I am sick.....ish...

I am home from school today. Not really sick though. Mental health day. Gotta have one of those every once in a while. I definitely needed one today. Actually, it is long overdue. I am doing stuff for me today. Not anybody else. It feels good too.

On my To Do list today:

1. Wash some laundry (Okay, maybe it benefits others, but it is for me too. The laundry is piling up and driving me crazy.)

2. Scrap. I haven't been able to do this for the past week or two and I need my creative fix.

3. Play with Dixie and Deuce. Right now my furry friends are being so cute. They are both on the back of the couch looking out the window. Ahhhh.....

4. Eat lunch with Mike. Just me and him. That doesn't happen a lot.

5. Sew. I got a canvas bag from a fundraiser thing at school. I am not crazy about the "teachery" apple stuff on the front so I want to cover the bag and make myself a new purse. I will definitely take before and after pics once I get this going. I am actually a bit excited about it. I love the fabric I am going to use.

Well, if I am going to spend time with me then I better get off here and get busy. If I don't my day will waste away before I know it! Have a great Tuesday!

Two Posts in a Day! Woo! Hoo!

Came across this picture of me and Mike from July4th. I really like this picture so I thought I'd share it. I think I'll scrap it soon. I don't like too many pics of myself, but this one I actually like. And, Mike is even sorta smiling. (Anybody who knows him knows that he doesn't smile at all for pictures. He sometimes looks mad. I wish he smiled more. He's a handsome guy!) I'll get more pics up soon! Have a great Thursday friends! Later!

What a ride!

I haven't updated in quite a while. Once I got back from our family reunion in Kansas I had to really get on the ball and get my room ready for school. That done, I had to really get ready for school! Wow! I had a lot to do!

School started well. I really am glad that I am back at Bowen. I really love working at that school. The kids there are great and the people I work with are easy to get along with as well. I have a lot of work and extremely high expectations, but it is all worth it in the end if my kids in class are successful. That is such a great feeling -- to have successful kids in your class. I really love seeing their eyes light up when they understand or get excited about learning. Makes what I do all worthwhile...

Allison is in 4th grade this year. She is doing well except that she is having trouble with this thing called "HOMEWORK". For some reason she really doesn't like doing it. Go figure. We have our weekly arguements about why we have to do it. I usually win. :) She is learning the hard way that her momma and daddy mean business! She has started swimming on a swim team in addition to playing soccer. It has been a really positive thing for her. She LOVES to swim and it has made her feel so good about herself. I have enjoyed watching her. She is actually pretty good at swimming. Her coach is great too. She says Allison has the shoulders and kick of a butterflier. Wow! Thanks Coach Allison!

Whitney is in 2nd grade this year. She really likes her teacher. When she started the year her teacher came to me after school on many occasions to tell me funny stories about what Whitney had done. They cracked me up, but I couldn't let Whit know they were funny. For example, she told a sub that she went to the Olympics but didn't have any pictures because her mom forgot her camera. Ummm.....yea, right.... Well, I don't hear too manay Whitney stories any more. I am now getting really good reports about what a hard worker she is. That really makes me feel good. She is still playing soccer -- she is so super fast! She loves getting out there and taking control of the ball. She is pretty good at it too. I enjoy watching her play. In addition to soccer, she is doing gymnastics once a week. She really likes that too. She is still awkward looking when she does the exercises in gym class, but she just started a couple months ago so I guess that is to be expected.

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving break. It will be nice to just relax for a few days. I so need that. I am ALWAYS on the run and it can be overwhelming and exhausting. As a matter of fact, last Saturday I actually napped twice. The girls thought I must not feel good, and I let them think that, so they behaved abnormally well. It was a nice break for me. I enjoyed just laying in bed all day. I think I need to do that again sometime. Mental Health time.

I need to post some pics on here. I just don't have them ready to go today. I'll work on getting some picked out and posted. I am thinking this weekend might be a good day for pictures. We'll see. I also promise to do a better job of posting. Busy or not, I'll make time for blogging. It's a good thing.....

This month at AC Bailey Designs I played with some papers from companies I had never used before and I loved them!

These first two pictures are using the Daisy Bucket Playlist papers. I also used the Prima Dude rubons and chipboard letters. They matched really well and I love how these turned out! The Aggie Fan layout was so fun to do. It just came together for me. I needed that to happen to help pump up my mojo too! hehe Actually, it helped a lot that I love this picture of Allison. She is such a Fightin' Texas Aggie fan! We had a blast at the Aggie vs. Texas Longhorn baseball game. She was a lot of fun to watch -- so glad I got this picture of her! Then next thing I need to scrap from that game are the pictures I got of Whit and her Daddy. They are pretty darn cute! The card & envelope were made using the same supplies. I made it for my sister's birthday. And get this.....it even got mailed! (I am notorious for making the card but not mailing it.)

This little mini album is one of the Bo Bunny word books. This is the I love you album. I used the Pink Paislee Office Ling papers on it. I totally have a crush on this company. So far I have loved everything I have seen from them. I am loving how this book turned out. I also used some Maya Road chipboard flowers and hearts. I worked on this when my best friend Aubrey came and stayed for about 3 days. I stole some glitter from her (okay she gave it to me) and blinged this album up a bit. I also discovered how to use gloss medium. Can I just say WAY FUN! And it looks pretty cool too!

Well, my sister, her kids, and my parents are at my house. Tomorrow the girls and I will be leaving for Oklahoma. We will be there for a few days and then head to Kansas for our family reunion. We'll be gone for about a week and a half.

When I get back I will need to get back in my classroom. It is a total wreck right now. I have things all over the place. This is what it looked like before the tornado (my 2 girls and myself) hit the classroom:

I'll have to post some of the classroom tornado pictures later. When I get back I'll take a few and post them. You have NO idea how back it is in there! Talk to you later!

Much love!

B-

I need to post an update on here. We have been busy. Seems like so much has been going on.

Went to Oklahoma. Went to Kilgore. Those two trips were back to back weekends and we were worn out from all the driving. Fun, but glad to be back home.

I have also been working on my classroom trying to get things in order. First I had to pick a theme -- it took a while. I was having a brain block so I decided to steal my sister's idea and do monkeys. I really like how it is turning out so far. Way cute stuff at the teacher supply store. I also found some great stuff at Target. I {heart} that store. I have a lot of work to do still but it will get there.

The girls have been doing swimming lessons every morning at 8:00 these past two weeks. Friday is their last day. They have really enjoyed it.

On Saturday the 19th Mike's sister and kids will come to town for a wedding. They'll stay with usthat night. Then, on Monday the 21st, my parents, sister and her kids will be here to get me and the girls. We are following them to Oklahoma and then to Kansas for our first family reunion on my mom's side. I'm pretty excited about the reunion. Allison is too. She really enjoys visiting the Kansas family.

I have pictures to upload from the camera. I have some pictures from the 4th that I really like. Some fun family pictures. I also have some of the girls. They are such hams! Every time that camera is out Ally is posing! She is such a crack up!

Well, I didn't mean to ramble tonight. I'll do a better update tomorrow. And, I might even change the blog color. I think the pink is working my nerves. Got any color combo suggestions?

More later!
B-

Happy 4th!

And, Happy Birthday to my little sis! She is 31 today! Yay! I am going to try to find some old pics of her and post them here. hehe She'll just love that... (Can you see my evil sneer?)

Hope you have a great day Mandy! Have fun at the beach!

Check me out!

Okay, I have been wanting a new look for the blog for some time now. Just wasn't really sure how to go about doing it. I have been downloading digi kits for a while now -- everytime I see one I like -- with hopes of figuring out how to use them to spice up the blog. Well, today, I just decided I was going to figure it all out. And, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be! Yay! Now I'll be able to change the look up when I want. So happy about that! I know this isn't fancy yet, but I'm working on it! :) I still need to update my sidebar with new links and such. I'll get that done in the next few days. I have come across lots of scrappy goodness I'd like to share with you! Oh, and I'll get some pics and projects posted soon too!

Much love!
B-

I've not been a good blogger...

It has been quite a while since my last post. Lots has happened but there just hasn't been time to post. I know my legions of fans, all two of them -- hi Mom and Mandy!-- have missed my blog entries. :D

Well, school ended on May 30th. Thank goodness! I was so ready for summer break. I got all my stuff packed up and loaded in the Jeep. It was full from top to bottom. There was just enough room for me and Allison when we headed to Bryan. Don't worry. I didn't leave Whit behind. She rode with Mike. ;) He had the truck and trailer loaded up too. The girls and I had more at his parents house than we thought. Even though I tried to bring things home on our weekend trips to Bryan I didn't do a very good job. We were seriously loaded down! On Sunday, June 1st we finally made it home after 2 months apart. Talk about a good feeling!

In the past few weeks we tried to do some fun family stuff. We got to go to an Aggie baseball game against Texas. It was fun and we won! Whoop! Here are some pictures from our little outing.

I love these pictures. We had so much fun at the game. It was hot as heck but once the sun went down a bit it wasn't too bad. Mike took the girls to the concession stand got these HUGE snowcones. Allison's was really good. I don't know what she picked but it was good. Now, Whitney, she got the reddest snowcone she could get and it was SO SOUR! I don't kow how that child actually finished her snowcone. I think Mike helped her out some. When she came back to our seats with this red snowcone and white shirt I was wandering what in the world Mike was thinking when he let her get RED. Well, she did a pretty good job of keeping in her mouth and off her shirt. Just one little red spot. (And it washed out!) But, her little face was evidence that she definately liked it!

A week later we took the girls to see this:

It was at Reed Arena on the A&M campus. We told the girls that Daddy had to meet somebody up there about a job he was doing. They bought that story hook, line, and sinker. As we walked up to Reed, there was a booth selling High School Musical programs. Ally had a cow when she realized that HSM on Ice was here. I wish you could have seen the look on her face! She couldn't believe it was actually here! Mike told her he'd buy her a program. (It was only $20! ACK! Oh, but it sings when you open it.) We go inside and there are venders selling HSM stuff everywhere! When she saw all that stuff she looked like somebody had just run over her. She still thought we were there to check on one of Daddy's jobs. We found our section and our seats -- 10 rows from the ice. Even after sitting down Allison still thought she wasn't going to get to see the show. When we handed her the ticket she just looked at it for a minute before it sank in what it was. Talk about some happy squealing! Whitney, on the other hand, had other things running through her little head once we told her we got to see the show. Once it started she leaned over and said to me, "Mommy, did Daddy help build this?" I told her no and kinda giggled at her. About 10 -15 minutes later she leaned over again and said, "Mommy, was Daddy helping Troy and Gabriella?" Once again, I told her no and got super tickled at her. She just couldn't let go of the Daddy's work thing. They were both pretty cute. After about 2 1/2 hours, a $15 HSM snowcone, a $12 HSM lemonade, and 2 $5 lukewarm lemonades we finally left with 2 happy girls.

Later that night we headed to the A&M vs. Stanford Super Regional Softball game. It was awesome! I wish I had brought my camera along. Can't believe I forgot it. We were squeezed into the stands like sardines and it was pretty warm, but it was so much fun. I think probably more fun than the baseball game a week earlier. There was a lot more action, 3 homeruns, and the Sugar Daddies were pretty fun to watch too. We really had a good time. I have watched softball since. Especially the Aggies. They beat out top ranked Florida for a spot in the finals. I wish I could report a national championship but Arizona State kicked some major booty. I was disappointed but I had fun watching and cheering or yelling at the tv.

Got my hair cut a couple weeks ago. It is pretty short but I really like it. I got the lady who has done my hair for years to cut it. I think it is pretty cute and sassy. Now, I just have to find somebody here to keep it up for me. Here's a pic of it:

Allison took this picture of me for one of my scrapbooking websites, AC Bailey Designs. She did a pretty good job, don't ya think? She really is funny when I let her take pictures with my camera. She likes to tell you how she thinks you should pose and stuff. Like mommy, like daughter I guess. :D

Now that we are finally moved in, I am working hard to get the house in order. Got quite a bit accomplished earlier this week, but I have a lot more to do. Good thing I have all summer. hehe I actually hope to be almost done by next weekend. That would be a great feeling. Since this house is smaller than the last I am really trying to go through and get rid of stuff that we really and truly don't need anymore. I am even going to go through some of my crafty stuff. I think we'll just have a garage sale. Anything left over can be put out to the curb or taken to Goodwill. I hope we get rid of lots of stuff! It's actually pretty freeing knowing you have a little extra room here and there!

Well, I hope to be a better blogger in the near future now that our lives are getting back to normal. Talk to you soon!

Much love!

B-

It's Picture Day!

Wanted to add some pictures today. Thought I'd show you what our new house looks like. I don't have inside pics yet. Way too many boxes in there. Mike has been here for a week now and so far I think he likes it except that he said the A/C is a little loud when it kicks on. Not anything we can't get past though. Deuce and Dixie seem to like it. I think Deuce was a little confused at first but Mike said that he has pretty much chilled out. Dixie likes the back yard. She is constantly chasing "things" in the landscaping rocks. I am pretty sure she is after geckos. I don't think she has ever seen one before. Needless to say, she really likes it and he has a hard time getting her in the house.

This next pic is the fam on Easter Sunday. even though we are all looking in the sun squinting adn I am not too terribly crazy about the way I look, I still like this picture. It was chilly but a lot of fun. The girls hunted Easter eggs at Uncle Don's house. They ended up bringing home lots of eggs. Way too many to get eaten!





These next pictures are layouts that I have done recently. This first one was fun because I got to use my Glimmer Mist to make the blue paper. It was white cardstock to start off. I sprayed it down and really like the effect I got. And, it matches my papers really well. I couldn't believe my luck. When I bought the Glimmer Mist I wasn't even thinking about these papers, just that I liked the color of it. This picture of Whitney really captures her personality. She is such a free spirit and a definate DIVA! This layout is for a scraplift challenge at AC Bailey Designs. I used the layout on the cover of Simple Scrapbooks (by Erin Sweeney) as my inspiration. I'm kinda diggin' how this one turned out!


These next 2 pics are DT layouts that I am having trouble getting uploaded to the AC Bailey website. Not having my computer is really hard! I don't have any of the software I need to get it cropped and uploaded the way I need it and when I want to get it up! Very frustrating!

Anyway, this is Allison on her 1st day of school. I thought she looked so pretty in the outfit and she definately thought she looked pretty. I really love these papers by Urban Lily. Bright fun papers and the Bazzill scalloped cardstock is pretty cute too!






This last layout is one of my favorites right now. I love the pic! My best friend Aubrey took this picture of my girls with her daughter this past summer at a softball tournament. I just had to scrap this one because my girls really love Taylor. She is so good to Allison and Whitney. I also enjoyed using these Dream Street papers. The color combination was different from what I am used to using so it was a lot of fun. My favorite part though is the title. :)


You can find the papers for all 3 of these layouts in the AC Bailey store. Go check them out!

Well, it is Friday, my favorite day of the week, and I am ready for the weekend. Mike will be in tonight and I am really ready to see him. So are the girls! I will talk to you all later peeps!

Much love...

B-

Even when there are clouds, the sun still shines...

The last two weeks have been crazy. Our lives have changed dramatically! You wouldn't believe the things our family has been through.

The weekend of March 29th was crazy. While we were in Bryan/College Station looking for a house there was a terrible storm in Kilgore. It ripped apart our neighborhood and left our house a mess. While we didn't have any trees on top or through our house like some others, we did have extensive flooding. Bad enough that we couldn't stay there. The owners of the house came in from Florida on Tuesday and by Wednesday had completely made the house unlivable. He and his wife really made if difficult on us too. I won't get into the crappy stunts they pulled on us but after asking us 2 other times earlier in the year to end the lease early, they made sure we had no other choice but to end the lease. I can honestly say that I was/am very hurt by what these people put my family through, especially my girls. And, the kicker is that they have children close to my girls ages. I have never in my life met such ruthless people. I hope to never encounter them again. They make my stomach hurt....

After the first week in a hotel, with the help of our family, we packed up our house completely, and moved everything we owned to Bryan where our new house is. Mike and I drove down and got it unloaded and headed back to Kilgore the following day. We were so glad to see our girls! This all happened a week before we even needed to move anything. It was an unexpected move but in retrospect, I think it was a good thing that we got it over with.

Mike finished his last week at work and this past weekend we officially "moved" him and the fur babies into our Bryan house. We got the beds set up and some things unpacked. We didn't finish but it felt good to get a little accomplished. It was hard to leave him there on Sunday and head back to East Texas. The girls were upset, especially Allison. She cried off and on the entire 3 hour trip back. I felt so sorry for her. Nothing I said could make it better either.

In the middle of this big mess I was able to interview for a job at my old school. Today was the last day it had to be posted as available and I am hoping for a phone call tomorrow or the next day. Cross your fingers peeps! I am excited about this one!

Mike started his new job yesterday. While he was pretty tired he said he really enjoyed it. That made me feel so good. I know he was nervous and I just truly hoped this job would be a good fit for Mike. I think it might be. He was happy with it again today. He said the only thing that would make this all better would be to get the school year over so the girls and I could get down there. He misses us and we really miss him.

The girls and I are staying at Mike's parents house. Even though we are living out of suitcases, so far it has been working out well. It is not home but it is comfy. The girls like spending the night at Nana's house. :) They have gone to bed with her every night so far. It is nice for me too. Mike's mom is a great cook so I get that added benefit a couple times a week. Even leftovers are good!

This week we are all finally feeling a little more normal. I know that until all of us are once again under the same roof it won't feel completely normal, but with any luck the next 6 weeks will go by quickly. When it does, all the rain, sweat, and tears we have had over the last few weeks won't even matter because even when things look cloudy you can still see the sun shine.

News, Contests, Birthdays, and Easter Eggs...

It has been a month since I last blogged. I have sat down at this computer SEVERAL times to update and have either been interrupted or the computer isn't running great. (Read that as definately not the energizer bunny -- more like slow as molasses.) I think Mike figured out what to do yesterday because it is back up to speed. Thank goodness.

We have a new DT over at AC Bailey Designs. I really like the girls we have. They are full of energy and ideas and are really sweet. They are a lot of fun too! Meet them on our Design Team page. They are really great! You also need to check out the fun contest we will have going on from mid-April to mid-June. Scrap Scouts will be a fun way to get lots of scrapping done and a great way to win some cool prizes as well! Come on over and join the fun! We'd love to have you there!

We also have some news on the job front. Mike interviewed for a job in College Station on Feb. 22nd. It took a couple of weeks but he got a call back. We weren't sure if they would offer what we needed them to offer and they actually offered him more. That was such a surprise! And, a much needed one! He accepted the offer and will start on April 14th. We have already started looking for a place to live there. Actually found one but I haven't been able to talk to the real estate lady. Maybe I can get in touch with her this week. Cross your fingers. We have already started packing up nonessential stuff. That is a good feeling. :D Mike starts his new job on April 14th. The girls and I will stay here until the end of the school year and then head that way. They are beyond excited. There are so many things there that they love. (Us too!) We can't wait to get there!

On March 2nd Allison turned 9. She is nearly as tall as me and getting so grown up! I can't believe how fast time flies. We had her birthday party at The Mud Hut. All the kids got to paint pottery of their choice. They had a lot of fun and the pottery pieces were so cute when they finished! I had the store paint Ally a 9th b-day plate. It is SO stinkin' cute! Each person at her party got to sign the back of the plate. Allison loved it! She also got her hand painted and stamped on the party wall with her name under it. She thought that was way cool too. Now her hand will be up there for a long time!

I had my 34th b-day a couple days later. It was a nice day even though I had to work. Mike and the girls got me a new Cricut cartridge and when I got home from work I found a bag hanging on the door. It was from Mike's Uncle Don and Aunt Claudia. It had 2 packs of Cricut crayons in it. I was so excited and I certainly wasn't expecting to get those! It made me feel good that they remembered my b-day. (Not one person at work remembered.) We went out to eat Mexican food at Posado's. It was so yummy! I was stuffed by the time we made it home!

We dyed Easter eggs last night. I chose not to get the egg dye kits that you can buy. I just used the good old fashioned food coloring recipe you can get on the food coloring box. We used neon food coloring for the eggs and they turned out great! We dyed 48 eggs and they look so pretty and bright. Mike and I agreed that we haven't had Easter eggs this pretty in a long time. I took pictures and will upload them after I get all my Easter pics taken today.

I hope everyone has a great Easter Sunday. Enjoy your time with family today!

Design Team Call and Weekend Ramblings...

We are still accepting applications for our design team call over at AC Bailey Designs. This is a fun site to be a part of and designing for Erica is a lot of fun. She does a great job keeping the store stocked with up to date supplies. If you are interested check out this link to find out more about the design team positions available. We'd love to see you over at the boards!



I got a kick out of Allison when I saw her wearing these 3D glasses from the Hannah Montana concert movie she went to at the beginning of February. After she got home she wore them to watch tv. She thought they were pretty cool. I can't wait until she gets older. :D

The weather was rainy all day yesterday so we just stayed at home and didn't do much but watch tv and nap. Today, however, is just beautiful. The sun is out and it is actually not as wet as I expected it to be. The girls and the fur babies have been outside playing a lot today. It's nice to get them out running off some extra energy. We worked on getting the house straightened up. After some tears (Ally) and a little work the house looks much better. I even swept and mopped the floors. Now, we're just working on laundry.


I took this last picture of Allison on Friday night. She fell asleep on the couch so I just left her there when I went to bed. I got up at about 12:30 and found her on the couch like this. I just couldn't resist taking a picture of her. How can this possibly be comfortable?!?! I left her like this for a little while and then got Mike to get her to her bed. It was funny watching him carry her. She is nearly as tall as me! I don't think she has seen this picture. She may not be happy it is on here! Oops! Sorry Ally!

We all have a four day week this week. No, we don't get President's Day off. We are actually all taking Friday off to go to Bryan. Mike has an interview with a company and the girls and I are going along for the ride. It will be nice to be back there again. I am hoping and praying that the right job opportunity will come along for him. Keep your fingers crossed for us! It would be so nice to be living where we feel at home again! We miss Aggieland a lot!

Well, enough rambling for now. I will check in with you later peeps! Have a great Sunday!

Long time, no blog...

What can I say? Life has been busy! :D Time to catch up....

Nothing earthshattering has happened here. Basically just the normal day to day stuff. Whit and Ally were supposed to spend the night with a friend last night and Whit ended up coming home at 11:45 last night because she didn't feel good. Well, she is quite perky today. You wouldn't know that she felt bad last night at all if it weren't for her eyes. They are red and puffy. I really hope she isn't getting pink eye or anything like that. We'll be doing some warm compresses on them this weekend and I think I'll get some eye drops as well. I'll call the doc on Monday and get something called in. Why does this kind of stuff always seem to happen on the weekend????

Mike has an interview with a company in Bryan/College Station in a couple of weeks.He has a friend that works there and from what he has said it sounds like they are really interested in Mike. I hope they make him a good offer. We want to move back so bad! I am really sick of living here. There just isn't anything here for us. No job opportunities that are better than what we have and the opportunities for the girls are really limited as well. I want to give them the world and here I can only give them the oilfield. It just won't cut it for me.

This past week at work has been hectic and quite honestly, kinda shitty. The kids haven't really even been the problem. They are just kids an you get past their antics and silliness and just love them. The problem is the grown ups. Let me just preface this by saying that I have never had a problem with anyone I have taught with in the 10 years I have been teaching. I pretty much get along with everybody and just go with the flow. And, most of the time things just don't bother me. This year I teach across the hall from a 2nd year teacher. She and I talk off and on and have had a pretty decent relationship. For quite some time though, whenever I mention that I have had a rough day she chimes in with things like, "Yeah, your kids are so bad!" or something to that effect. Usually, I am not the only other person in the conversation, there are other people around. Apparently she has done it with other people too. I have kinda just brushed it off to her not knowing, or being inexperienced, that you just really don't say that kind of thing to another teacher. It comes across as "You have no control over your kids." Well, I happen to think I have a pretty good class and those random comments, that she doesn't ever realize she is making, have bothered me. I wish I had told her on one of these occasions that that I didn't appreciate her comments but I haven't. She is someone who can make your life hell because of who she is so I have just left it alone.

Then on Monday, after I finished tutoring at 4:30 she tells one of my little girls from class that her skirt is too short and she can't wear it to school anymore. She did this in front of other kids and me too! There was no discretion whatsoever. That did not set well with me at all. I mean, I would NEVER tell one of her kids something like that. It is not my business. If it hasn't been and won't be an issue, then leave it alone. Plus, she is only 8 years old -- not a teenager. I really thought that crossed the line. When she asked me if I told her it was too short I just replied, "No. It hasn't been a problem all day." She just kinda gave me a look.

Even after sleeping on it I was still aggravated and asked one of my teaching partners what to do about all of it. We ended up talking to the assistant principal and I asked her for help. I told her that I didn't want to get the teacher in trouble or be a tattle tail or anything like that. I just think somebody needs to tell her that there are boundaries and lines that you don't cross and you need to be careful about that. My assistant principal agreed. She said that maybe she didn't realize that since she was only in her 2nd year of teaching. I made myself clear that I didn't want my name brought up in this because I didn't want things to be uncomfortable. She said she understood and told me she would think about what to do.

Well, let me tell you what the woman did. She betrayed my trust. She broke confidentiality and told the principal, who happens to be good friends with this teacher because both their husbands coach together in the district. The principal calls this teacher down to the office and tells her the entire story! And, not only tells her what I said but even twists it around -- she tells her I said she was coming into my room. I NEVER said that.

At 4:30 when I finished tutoring on Thursday, this 2nd year teacher comes back up to school to confront me and wants to know what she did to offend me. I had to explain myself. I tried to get the point across that really and truly I wasn't completely offended even though what she said was hurtful. My main concern was that maybe she doesn't know what the boundaries are for making her comments. Yada, yada, yada. I even tried to make the example of when your personal child was acting poorly and somebody tells you your child is bad. It is basically the same thing. The kids in class are MY kids when they are with me. And, you know what? She kept saying that she didn't get it. It didn't make sense to her. It seemed so high school! And maybe it is, but that comment really pissed me off! Sheesh! Hello! Common courtesy...ever hear of it? Basically, I was having to tell her what my boss should have told her. Instead, my boss told her what she should do to approach me about it. I was pissed. You know, I didn't feel like it was my place to tell her how to behave. I felt like I had a legitimate concern. So did my teaching partner, the 2nd grade level chair, and the 3rd grade level chair. I brought my concern to one of my bosses on their advice. My assistant principal betrayed my trust. And, now, things are very awkward and I look like I don't know how to handle my business. That sucks. I work way too hard.

This is the worst school district I have ever worked in. I don't even have teacher books for all the subjects I teach, there is no set math curriculum, and they supply you with hardly anything. We are responsible for buying supplies like tape, staples, dry erase markers, overheads, etc. It is not only frustrating, but it is expensive! If I didn't have to buy this stuff myself I would be able to buy more things for my kids to use and actually learn from. This town and this district are so political. It is all about who you are and who you know. They are not organized well and when they have an extra $6 million somewhere in the school budget, guess what they do. They don't put it into academics. They build an indoor practice field for the high school football team. Can you tell where their loyalities lie? Don't worry that the teachers don't have what they need to teach. But they still expect me to be able to get all my kids to the point of passing the state mandated TAKS test before going to 4th grade. Gee, thanks for all the help, right?

Well, enough of my school bashing. But, I needed to get that off my chest. This will be the only year I work there. Hopefully we will be moving back to Bryan soon. Cross your fingers and say a prayer for us. I think that is exactly what we need! Next time I post, I promise it won't be a rant and I'll include some pics!

Design Team Call for AC Bailey Designs!

Design Team Call at AC Bailey Designs! AC Bailey Designs is an online community and store, PLUS a growing Direct Sales Company. Currently we have a 300 member online forum and gallery that needs a little TLC and motivation! We need your help to encourage ALL of our members to start participating, contributing and having fun in this fantastic hobby of ours! If you think this is something you can do, read on…We are looking to add 6 talented, motivated, enthusiastic Designers. We would like 3 who are, or are willing to become, Consultants (or Hobbyists), who will be selling product and promoting the direct sales side of our company in addition to their Design Team Member responsibilities, 2 Traditional Design Team members, and because we are adding some fantastic New Digital software programs to our product line, 1 Digital or Hybrid Design Team Member. There will be different compensation and responsibility structures for each type of Member, each will be described in detail in your contract, but below is a basic outline.Traditional Design Team Members and Digital Design Team Member- 3 LO’s a month, 1 must be a 12”x12” LO, other’s can be as small as 8”x8” or 2 LO’s and 1 small project- Regular forum participation with daily scrapbook related posting- Participation in the weekly rotation of SQOTD, QOTD, Inspiration Corner, Sketch and Ad Challenge, DT ChallengeConsultant Design Team Members- All of regular DT responsibilities listed above- Participation in a weekly rotation of, Business related news, Business tips, Advertising sources for consultants, Advertising the businessConsultant Design Team Member Coordinator- All of the Traditional DT Member and Consultant DT Member responsibilities- Coordinate the weekly rotation of the business forum - Admin management of the public business forums and the private consultant forumWhat are we looking in our new Members? Here is a breakdown:- Traditional DT Member: You must be scrapbooker, paper crafter or stamper who is not afraid to use the latest products. You must be an enthusiastic, dedicated, positive, team player and be willing to promote and encourage the growth of our site, forum, company and of our other Team members.- Digital DT Member: All of the above PLUS, you must have a working knowledge of the digital scrapbooking world. - Consultant DT Member: All of the above, PLUS you must be or be willing to become a Consultant or Hobbyist for AC Bailey. You will be required to meet all the business requirements, as well as your DT responsibilities. This will be a time consuming position.- Consultant DT Member Coordinator: All of the above, plus you must be published a minimum of 3 times and have a background in leadership and/or previous experience on a DT. This will also be a time consuming position.We also require that you belong to only one other Design Team during your term with us.What will you get in exchange?- Traditional DT Members: $25 in free product a month and a 25% discount to the store to use whenever you want!- Digi DT Member: 1 of the 2 new Digital Software Programs, $10 to spend at DigitalScrapbookPlace.com and 25% discount to the store to use as often as you like!- Consultant DT Member: $25 in free product a month and a FREE KOTM!- Consultant DT Member Coordinator: $40 in free product and a FREE KOTM!Each of you will also get the recognition of being on a Design Team, personal promotion on our site and promotion in our monthly newsletter that goes out to over 500 subscribers. You will get your own personal gallery and a section all about you on our DT page. Each member selected will have the opportunity to read the contract before accepting and will be signed for a 6 month term. So, ready to apply?Just upload 4 projects into our online Gallery at http://www.ACBaileyLtd.com/gallery. These must include 1 layout about yourself showcasing your personality and scrap style, 2 other layouts and at least 1 other project of your choice. You must also be a registered member of our forum with an average of 25 posts a week started with the date you apply.Also submit the following to erica@acbaileyltd.com:- name and full contact information- list of current DT memberships, links to any online galleries that you submit to and message boards or communities that you are active in (please include your board name)- if you have an online gallery, please provide the link.- list of any or all publications (when and where)And answers to the following questions:- How long have you been scrapping?- What product can you not live without?- How would you describe your scrap style?- Are you afraid to step out of your box?- What would you like to get out of this experience?- How is your scrap space? Messy or organized?- What can you bring to our store, community and customers?Our Call will run from Feb. 1st thru March 1st. Decisions will be made by March 7th, with the new Team Members announced March 10th. (All dates are tentative based on response.)Thank you! Good Luck! And we look forward to hearing from you!PS... Spread the word!

The Perfect Tree mini book

Monday, Monday...

Went back to work today after having 2 weeks off. Boy am I tired! My school kids were pretty good. Must have still been asleep from the holiday break. I pray that it lasts for a while! hehe Actually, it was good to see them. They were excited to tell me about their Christmas break. Allison and Whitney got up pretty good this morning. I was really expecting some griping and complaining from tired worn out girls but they did well. I think their tiredness is catching up though. They are wound up and pinging off the walls as I type. You know, kinda the crazy wild way kids act when they are tired. I hope they crash pretty soon. I need some peace and quiet! :)

Our weather has been really nice the past couple of days. We had a high of about 74 today. It was super nice when I took the kids to recess. I really don't mind this weather even though it doesn't feel like winter weather. It keeps my heating bill down and that is great with me! It has actually been a bit refreshing after the super cold weather we had last week.

I have decided to cut WAY down on the Diet Cokes. I will allow myself one a day as long as I get 3 bottles of water as well. I think that is so much healthier. It will also be a great tool to use as I try to lose weight. I am following the Weight Watchers plan. I am not joining but I have the stuff from when I joined in the past and I am going to use it. Found out that there some other ladies doing it at school so that could be a good thing for me. After my run after Dixie the other day I was convinced that the extra fluff wasn't for me anymore. Oh, and I weighed myself at school today too. I think the scale must have been broken because there is no way I could weigh what it said! (Can you see the look of shock on my face?) I need a lifestyle change. Time to get healthy. I grocery shopped after school today and I think I did pretty good. I see lots of chicken, lean meat, and salads in our future. Good thing I like that kind of stuff! I'll try to update my progress on here. I really want to do well!

Happy Birthday Whitney!

Whitney is so excited to be 7 years old! She just couldn't wait. Last night she was so excited that she didn't get to bed until 1:00 in the morning! She kept saying that she would finally be a big girl when she was 7 years old. Today, she asked if she was really 7 because it just didn't feel like she was. I got tickled when she asked that. :) She had a big day today. We went to Chuck E. Cheese's for lunch -- her pick, not ours. :) Her Nana and Papaw and Aunt Kim, Uncle Mason and her cousins Maty and Ren met us there. They had so much fun playing and she was glad they were there. They brought her presents and before we even knew it she was tearing into them! She got a really cute puppy in its own purse from Nana and Papaw. It has all kinds of accesories with it. She has already brushed its hair to make it look perfect! From her Aunt Kim, Uncle Mason, Macy, Maty, & Ren she got a Nintendo DS game. Now, my baby girls LOVES WWE wrestling. She watches it every chance she gets and when she found out that there was a game she was just dying to get it. I jokingly told her there was absolutely no way she could have it. She must have taken me seriously! When she opened up the Ninetendo game she was beyond excited to see what it was! I am so glad I got a picture of her face! It was just priceless! I love you Whitney baby!

My new shoes don't make me run faster...

This is two post day. It has to be because of my darling Dixie. I found out today that my new shoes don't make me run faster. What's up with that? When my Whitney gets new shoes she says it makes her run fast as lightning. Why didn't lightning strike today?

Today, the trash truck was picking up trash. This is not the usual trash day so I didn't have the trash out. I took it out and Allison went out with me. When Allison tried to get back in Dixie ran OUT! Well, little buddies, the chase was on!

Allison and I chased her down the street. The trash man even tried to help out a couple of times. He almost had her twice and she got away. Off I went again. The couple at the end of the street tried to help out too. Dixie just refused to come to anybody. Ally went home to get some dog treats. By the time she got back out we were already on the other side of the block. I chased her through 3 backyards before she decided she wanted to check out the street side again. My heart was pounding! She is still a puppy and she will never be very big so I was scared to death a car wouldn't see her and she'd be gone. Luckily, where she decided to come out at the street was an older woman checking her mail. Dixie checked her out but wouldn't get close enough to catch. I asked the lady if she had a piece of bread I could coax her with and she went in to get some. At the same time Dixie saw a couple of guys down the street and started heading for them. By this time I was exhausted. I had run my fat ass all over the neighborhood. (Pretty picture, huh?) It is not a good thing to be out of shape. Guess God was sending me a message... Anyway, I hollered at the guys to PLEASE try to grab her. She ran from the 1st guy but ran straight to the 2nd guy. THANK YOU LORD! He held her until I finally caught up. Wow! It only took me 45 minutes to catch her! Needless to say I was not happy having to carry her the rest of the way home. Although, it wasn't that far. By this point we had gone almost all the way around the block. She got a spanking and had to stay in jail for a while. I was laid out on the couch for a while trying to recouperate. I hope she doesn't do that to me again. I think I just might die if she does!

Did you survive the New Year?

We ended up at Mike's aunt and uncle's house on New Year's eve. I had a horrible tension headache that would not quit. I hate those things...... But we saw in the New Year and it was nice. The girls stayed up and saw it in too. But, just as soon as it was here Whitney put herself to bed and wasn't having anything else to do with all the hoopla. She was tired! Now, Allison is a different story. She was tired but too excited to go to bed. I think it was around 2:00 in the morning when she finally gave in to sleep. Needless to say she slept late the next day. And, I let her. :D

We go back to school on Monday, Jan. 7th. I am not ready to go back. I am enjoying my time off. I wish the breaks we get didn't go by so quickly.........

Whitney turns 7 on Sunday. It is hard to believe that 7 years ago I was still pregnant with her! She has grown up so fast. And, although she still needs me for some things, she is so independent! It just kills me! My baby is no longer a baby and that is hard to swallow. We are planning on taking her to any restaurant she wants to eat at on Sunday. I have a bad feeling that she will want to go to Chuck E. Cheese's. But, if that's what she wants...... She wants to have a slumber party the following weekend. It will be her first. I think we are inviting all the girls in her class -- which is about 11-- and I am not sure how all this will work but I think pizza, a movie, and cake will be good. She said she wants to play dress-up princess with them all. We'll see. We still have lots of planning to do! Mike has already made it clear that he ***thinks*** he will be gone that night. Thanks Baby! I'll have to take lots of pictures of this! I can't wait!

It's a beautiful sunny day today. I think sidewalk chalk is in order. Can't wait to play with my girls! Talk to you soon!