Why I Love Being an Aunt

Here are some reasons why I love being an aunt:

Some Days . . .

Some days are better than others. I always knew this to be true, yet I've been having some pretty good days lately. I spent the weekend in sunny southern Utah, spent some time with my family at the beginning of the week, and spent yesterday cleaning and organizing, an I went to lunch with some old friends. Hey, I even did my own state and federal taxes! Woohoo for tax refunds. Needless to say, things have been going pretty well.

Needless to say, things can't go well forever. This morning I woke up with a very itchy body and discovered this:

So, pretty much I have hives from my ankles to mid-thigh. Awesome, I know. Everyone's jealous right now (or something). The weirdest part is that I have NO idea what could have caused this! I haven't used any new products, eaten anything new, or changed my soaps. Maybe it was a strange bug in my storage unit cleaning escapade yesterday. Either that, or now--along with nickel, latex, bananas, dust, and animals-- I'm just allergic to myself. ugh.

Happy Pi Day!

No, it's not a misspelling. I really meant Pi! A quick history: pi is from the Greek word for perimeter and means that when a circle has a diameter of 1, its circumference is 3.14 or π. More technically, it's 3.141592 and on and on, but I'm not some super freak (and I mean that in the nicest way) who can recite pi to the longest decimal. Read more about pi and all its wonderful uses here.

Okay, so I'm a dork and got a little carried away! Here are some fantastic sites to check out--all dedicated to pi!

Pi as a piano solo Hey, I could play this! A bit boring . . .

Coolest PIE of PI EVER!Seriously, check it out. :)

See Pi as a Picture. Kind of looks like those I Spy for grownup 3D pics. Check it out!

I know, I know. It's only the 12th of March, but I wanted everyone to have a warning! Tomorrow, Saturday, March 14 (3/14), is Pi day! So, go celebrate. Eat some real pie. For many out there, they have no idea what pi is--either they don't care or have forgotten (or they have forgotten because they don't care)--and don't care to celebrate. But, in these down times, I think we need to celebrate a little more! So, eat your favorite kind of pie this weekend!

Plus, here's the bonus: Take my Pie survey on the sidebar, and leave a comment on your favorite kind of pie! The 3rd person who comments will be taken out for a slice of pie, my treat! Now, that's fun! :) UPDATE: OKAY, WELL--EITHER ONLY STRANGERS READ MY BLOG AND TAKE THE SURVEY, OR NOBODY WANTS TO GO OUT FOR PIE! :(

I should take my sister out, too. Not because she likes pie, but she was born on Pi day! Wahoo for her. Happy Birthay, Jenni!

And, if you're still reading this . . . I coded this post! Yep, it's true. I didn't just link, but actually wrote the computer code in. I'd like to think that all this talk of math and pi inspired me.

P.S. Although I love math, pumpkin pie is still my favorite. :)

Clean House, Clean Mind

So, I feel lately like I have a million things to do, and I'm sure it's because I'm doing all the things I've neglected to do during the past 9 weeks. Yep, that's right. I've saved up many things for when I am "off track," and now it's stressing me out! Either that or the thought of going back to work in a week and a half . . .Some of the things on my list include the following: cleaning my storage unit (cleaning, tossing, de-junking, etc.), doing my taxes (I usually do them myself), completing 4 sewing projects (yeah . . . I'm almost done with 1), big laundry (bed linens (don't worry--I do these more than once every 9 weeks) and rugs), deep cleaning and vacuuming my room, cleaning my car, and general bills and organization. Oh, I also have a paper for the class I'm taking. I know, I know. I thought I was done with writing papers when I finished grad school, but apparently that's not the case. Of course, I've been doing a little bit of nothing and procrastinating, but I find that I do my best work this way. So, now the time has come, and today I'm cleaning like a mad woman! Well, in between blogging, reading, and organizing. Mostly, I clean when I'm stressed. I feel like a 50's housewife, going about straightening and arranging things, but it's a good, clean feeling. :)

If I Could Say One Thing . . .

If I could say one thing to my 6th graders, the end of this note would be it.


Yes, the "Stop causing drama, please!" part. That pretty much sums up my days.

A Teacher's Toy Drawer

Here is the infamous drawer of things lost and never to be returned . . . unless they're asked for on a Friday. Kind of reminds me of an I Spy book. Mind you, these are just the things that make it to the drawer. Some things just find the way to the garbage.

1. A heart slinky
2. Batman action figure
3. Spider-man helicopter
4. Two squishy eyeballs (my favorite)
5. Laser pointers
6. A mini-notebook
7. Plush football and basketball
8. Hacky-sacks
9. A comb and hair tie (This is school, not hair school). :)
10. There are things in here that will be lost forever . . . and some things, I have no idea what they are!

Fly Boy

This was in a book of notes I took away from a distracted student this past week. This picture continues to bring me great joy and much laughter! The original Fly Boy! My favorite part has to be his triangle shaped parts: eyes, nose, teeth, fingernails, toes, and hair. Heee Heee!

A Fun Reason to Like Canada

"First it's candy . . .

. . . Then it's gum!"

Empty Promises

So, the other day I was grocery shopping and started to freak out a little. Everywhere I looked were products that promise to plump old lips, add collagen and decrease wrinkles, moisturize dry/flaky skin, make lashes longer and fuller, cure under eye circles, and fix damaged hair. Yes, I was shopping in the cosmetics. Geez. If someone was looking at all these things they might think, "Is there anything right with me?" Seriously, what's a girl to do? The whole excursion just make me feel really old, even though I'm not. All the commercialism and power of persuasion was getting me a little down!

Then, hope.

As I was shopping, I could hear someone whistling a familiar tune. For those of you who are familiar, it goes like this, "No toil no labor fear, but with joy, wend your way." Yes, that is the exact part I heard someone whistling as I moved through the aisle. It made me smile and laugh. I proceeded to just go ahead with what I came for, and walk away feeling pretty silly. However, I did buy shampoo with this promise: "It's the reason you've dated a chain of Mr. Wrongs. Now watch as healthy, touchable hair lures many Mr. Rights." I'll let you know how that goes . . .

The Other Mother

So, a funny story for you.

A few years ago, actually I think it was like 5 or 6, I started getting emails from a lady who shares my same last name. She lives in the UK and last I knew, her daughter in Barbados. Now, the funny thing is, is that she thinks she's emailing her daughter. Yes, her daughter shares my name. Her daughter's email is exactly opposite of mine (last name, first name) and has a different domain, but I guess she just tried every one. I used to email her back to tell her she had the wrong email/person and that I wasn't her daughter, but that just caused her distress. I then received emails asking why I was denying my mother and what kind of daughter would do that. I forwarded the emails to her real daughter, and gave up trying to help her realize the truth. However, I guess she's just on my mind lately. It could be the two to three emails a week I still get from her . . . . Funny stuff. Well, at least the emails are usually funny (but mostly of the chain-type).

An Interesting Conversation

A sixth grade classroom in the late afternoon. A teacher is sitting with a small group of students who are working on math problems.

Student: Uh, teacher. I have something to tell you.

Teacher: About math?

Student: No, not about math.

Teacher: What's up? (The teacher says this with a look of curiosity).

Student: Well, you know that foot you gave us for "Stomp Out Tardies" week?

Teacher: Yes. What about it?

Student: Well, I kinda swallowed it. I was chewing on it, and then I just swallowed it. It got stuck, but then I had water and felt better.

Teacher: You what?!? You'd better hope that comes out the other end!

The Biggest Complaint of the Day

This is the biggest complaint by a student today. She couldn't make her book on micro-organisms because when she loaned out her scissors, they came back like this:



Loving sixth grade more each day . . . or something. ;)

Luckiest Day EVER!

Apparently, today is my lucky day. So says the email in my inbox. Who knew that I'd be the next British Lottery winner! It's true. The message said, "Your email has won you a lottery from the BRITISH TOBACCO COMPANY." All I have to do now is contact some doctor, give him all my personal information, and . . . oh, it doesn't say. Perhaps I've won a lifetime supply of tobacco products and millions of dollars in health care bills. Either that or a lifetime supply of identity theft problems and an extreme aversion to junk mail.

And I wasn't even wearing my blue shoes. . .

Strange and Silly Things That I Like

Smiles
Quilting
Warm Bread
Making lists :)
Contact Lenses
Cookies and cakes of all kinds
Singing along to the music in my car
The smell of a new book or fresh copy paper
Hitting the snooze button several times each morning
Pens, white board markers, and office supplies in general
Camping. Is it too early to go camping? If your answer is no, call me!
Reading in bed until I'm so tired the book ends up getting lost in the covers
Organizing things in silly ways (like this list--longest to shortest. Take notice)
Playing "Guitar Hero" in the basement (yes, the basement makes a difference)
"[!*(Punctuation)*!. , I love when it's used correctly. This post is a bit sketchy!
Blankets--all types of blankets. EXCEPT the woolish hotel ones. I despise them.
An interesting post, but a good way to let out the random thoughts of my mind.

My Dear Grandma

For the past year or so, I've had the chance to get to know my grandma in a way that I never thought possible. As she's been struggling with a debilitating brain disease, I've come to realize that the grandma I've known and loved for so long is no longer with us--almost. Even though she may not be entirely with it, I've had many chances to see her sweet spirit.



As I was sitting with her on the couch a month or so ago, just seeing how she has deteriorated made me cry. I just hugged her and rested my head on her shoulder. As I'm sitting there, crying for her, she reaches over, pats my leg, and says, "It's alright sweetheart." Which of course, made me cry even more. It was one of those sweet, yet brief moments where she maybe remembered who I was. When I look back and remember her, these are the times I will remember and cherish most. What a strong, sweet, and loving spirit she has.



As I was going through some old pictures the other day, I came across these pictures. They were taken just after I'd won Regional English Sterling Scholar my senior year in high school. Grandma and Grandpa were always so great to support me in every way that they could. I guess you could say that I'm just returning the favor as they enter this stage of their lives. This is how I always want to remember them--smiling and laughing--surrounded by those they love.