ten on tuesday (the. . .cha cha cha chia edition)

1. Found out last night that Charlotte lives right out in our front yard. I wish you could've seen how big she actually was. I didn't want to get my hands too close. She looks dangerous in real life, despite her caring, friendly ways in the book.

2. We haven't seen Wilbur around, but Phil said there was a peacock in the front yard the other day. Seriously, a peacock?!?!

3. If you read my blog last week, you'll remember that I asked for prayer for my friend Mila. He finally received word from his sister that his family all survived the tsunami in American Samoa. His mother was actually on the beach with three of her friends when it hit. She made it, they did not. Please continue to pray for them as they pick up the pieces to rebuild.

4. Phil and I are gearing up to begin our small group Sunday night. We are really looking forward to finally being able to host something like this. We're starting with dinner. I'm going to take a poll here. Please respond in the comments. Should I. . . A) make a pasta dish that feeds the masses, or B) fix a couple different kinds of soup? We'd add salad, bread & dessert to that mix on both. And no, this is not a clever ploy just to increase my comments ratio. I really need help deciding here.

5. First graders are totally amused by the overhead projector. They think it's the coolest thing ever. Every time I use it, we have to take a moment to get out the oohs and ahhs.

6. Something wacky happened in my car this morning. When I turned it on, it registered 66 miles to empty. It was a nice subtle reminder that I needed to stop and get gas after school. I had to get the scraper out and clear off the windshield. Total time: approximately two minutes. Then when I pulled out of the driveway, the low fuel signal came on. This usually happens when there are only 25 miles left. By the time I got to the end of the road to turn into Costco to get gas, it said 6 miles to empty. I did not drive 60 miles to get to Costco, so what in the world happened to my fuel gauge?

7. Does not Tracy from the purple team on the Biggest Loser drive you insane with the crazy looks she gives all the time? Will she please drop below the yellow line so I don't have to see her each and every Tuesday night?

8. Latest commercial that cracks me up? Cha-Cha-Cha-Chia! That's right, get your very own Obama Chia, or Abe Lincoln Chia, or George Washington Chia. Or if you'd rather not have a Presidential Chia, how about a Statue of Liberty Chia? And I thought the Scooby Doo Chia was a dumb idea. Who comes up with this stuff? Better yet, who buys it?

9. Two weeks ago, the kids in my class were arguing over who was going to pray for lunch. So last week I start with number one and give them the option to pray or pass. Seven out of ten decided to pass. This week, they're all praying on their day. Passing is not an option. I'm realizing more and more that first grade is really all about crowd control.

10. Walmart has the coolest mini pumpkins and gourds. 78 cents, people. Hurry, go stock up!