactly. Use your imagination. It's really not too difficult to figure out.

"Boy or girl? Boy or girl?" Ned slurs.

"Boy," Hubs says.

"Come here, girl!" Ned calls.

Girl, aka Puppy, does not go to Ned. In fact he scurries as far away from Ned as he can possibly get. I don't blame him.

Ned's breath is kinda stinky. Like, alcohol. Yes. You could say that. Ned smells of liquor. I hope he wasn't the one driving. And that if it was his friend driving, that Ned was the only one drinking. But... who knows.

"Watch this. Come here, girl," Ned calls to Puppy and grabs him by the leash. Or tries to at least.

"Boy or girl? Boy or girl?" Ned asks, again.

"Heh. Boy," reminds Hubs.

Puppy walks away. Ned moves so he is closer to Puppy. And promptly proceeds to wave his hand right in front of Puppy's face. "I can train her, watch," boasts Ned.

"No. That's okay. He doesn't need any training, we work with him at home," Hubs says.

"Boy or girl? Boy or girl?" Ned asks, yet again.

"He's a Boy," I say with very little annoyance in my tone I am sure.

"Come here, girl! I'll teach you a trick," Ned is not letting up. And he is getting a lot closer. To Puppy and to us. eh, no thank you, Ned. Ned continues to move his hand in circles and crazyness right in front of Puppy.

Puppy is getting annoyed. He is not the only one. "Hey, girl," Ned says as he sticks his arm right in front of Puppy's mouth.

Great. Ned is going to teach our puppy how to bite people. Won-der-ful. And that's when Puppy snaps. Bares his sharp little fangs, growls the meanest growl I've heard come from his mouth, and narrows his eyes with a look that could have killed Ned.

"We don't want Puppy to bite you, Ned," Hubs says.

"I won't sue you if she does. Promise, man." yeah right.

I stand up and start walking away. Hubs is coming too. [now looking back on it, I think I may have just started walking off without waiting for the rest of our small group to be ready to leave. I'm pretty sure I didn't care. That's not very nice of me now is it?]

Ned follows. "I can teach her. Girl, here," he says as he again hold his arm right in front of Puppy's face. Puppy is gettin' mean and cranky. I am a little scared for my life.

"We're leaving now. Bye, Ned." I say, curtly.

"Hold up. I'll give you $1000 for your dog right now. Look, I got it in my pocket," Ned offers as he pulls a wad of somethin' somethin' out of his pants pocket.

Oh. Good. Gravy. "We are not selling our dog," I say as I clutch Puppy to me and walk quickly away from Ned.

"$1000! Right here!"

"Nope." And I didn't look back.

oh, good goodness.

And then we [the small group had caught up by that point] walked back to the house and told a police man we saw about crazy Ned.

Now, there is good news here:

1. We are still alive.

2. Puppy didn't bite anyone.

3. We still have Puppy.

4. We know that Puppy is protective and can sense a bad guy when he sees/hears/smells one. I had always wondered if an unwelcome intruder came our way if Puppy would toughen up and attack if necessary. Now I know, yes, yes he will. And it is reassuring. I'm happy to know Puppy doesn't just bark the bark. He can be a tough little guy and protect me.

And that's the only happy ending to that little adventure.

oh, there are some pretty interesting people around, eh?  

Sorry for the longer post. I got a little carried away and nearly drowned in a pool of tears and fear just from recounting the events of this little nightmare story.

Anyhow. Toodles for now!