and

Forgive me for my general lack of posting as of late. I blame it on the fact that I'm teaching two grades AND rarely have time during the day to make it to the bathroom let alone think of really amazing and/or funny things to share with you. I am so completely exhausted by the time I get home that I can barely crank out dinner. Which reminds me, I do have a yummy lemon-dill chicken orzo recipe to share. I saw it on tv one day and thought it sounded good. If it came from Martha Stewarts Everyday Foods Kitchen, you know it's a good thing. I just made it again tonight. Mmmmm!

The most common question I've heard recently is
1) "How's your class?" AND. . .
2) "How in the world do you teach two grades?"

My answer for #1 varies from day to day. Some days I'm like, "Wow! We are sooooo making progress." And then I have days like today where I go to the other side of the building to the copier to print off a whole bunch of stuff and I found out that nothing that I sent to my mailbox the day before made it because it's floating around in some cable somewhere. And then the parents who volunteer for morning recess duty (bless their hearts) aren't there which means I get to do it. And then some kid pushes another kid out of the way (while he's standing at a urinal) because he has to go "really bad." And then there's "Please pay attention because you will need to know how to count money for the rest of your life. This is an important skill to know and the first time you shop at Walmart by yourself and hand the lady the correct amount you'll thank me." AND generally I just I want to find out exactly what planet these children are from.

As for question #2, I have no idea, but it does appear that, for the most part, they are learning something. But let me tell you, the hardest part of my day is trying to get in all the reading groups AND teach two different levels of math at the same time. If someone really wants to make my day they can bring me a diet cherry coke around 1:30 in the afternoon. I need all the caffeine I can get.

I got to drive the Jeep today. Phil505 took my car to get the oil changed. He also filled the tank with gas. Because he's romantic that way. Not to be outdone, I stopped and filled the Jeep with gas AND bought him a Butterfinger. I told him it only cost me $45 plus 50 cents and he was worth every penny.

In other news, I hear it's supposed to rain sideways on Saturday. So much for getting the tulip and daffodil bulbs planted. The beautiful sunny fall days sure were nice while they lasted. The leaves are just finally changing. AND they'll all be gone in less than 2 seconds this weekend.

Phil505 has the day off on Saturday, so he volunteered to take me out to breakfast. Folks, we never get to go out to breakfast because he has the most insane work schedule ever. After that, we're going to go look at furniture because my big fluffy sage green I-bought-it-before-I-got-married couch isn't so big and fluffy anymore. It probably has a lot to do with the first day I had it. I kid you not, one of the legs had to be sawed off just to get it through my living room door. That was after they removed the trim around the door and it still wouldn't fit. Then, my baby niece Hannah puked on it. Brand new couch with a bum leg AND baby puke. All within the first hour of being in my possession. To document it all, I took a picture of the puke. More to harrass my niece as she grows up than to put in a scrapbook. Although, who knows? It just might very well end up in a scrapbook.

Since then it's been moved across country, up and down apartment stairs, AND it's just about ready to go to that great big couch gathering up in the sky.

Our other stops on Saturday include the A Joy Forever scrapbook store and Burgerville. Because one can never have enough pretty patterned paper AND it's pumpkin milkshake time :)