a haunting invitation

to watch "Ghost Hunters" on the Sy-Fy Channel on Wednesday. You can bet I'll be watching/hiding under my blanket!

a great birthday present

The Cardinals won the World Series!! I couldn't be happier; especially because they beat the Texas Rangers, and we all know what I think of their idiot former owner George Bush (aka the worst president in the history of the world). Go Cards! Eleven series wins in 2011! How great is that!

patio





We have been blessed with beautiful weather. Here's the progress after four weekends.
More stone and gravel were delivered today. I can't wait for the columns and the floor.

fall roses, roses with bananas

My roses are surprising me every morning with new blooms and I keep picking them.

telling lies

Dear Jesus,
In the past two days I have told two lies. They were little convenient non-truths but let's face it, I know what a lie is and they were lies. First of all, I ask your forgiveness. I guess I should face the music and confess to the two people that heard these lies but I am not that strong yet. They might think I'm weird and they were not hurt in any way. It was just me getting out of something that I did not want to do. Help me to grow in my faith as I try to be more truthful with my friends.

cattiness

Yesterday the sun came out but it was filtered, the temperature stayed cool and it was very breezy. I had my share of recess duty. The buses were running late but I stayed outside making sure that all the wheelchair and autistic kids were loaded. When I came in, a facilitator/ co-worker said, "Hey, have you checked your hair lately?" Now, I was well aware that my hair was wind blown and I'm comfortable in my skin no matter what...but please keep catty comments to yourself, especially when I'm going out of my way to help you!

It's much warmer today. I walked 5.76 miles in the hood.

at home

  

Today I picked the last of the roses and made Ro-Tel Chicken Spaghetti for my hubby who has to work late. Later I will veg out in front of the television watching the first game of the World Series...Go Cards!!

Tomorrow I am back at school subbing as a facilitator. I'm thinking I'm going to be stuck with recess duty for at least part of the day...what's the warmest thing I can wear? 

braille

This morning I helped my missionary group put together braille books. We made seven 73 page books suitable for second graders. I fed the aluminium plates through the ancient braille machine so now I have done all the positions on the assembly line. We laughed and had a good time telling stories on ourselves. But there is one story that I am keeping a secret; they are all "tea party" republicans and I am a "closet" democrat. I just keep my mouth shut, you can learn a lot that way. 
Over the weekend my brother-in-law found a perfect arrow head in our backyard. The unwritten rule is "whoever finds it gets to keep it." I aways knew that there were Osage Indians living right here in this very spot where I am living now. It really makes me respect my little acre of ground more than ever. I must work on a patio prayer soon.

the story

He enjoys holding himself and does it often. When the teacher or facilitator tells him calmly to stop, he will. Last year in first grade he answered his facilitator with this, "Mrs. B. it got bigger." Pretty observant for an autistic kid.

day eleven: second grade

I had to wear my "mean face" most of the day as this is the second grade that I will be taking over in February. I don't want them to think that I'm a pushover. I've found it's always better to start as a hard nose and then ease up later. I heard a cute story about one of the special needs kids in my classroom today but it is a little dirty/nasty and I don't feel like posting it at this time, maybe later. I'm going to enjoy my weekend. My next scheduled subbing day is next Thursday.

patio pics

Because the patio construction will probably change this weekend, I wanted to post an update. Although I'm the cheering section, I couldn't be happier with the progress.

shut up and listen

It takes me awhile but eventually I get it. Last night I went to Missionary Society at church. We were tacking quilts and I wanted to learn how. We also had Bible study and a speaker who talked about the real need for diapers for little African children. This particular lady spends her time and talents making cute little pillow case dresses to send to Africa. Doesn't every little girl deserve a new dress. She also got to thinking she could cut up old tee shirts and with two seams turn them into diapers. This project is something I want to do too. From now on my sewing projects are going to be for someone else. I'm going to start to make pillow case dresses and also baby diapers. There are many, many ways to serve God and maybe this is my way.

mums

One rainy day in September we drove to Frankenstein, Missouri to buy mums at a favorite mum and pumpkin farm. It's not like Kansas; country roads in Missouri are hilly and very curvy but I don't get car-sick anymore so the hour-long drive was enjoyable. Of course, everything has gone up in price so the $6.50 mums last year are $7.50 this year. Even at that, they are beautiful. I want to try to put them in the ground later this fall and I'm hoping I can accomplish that before the ground freezes. I've heard that's the trick.

I walked over four miles this morning in the neighborhood. While I was walking gray squirrels ran across my path twice, I think that's a good sign...Go Cardinals!!

day ten, first grade

This actually happened after school today. I was at Barnes & Noble using a 30% off coupon to buy a cool, glow-in-the-dark Halloween book called Light's Out, Night's Out and I ran into one of my former students. Well, I didn't run into her but I happened to see her there. After we hugged and talked about what grade she was in now; second year of high school, I asked her if she knew what she would study once she eventually got into college. She said she really liked cooking and baking and she would probably become a chef some day. She even made scones for the first time over the weekend. Hey, I'm impressed, I've never make scones in my life. Maybe years in the future I'll have a world famous chef knocking on my door with a basket of warm scones for me. Or cupcakes would be good too! 

this has happened twice

I have been driving down the street and noticed that the price of gas has gone down to $3.08  a gallon. That's really cheap gas I think, but I'm busy so I'll stop and fill up tomorrow. Then tomorrow comes and the price of gas has risen to $3.18 over night. I get mad at myself for missing out on the cheap gas. I get mad at our country for being so unstable.  

patio update

So this is what our new patio looks like so far. We will continue to work on the wall tomorrow and the pictures should look different by Sunday. My job is to have plenty of food in the house for hungry workers. The weather continues to be beautiful. Go Cardinals!!

a project

Yesterday I walked a whopping 5.87 miles in my neighborhood, that is to make up for the day before when I only clocked 3.57 miles on the Greenway trail. Both days were simply gorgeous but I just got lazy. I also cleaned both the hard and soft surfaces in my house and now everything shines. I did get called by Shelley to sub in one of the autistic classrooms but I had to decline...I have a had time saying no. Anyway, yesterday I got the urge to start a new sewing project; a "Fall" runner for my dining room table. I could go to TJMax but I think I could make one just as pretty with a pattern of course. I let you know how it progresses!

retirement

I'm a subber but I'm also a retired teacher. I receive a very nice retirement check at the end of every month. I feel grateful but let's face it, I did earn it through many years of teaching. My retirement system has a rule that I may sub in a public school only so many hours/days in the current school year or I may be penalized by having my benefit check stopped and making me repay all the money paid to me during the period I was ineligible. I keep track on my calendar how many days I sub month to month. Because I am planning to do a "long term" subbing assignment next February for a friend who is having a baby I need to "save up my days" so to speak. This subbing assignment will last through the end of April and that will use up alot of my days. So that means I am on "subbing hiatus." I plan to walk and go biking today! 

the corn maze