semi- interesting random tidbits for your reading pleasure

• I have seen the most glorious sunrises the past three days. The sky has been all lit up in pinks and purples and oranges and the colors are just popping out around the clouds. I want to drive south looking east the whole entire way into school. I want to capture them digitally to share with you too. But it's darn near impossible.
• My students made construction paper Indian corn today for an art project. I don't get how they don't get that corn kernels grown in nice neat rows. I showed them pictures and drew illustrations and everything. It was mostly to no avail.
• The whole entire time all they did was complain about how sticky their hands were from the glue. I was informed by one boy that this was the glue-iest project they'd ever done. I thought kids liked glue????
• In language the other day we were working on rhyming words. They were giving me words that rhymed with horn. One of them said porn. OK, people, work with me here. I'm only teaching 2nd grade!!!
• I forgot to pay the electric bill. Just got a friendly reminder in the mail that our account is past due. That sure was nice of them to remind me.
• Phil loaded a bunch of songs for me on my ipod. (Thanks, B.) I have found that I can make that ellyptical move a heck of a lot faster when I'm trying to keep up with the beat of the music. As Deb Strong, my former piano teacher would tell you, I have perfect timing. And it kills me to be pedaling that machine and be off beat.
• I found out when I got home tonight that someone at Winco (the grocery store chain here that's as big as Sam's Club - and no, you don't have to have a membership to get in) put pickled beets in with the regular old sliced beets. I'm ticked. I absolutely love beets. My grandmother for years planted them in her garden for me. But I don't do pickled beets. Ever.
• Also, more news from the grocery. . .Dole has a new autumn salad out. It's got a pumpkin vinaigrette dressing and pumpkin seeds for extra crunch. (No, I didn't buy it to try it out. I stuck with the regular old Caesar.)
• Speaking of pumpkins, since I now have mine, I finally dug out all my fall decorations. All 8 of them. At least it's enough to make the mantle look cute. And I'm making one of these for the entry way table, only with fall papers.

• Last year my class made these as their parent Christmas gifts, then I went on to make 5 more to give as gifts. My fingers nearly fell off from being in the glue gun trigger position. I made one for Jackie, Phil's aunt, that used wine themed papers. Their kitchen/dining room are decorated in a wine motif, and I found really pretty papers in gold and burgundy. She loved it!!! I figured it's finally time I get one for me. I may have posted about this before, I can't remember. If you like it and want directions, go to Becky Higgins' blog. . . http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2007_10_01_archive.html At the top of that page will be examples that other people have made, and you can scroll down to her Oct. 5th post for the step by step.
• My view from the piano on Sunday morning when the guy started the intro to the first song on the drums. . . three little old ladies in the 2nd pew covering up their ears and jaws dropped with looks of sheer horror. How am I supposed to play the piano with that going on right in front of me? How can I make even more noise when it's obvious that they are never coming back again??? Yes, the drums were loud. I couldn't even hear myself play.
• Tonight Phil had Q-Tips sticking out both of his ears. It's the closest thing to a Halloween costume I'll probably ever see him in. I guess he was Frankenstein. I asked him if I could get a picture for my blog and he politely declined. Something about his hair being a mess.
• I was thinking about my mom as I finished making dinner tonight - roast beef in the crock pot all day magically transformed into a delightful dish known as noodles and beef. Yum. Thank you, Mom, for teaching me how to make that. However, my tongue is now burned because it was too hot.
• Phil and I are heading to the beach Saturday morning. Just in time for the fall rains to begin. We're going to a comedy show at the casino. I bought these tickets at the school acution. Isn't that an oxymoron? Christian school auctions off casino show tickets.
• I'm going to have a new niece around Christmas time. Just found out the baby was a girl a couple days ago. Her name. . .Lavender Shundeen Kline. (In case you don't know, Shundeen is Navajo. Lavender's mom is part Navajo. Lavender's mom met Lavender's dad on the internet just like Lavender's aunt met Lavender's uncle on the internet. Lavender's mom is from New Mexico and moved to Ohio at the end of '07. Lavender's aunt is from Ohio and moved to Oregon in '04.)
• Did you get all that? I'm Lavender's aunt. Phil's Lavender's uncle.
• Wondering which is the best shortened form of her name, Lavie or Vender??? My brother will probably say neither.
• And speaking of lavender, Dr. Scholl's has this wonderful lavender foot soak stuff. My feet were in need of a good hot soak, and they got one tonight.