Not Me! Monday

This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

This week, I did not listen to Christmas music. Nope. Not me. I would never do anything like that. It's February for goodness sake. My friend Anne would kill me if she knew I did that. I mean didn't do that.

As I was travelling back from my sister's house, I did not run into a complete white-out and I did not have thoughts running through my head like... Is it safe or smart to continue? Will I freeze to death if I have to wait out the storm? And most certainly, definitely, no way on earth did I ever have the thought go through my mind... I wonder how much a room at the Warba motel would cost? (Most of you will know why this mortified me!)

I absolutely did not stay up 2 nights in a row until 2 a.m. sewing birthday presents for my sisters. Especially, when I had to go to school the next day. Nope, I never would do anything as crazy as that!

When getting ready for school this morning, I for sure did not find a new use for Static Guard. I've used it on my clothes, but I have never used it on my hair, and that's absolutely something I did not do this morning.

Next time you do something you'd rather not admit, remember that there's a place where you can be honest and share your not-so-proud moments... Join the fun here!

7/52 Photo Challenge

Here are my photo challenge pictues for the week. The topic is one object shot at 5 different angles or distances. It might be a far stretch, but I photographed my piano... inside and out. I guess that would be "different angles," right?

Definition please...

I know this is supposed to be a "Wordless Wednesday" post, but I couldn't resist saying something. I learned something today. Imagine that... the teacher learning something! I think it happens every day whether I realize it or not. Today I was introduced to a new term. It's BHAG. Maybe some of you smart people out there actually know what it means, but I had never heard it before. Yes, it's very easy to find the definition on Google, but work with me here. Take a couple minutes to think of a definition. It's an acrostic, so here's an example. YMCA=Young Men's Christian Association.

What does BHAG mean? Yes, after you write a comment with your definition, you can look it up on Google. :)

Tuesday Tip

My niece Callie said I need to post a tip today, so here it is....
1. Never leave your laptop open when there is a crawling baby in the house.
2. Never sleep on the couch and tell your nieces, "When you wake up in the morning, you can wake me up." Waaaayyyyy too early! :)
3. Don't sign in to facebook before you've watched The Bachelor. You might find out the results before you've watched the episode.

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week. It's great fun and it's cheaper than therapy!

Here are some things I for sure have not done this week.

I did not hear that we were supposed to be getting a bad ice storm, so the thought did not even in the littlest way cross my mind that maybe we wouldn't have school. I did not have the same thought on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I definitely, absolutely did not wake up disappointed three days in a row.

My dad figured out my taxes this week, and when he told me it was good news, I did not dare to hope that I only had to pay in $100 this year. I was not completely ecstatic to find out that I don't have to pay anything. I did not scream when he told me I would actually get money BACK this year. I did not have it in my head that I would be happy with $10, only to find out that I was not getting almost $400 from federal. YAY!!!

Before Valentines day, it was not me who made 12 boxes of finger jello to bring to school on Friday. That would have been WAY too much red dye and sugar, so why would I have subjected myself to the hyperness (is that a word?) that would result? After mixing up that much jello, I for sure wouldn't take a picture, would I?

At school, I did not give my preschoolers candy at 9:00 a.m. And when contemplating whether or not to frost the cupcakes, I did not decide to put frosting in small cups and let 4 and 5-year-olds have the joy of doing it for themselves.

Friday was the day before V-Day, and I did not let my junior and senior high students "play" all afternoon. We did not play musical chairs, eat cake, and line up dominoes ALL afternoon.

Since there is no school today, because of Presidents' Day, I did not set my alarm to get up and go to my sister's house. Why in the world would I set an alarm on a day I didn't have to go to school? I love to sleep, and there's no way I would ever, not-in-this-lifetime set an alarm if I didn't have to be up early. And if I did set my alarm, there's no way I would ever get up as soon as the alarm went off. Isn't that what "snooze" is for? Why would I want to get up as soon as the alarm went off? That is definitely not something I would do.

I am not sitting here watching my mischievous nephew try to get a package of pins, while my sister Becky keeps moving them away from him. I am not secretly cheering him on, hoping he can be successful. I would never encourage my nieces or nephews to disobey their parents, no matter how adorable they are. No way. I'm a great auntie and an even better sister.

Well, that's just a few things I haven't done this week, and I can hardly wait to see what doesn't happen to me this week. Check out other Not Me! posts here.

6/52 Photo Challenge

Why in the world someone chose February for taking pictures of flowers, I'll never know. But, that's the topic for this week's photo. I guess that's what makes it a challenge.

Since flowers aren't really abundant right now, I decided to head to Wal-Mart. Since all the flowers are out in the middle of the main aisle, I decided to pick up a bouquet and find a less-conspicious spot in the store. In the middle of the pajams section, this is the picture I snapped. I had fun playing around with my editing program, so let me know what one you like best.

The Original

Glow

Impressionist

Chalk

Watercolor

Damp Watercolor

Try the photo challenge yourself. Click here to see the list of weekly challenges.

Excitement in the Small Things...

Finger Jello, dominoes, haircut, Subway... who would think you could find excitement in these simple, everyday things. Yet, they all had a part in why I had a good day. Let me explain.

Today in my preschool class, we had a Valentine's party. The kids were overjoyed that I made fingerjello, a favorite with them. Considering the time it took for me to open 4 boxes of Jello, boil some water, stir, and put in the refrigerator...all of 5 minutes... it's amazing how thrilled the students were. Note to self: For a happy day in preschool, MAKE FINGER JELLO!

Dominoes... This afternoon, my 6th-12th grade students discovered a box of dominoes. What a great investment! They played with them for 2 hours, working together to experiment and create various layouts. It was fun to see their cooperation and creativity.

After school, I decided to get my hair cut. I don't know what it is about the shampoos they use, but I love it. That combined with the unofficial head massage and I feel great! Now if I can just make it look like they do...

Probably the most insignificant yet thrilling thing that happened for me today was in Subway. I stopped to pick up a sandwich on my way home. Ahead of me in line, there was a man I'll call Bob*. While answering a cell phone call, he stepped out of line. My turn came and I ordered my favorite---chicken bacon ranch sub on italian herbs & cheese bread (hereafter labeled ih&c). YUM! In the meantime, another guy--Joe*--stepped in line as Bob finished up on the phone and reentered the line. After Joe ordered a sub on ih&c, Bob made the same choice for his two subs. The Sandwich Artist said, "We only have wheat." Too bad for Bob. He settled for wheat. I realized if Bob hadn't gotten that phone call, he would have gotten the last two ih&c subs. As I was leaving with my ih&c sub, the 2 people after Bob--I'll call them Jay* and Alice*-- ordered a sub, and the lady behind the counter replied, "We're out of bread right now. We do have wraps though." It was all I could do not to laugh out loud. The thoughts racing through my mind? This is Subway. How do you run out of bread? It's what you do! What would happen if the Post Office ran out of stamps? Wouldn't you totally freak out if the bank ran out of money? Would you be disappointed if a car wash had no water? Once again... HOW DOES SUBWAY RUN OUT OF BREAD?

I walked out of Subway, feeling a little sad for Jay and Alice, yet completely overjoyed to have my sub in hand, especially knowing how close I was to having to choose wheat... or no bread at all!

And that, my friends, is how a day with a lot of insignificant happenings can join forces to make a very tired teacher completely happy!


* Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Thankful Thursday

Well, since it's only 11 minutes before Friday, I better get this done quickly. Here are a bunch of random ramblings...

I'm thankful that Fridays come every 7 days, as in TOMORROW!

I'm thankful that tomorrow after all the red dye and sugar, I won't have to take any preschoolers home with me.

I was just listening to the news and I heard that a plane crashed today and everyone on board died. I'm so grateful that I wasn't on that plane and that all my family is safe.

Tonight I'm really, super-duper thankful that I DON'T HAVE TO PAY IN ON TAXES THIS YEAR!!! One year, I had to pay $900 I think. That really hurt! Thanks for the good news tonight, Dad--my accountant.

Of course there are many other things I'm thankful for, but my clock tells me it's time to get this posted!

Not Me! Monday

What a great way to start the week! It's time for Not Me! Monday again! Check out MckMama's blog to read what others have not done this week. But read mine first!

After my mental block a couple of weeks ago (read post here), I for sure did not decide to start this post a week ago, so I wouldn't forget things to write.

Even though I was sick last weekend (click here for the Not Me! story), I did not decide to go to work when I should have taken a day off. I absolutely did not have a fever all day and I was not counting down the minutes until I could leave school and take a nap.

After surviving the day at school, I did not leave school at 3:07 p.m., just seven minutes after the final bell rang. Nope, not me. I stayed for staff meeting, end-of-the-day routines, and even working a little extra for tomorrow. That's me, right? I would never leave school so early.

Driving home that day, I definitely, absolutely did not turn on the air conditioner in my car because I felt like I was burning up, even thought it was only seven degrees outside. That would be a great way to catch a cold, right? So, no, that is not something I did.

I did not get into my pajamas immediately after getting home Monday, and when I looked at the clock, it positively, definitely, for sure did not read 3:57 p.m.

During The Bachelor, my sister and I did not call each other at every commercial to talk about the things that were happening, and then hang up abruptly when the show came back on.

This week I did not sit and watch "Lady and the Tramp" all the way through. If I had watched this movie, I most certainly would not have done so without any children watching it with me. I would never, ever choose to watch a Disney animated movie by myself. That would be weird, wouldn't it?

On Friday, I did not wake up late and have just enough time to jump in my car to get to school by 8:00. Because of that, I would never have gone to school in my pajamas. How embarrassing would that have been? There's no way I ever would have done that...unless it was "Pajama Party" day in preschool...which it was!!!

On Sunday, I for sure did not finally win a game of Upwords (probably the first this year), and one of my words definitely was not "quoth." (Anyone Edgar Allan Poe fans out there?) After winning, I for sure did not call my Grandma in Alaska to tell her. Spend long distance minutes to gloat? No way, I would never do that!

Well, there's a few things I definitely, for sure, absolutely, never would have done this week. Check out some other Not Me! posts here. Join the fun...tell the world what you have not done this week!

Why Does God Paint Sunsets?

Tonight I was once again drawn outside to see a spectacular display of colors that God painted on the canvas of the sky. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous. I have decided that, besides my nieces and nephews, sunsets are my favorite thing to photograph. While watching the ever-changing colors and cloud shapes, I never tire of their beauty.

As I saw God's masterpiece develop before my eyes, I couldn't help but wonder Why does God paint sunsets, anyway? There must be some reason.

In the time I was outside, it was very quiet. There were no cars zipping by, no people around, nothing... just me standing there gazing at the beauty before me, and all I could do was worship God. Do other people do that also, or is it just me? I don't know how people could look at something like a sunset--or anything in God's Creation, for that matter--and say there's no God.

Then a thought came to me. Maybe that's why God paints sunsets. He made them for me to enjoy and to draw me closer to Him. Whenever I see a sunset, I'm mesmerized by their beauty. I don't want to move for fear that the colors will fade before my eyes, and I can't help but think You did a great job tonight, God. Thank You!!!!

5/52 Photo Challenge

This week's photo was indeed a challenge. Since I wasn't planning to go to any sporting events this week, and students running around in the gym aren't really picture-worthy, I decided to go the "equipment" route. I piled a bunch of balls (not an easy task, even with the help of my students!) and snapped a few shots. The colors were kind of neat, but it just looked too weird, so I decided to see what I could do in my photo editing program with different filters. This is my favorite; I though it looked old-fashioned in a way.

Next week's category is "Botanical February." Should be fun. Try it!

Thankful Thursday

As usual, I have so much to be thankful for, but these things pop into my mind...

Right now, I'm thankful for peanut butter (the stuff that hasn't been recalled). It makes the ice cream I'm eating taste so much better.

Webcams are a great invention, aren't they? I'm glad I was able to "see" my sister and her family in Kansas City tonight.

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day. To walk outside and feel the warm sun on my face, not the cold Arctic air we're used to during a Minnesota winter... it was a great promise of the coming spring, even if it's a few months away.

My family has always been important to me. We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas together, and even though everyone is gone back to their homes now--Erin to Kansas City, Becky to Two Harbors, and Grandma to Alaska--we have wonderful memories to keep with us until we're all together again.

The other day at school, I was grading a student's work. She had to write sentences using a certain vocabulary word. The word was influence. Every once in a while, I am surprised at the thought that the students put into their work, because it's not too often they wow me with their love for writing sentences. Anyway, after a couple hard days last week, it was very reassuring to me to read her sentence and know that maybe some of the things I'm trying to teach them are really getting through. Her sentence... Miss L. has had great influence in my education. Not a hugely (is that a word?) profound sentence, but I was very touched and thankful to God for those "little" things that give confidence and remind me that God is working in my life to influence the students in my class.

What are you thankful for today?

Wordless Wednesday

Not Me! Monday

Since I didn't do Not Me! Monday last week, I thought I'd better write something this week.

I did not plan my Monday activities around The Bachelor. I seriously love that show!

I did not have the urge to make manicotti, even though I made a vow never to do so again. Read the full story here.

While playing Upwords with my Grandma and Mom, I did not lose a game by over 100 points. Seriously, why can't I win that game?

On Friday at school, we did not spend the entire afternoon watching Fireproof, eating popcorn, and drinking Root Beer. And during the movie, I did not cry through the last 30 minutes of the movie, even though I've seen it before.

On Saturday night, I did not feel myself getting sick, and when the chills hit, I did not put on long underwear, extra socks, slippers, and 3 blankets to try to warm up. (It didn't work--I was still shivering.)

While being sick, I did not lay in bed for 12 hours, only to get up, take a shower, lay on the couch, and pretty much be lazy ALL day. I did manage to play 3 games though, and I did not lose every one!

Since it was a lazy kind of day, I did not get into my pajamas at 6:02 p.m.

Well, that's a little look at some things I did not do this past week. I wonder what I won't do this week? Click here to read some more Not Me! Monday posts.