Quotables

So, if you read my previous post, you know that I had a pretty rough day last week. But on a bright note, Friday, I DID go to work, and it WAS a much better day. Then, there's the weekend - always a good thing.

I thought I'd just share a few quotes that I either heard or read this week that made me smile.

"My poopy doesn't smell. It think it's your walls. You need to scrub your walls." ~ My friend's small nephew after "smelling up" my bathroom.

"Compassion for our parents is the true sign of maturity." ~ Somebody named Anais Nin, quoted in my Real Simple magazine

"Some of us are snowballs; some of us are fireballs; and some of us are just spitballs." ~My father-in-law/pastor referring to the scripture where God tells Christians not to be lukewarm or he will "spew" us out of his mouth (Revelation 3:15-16).

"Are you ready for the government to tell you how shiny your shingles will be, how brightly your paintings will be lit, how bright your hot tub can be? No? Let me ask you this. Why is it you hate the Earth so very much?" ~ Glenn Beck referring to the 648-page climate bill recently introduced that apparently does not focus much on big picture issues. (Guess you had to hear the sarcasm in his voice, too, to appreciate it as much as I did!)

Is it Friday yet?

Have you ever had one of those days you wish you could have a "redo"? Today was one of those days for me.

I didn't sleep too well because, once again, I procrastinated sorting & entering grades & knew I wasn't QUITE ready to turn them in by the deadline this morning.

Tried to get to school early (which is a huge feat, especially lately). Left in time to get there at "normal" time, but definitely not early enough.

Decided I did at least have time to get gas in my car so I wouldn't have to fill up after school (was almost to that point where it would be needed by then.) First gas station, I had problems with 2 pumps, so I decided I'd just get gas at the one by school. (Didn't realized until I was almost there I had driven all the way with my gas cap hanging open!) Got to gas station #2, and just as I got my print-out for a future car wash, my pump's monitor blanked. "See attendant." Ok. She tells me to go ahead and pre-pay. Ok. Get back outside, pump not set up for pre-pay. No idea what's going on. Girl comes running out to tell me she set me up on different pump. So, by pump #4, I finally got gas.

Got my grades "exported" to the counselor a little late, after a few setbacks. Ok, good.

3rd hour - AWFUL! Yelled at them more than I like to in any given day. Oops. Let's let the blood pressure lower during plan period during planning period 4th hour.

Nope. Meeting about MAP testing in cramped principal's office. (Ok, so this really wasn't so bad - just not how I like to spend my entire planning period.)

5th hour - good little breather. A normally talkative & somewhat disruptive class worked very had and got a lot done.

6th hour - one of my "favorite" (no such thing in teaching, I know, but still...) groups not doing their best work.

7th hour - Is it over yet?

After school - oh wait, I still have to go vote on contract proposal, arrange desks for MAP pretest tomorrow & "renumber" about 95 practice tests. Hmmm, maybe I'll just copy ones I already have done...would work great if everyone else weren't copying their tests on our 2 very slow copiers. (So I copied one class set) Get to my room to find I've inherited 14 extra copies of said test from another teacher (Score!)

Check my e-mail before I head home & got a good little laugh from my sisters. Yay, a bright spot in my day.

Come home. Park myself in front of the t.v. (instead of going to gym as originally planned). Renumber one more class set. (Good, now if I can just use the copier for one more class set by 7:25 tomorrow morning, I'm set!). Finished that job. Now make cute little pawprint name tags (totally NOT needed, but it was a mindless job) for testing seating chart tomorrow.

Put everything back in school bag & chill on the couch for a while. 6:00. Can I take a 15 minute nap? Is that even possible? Today it worked. Just in time for dinner and good conversation with friends. Ahh, this is who I really am, not that mean, stressed teacher lady.

The details probably don't make sense to anyone who wonders why I'm "renumbering" so many tests and wondering what the big deal about this MAP test is. And I know this was totally a whiny post, but that was my day. So all I'm saying is thank God tomorrow is a new day and His mercies are new every morning. PLUS, it's Friday! AND 3rd hour (see above note) will be shortened because of testing schedule. I can and will survive! *Sigh and Smile*

Random things

This post is going to be reminiscent of my little brother's blogs, at least how they could sometimes be quite random.

I finally went and got my wedding ring back from the jeweler's after being without it for a week. I did feel a little "naked" without it, but it didn't bother me as much as some people apparently thought it should while I was without it. I couldn't believe how many women made some sort of comment like "How can you NOT wear your ring?" or "I'd at least get a fake if I were you for times like this." I didn't feel the urge to wear some other ring on that finger for the week-and-a-half I was waiting for it to be repaired; I mean, I KNOW I'm married.

This week, I met a lady who has a daughter with my same name (with only a minor spelling difference). This is interesting to me because I love my unique name, and I've only met one other person in my life that has the same name. But get this - this lady's daughter also shares my birthday (just 18 years later)!

And then today, at the end of our rather lengthy staff meeting (we are gearing up for state testing), our principal called out a few names of people he "needed to see." He had some papers for us, but apparently, he hadn't even looked at what it was. When he opened the envelope and read the cover letter, he commented, "You've got to be kidding me!" All I knew was that I saw "Homeland Security" across the top. Well, about ten other staff and I were randomly chosen to fill out an "Employment Verification" form...basically to prove that we are American citizens. The funny thing is that we have to bring these forms back to school tomorrow filled out, plus two forms identification. Here's the kicker: one of the ID's can be our school ID with our photo on it. So here's my thought: if the school district hired us, then they would be the ones creating and providing that badge for me. How does that prove I am legit here in the US of A? Hmmm... Just funny to me.

Well, that's it for the randomness. Have a good weekend.

Trade-In

Isaiah 61:1 is a pretty popular scripture that one might hear at an ordination of a new minister. "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives..." Leaving out a little bit, it goes on to say "to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." I don't think I remembered that those two sections were in the same context until I started focusing on this scripture this past week. A couple of Sunday nights ago, we had a pretty incredible singing and ministry group at our church called Higher Ground. I don't even remember what song they were introducing, but they quoted this scripture, specifically the part about "putting on the garment of praise instead of heaviness" (another version, I guess). Well, I broke. I had been under a "heavy" spirit. That morning, there had been a shooting at a church a few towns over from my home town in Illinois. My friend Karen was suffering physically and mentally because of a really bad report with yet more cancer. It was easy to feel heavy in my heart. But that night, I felt a true freedom to "put on the garment of praise" instead.

Well, this week, more heaviness, more burden. A good friend of mine lost her dad the other night. It was not completely unexpected because he had been ill, but it was very sudden. Then, today, another family in our church lost their husband and father very suddenly. This man has a wife and three boys ranging from 5th grade to high school age. My friend Karen seems to be either getting worse or experiencing some sort of new struggle each day. And not only that, but it's so hard to watch as she went from being so strong and claiming to "praise God anyway," to "losing her song." I needed a reminder about putting on that garment of praise instead of despair, so I came home and looked up that scripture in three different versions. Do you know what God has pointed out to me? It does not say that it is God's role to go "provide for those who mourn" or "to bestow...beauty instead of ashes...and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." This scripture actually says that God has sent ME to do that. So I am going to pick up Karen's mantel and I am going to sing a song of praise until she gets hers back. I will be there for my friend as she says her final goodbye's to her father; I will cry with that mother and hug those young boys. I will mourn with those who have lost, but I will keep on that garment of praise so that despair will not overtake them. It seems almost more than I can handle, especially because I know my own thought tendencies, but the reward will be great. "They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the lord for the display of his splendor." It's hard to know why these things happen, but maybe if enough of us trust God FOR them, they will come out victorious and strong in God's perfect timing.

A Sea of Green

On such a beautiful day, I was not surprised at the sheer number of after-school-care kids playing on the playground at the elementary school we share a campus with. I had to smile because it looked like a sea of green with all the little kiddies in their various shades of green t-shirts for St. Patty's Day. (One class must have green t-shirts because a lot of them looked the same - you know teachers "name" their classroom then have t-shirts made up for field trips, etc.) It was amusing to me because after transferring from five years in elementary, and now working two years at the middle school level, I still think of the differences between the age groups. At elementary, the kids wear green t-shirts. At the middle school, they wear

* green knee socks with four-leaf clovers all over them
* green beads
* as obnoxious a green hair bow as they can find
* a green frilly mini skirt
* any other green "bling" they could get their hands on
* green Nikes or stylish kicks
* and for the preppier girl, a green bow with white polka dots in her hair WITH a purse to match!

The one similarity? They ALL, no matter the age, would love nothing more than to pinch anyone who has not followed the green trend today! Too bad the principals make sure they announce that morning that we want everyone to have a GOOD day, so no pinching allowed!