Seriously?

I walked into the cafeteria to pick up my class yesterday and they all had their heads down. The principal was there so I knew that meant trouble... Apparently the wackadoos started a food fight. Seriously?!! A food fight??! It was their last day of school, their last day in elementary and they chose to have a full blown food fight that wouldn't stop until the principal was called. They've done some kooky things this year, but this tops it all. I am sooooo happy this year is finally over! I have a lot of great memories, but I'm also thrilled to be able to swim in my pool, go to Michigan and just enjoy my vacation!

School's out, School's out...


Jennifer

The Countdown has Begun...

Ok....so it hasn't just begun....but it is in the single digits now.....8 days left and two of those are early release days. :) This time next week I'll be at Six Flags. I am the student council sponsor and we are headed there for our end of the year field trip. These kids have worked hard all year and deserve this fun day! It will be my first trip so to say I'm excited is an understatement!!! Another great part of that is that Barry will also get to go with us. Speaking of Barry....he is an amazing husband and I LOVE him sooooo much! On another Barry note...he accepted a new job today. He starts in two weeks. Please pray for him and send good thoughts his way during this transitional time. He is excited about this wonderful opportunity...we both are. It's a sales job in the marine industry (which is what he's done in the past) just with a different product. It will be a bit of a drive for now, but we will be putting our house on the market sometime this summer and making a move down into the Dallas Metroplex area. It's exciting and scary at the same time.

I've started making my lists (I'm famous for them) of our "To Do" projects to get ready for the move. We have been talking about having a garage sale for quite some time, but now we definitely need to get on the ball. We are thinking about next weekend. It will allow us time this weekend to sort through our stuff and get ready. Now that I am typing that, I think that maybe I might put it off a weekend. That would give me time after I am out of school to get everything all set up. We also have a few projects to complete on our house. We've done SOOOO much landscaping this spring that we won't have to tackle that part.

It was 97 degrees here today. I talked to my mom in Michigan and it was in the 40's there this morning. I'm not missing that!

Enjoy your week!!!

Surprise Visit

I returned yesterday from my surprise visit to Michigan! My sister picked me up at the airport Thursday night and took me to my mom's to surprise her. Julie actually bought my ticket as her Mother's Day present for my mom. What a great sis and daughter!!! My flight left Dallas almost an hour late so I got into Detroit later than expected which meant by the time we got to my mom's she was in bed. We didn't want to just go in and scare her so Julie called her from the driveway. She told her she had gotten into a fight with Marty (her husband) and was coming to stay the night. Ha! When we went in, I hung out in the kitchen and waited for her to make her way there. My mom was pretty out of it. She asked Julie if she wanted her to make up the crib for Cooper. Julie told her she didn't bring Cooper....that's when I jumped out and said, "she brought me instead!!!!" She was surprised for sure!! It was great....I think she was even more relieved to know there hadn't been a fight and Julie wasn't staying. :)

We had a great weekend. I didn't see any of my friends because I really just wanted to spend it with my mom....of course Cooper and Julie too. I tell you...Cooper is a beauty!!! He is sooooo fun and has the best personality. Strangers come up and comment on how smiley and cute he is.....HE IS CUTE!!!! I'm so glad I had that short time at home.

Today is an amazingly beautiful day in Texas! I do love it here and it really feels like home now. As much as I miss my family, it was good to get home. I missed my wonderful husband too. He spent most of the weekend doing some projects around here and working in his garden. I'll have to post pictures of that soon. It is amazing how much stuff you can plant in one area. He's a master at using the space to maximize it in the best possible way. I can't wait to get some yummy tomatoes from it. On a different note....3 weeks left until the end of the year! My interview for the other position is this Thursday...send some good thoughts and prayers my way! I'll let you all know how it goes!

Have a great week!!
Jennifer

Odds and Ends

It's Monday! I have 16 days of school left....two of those I won't be in the classroom. I am soooooooooooo ready for the end of the year. It hasn't been a bad year, just a year of changes. I not only moved to a new grade, but a new school in a totally different state. Last summer wasn't exactly relaxing because I was planning my move and packing. This summer, I plan to enjoy it all!! When school's out I plan to spend sometime in my backyard doing some landscaping and enjoying the pool!! I'm helping my sister in law Amy at Day Camp for a few days, then spending a few weeks in Michigan. I'll be there for Cooper's first birthday! I can't believe he's almost 10 months old. WOW! After that, it's back to Texas and the pool! Fun times!

I've applied for a new position in my district, I'll post more on that after my interview. I will say that it would require me going back and taking some more classes, which I'm always up for! I already have my masters degree so that would lessen the hours needed. I've put together quite a bit of information in preparation for the interview so I hope it goes well!

Five new words were added to my vocabulary last week..."I've got high blood pressure." Yes, they are five ugly words! Over the past several months, I'd been having at least three headaches a week. I've always been prone to migraines and headaches, but this was ridiculous. I'd also been extremely tired. I finally broke down and made an appointment to see my dr....did I mention how great she is?? The nurse took my BP and it was pretty high (for me). She took it in the other arm...same results. I waited in the room for about 10 min and the dr took it when she came in....again in both arms. Unfortunately for me, nothing had changed. She gave me a copy of the DASH Diet and told me to come back in 2 weeks. Well, last Thursday was my two week re-check. It hadn't worked. I am now on a low strength beta blocker. So far so good! I had to go in today to get an antibiotic....I have a nasty sinus infection. My BP was perfect!! I go back again next week to have it checked. Hopefully this will do the trick. I have a family history of high blood pressure....my dad died of a heart attack at 48, my mom has been on BP meds since she was 40 and my sister is also on them. That doesn't even count my grandparents who died from heart attacks. I was just hoping to make it to 40 before I started meds. I guess I started about three years early. At least I know what was causing the headaches. I haven't had one since I started eating right and drinking MUCH less caffeine. The bonus to the meds she put me on is that they reduce headaches. Now if they could just reduce weight, I'd be in luck! ha!

That's the latest with me. Nothing too exciting. We did have family pictures done with Barry's family on Saturday. I'll post a couple when we get them. I think they'll turn out cute! I got some fun ones after the photographer was done of our nephews and niece. They are just adorable!!!

Have a great week everyone!

BTW....I might just have some big news to share on Friday! I'll let you know on Friday!! It's a surprise for now!

Jennifer

The Grocery Game

Has anyone heard of this? I am sure it works better the bigger your family, but I think it would work for us too.


What is The Grocery Game? Here's what the website has to say:

The Grocery Game is a website that can save you hundreds of dollars on grocery bill each month. Log in, spend a few minutes with a pair of scissors, and you're off to win The Grocery Game!

When you play, you'll get a weekly list (called Teri's List) of the lowest-priced products at your supermarket matched with manufacturers' coupons and weekly specials -- advertised and unadvertised. The Grocery Game does all the hard work and research, and presents it to you in a straightforward format.


If any of you do The Grocery Game, please leave a comment and tell me about your experience with it. I think I am going to try the $1 trial period.

In case you missed it above...Here's the link: http://www.thegrocerygame.com/

Thanks!
Jennifer

Celebrate Spring!

The weather here in Texas has been beautiful. We had a warm and sunny weekend. We spent Friday evening and Saturday visiting Barry's brother and his family. Saturday was spent outside enjoying the sun. Not only was the weather wonderful, but so was our time with them.

Having lived in Michigan most of my life, I'm not used to having this kind of weather this early in spring. I'm not sure I have a favorite season, I know it's not winter, but the remaining three are pretty equal in my book. In honor of the wonderful spring weather we've been having, I wanted to list the things I love most about spring...a "celebrate spring" post!

* Flip flops and sandals
* Open windows and fresh air
* Flowers
* Budding trees
* Packing away those winter clothes
* Thunderstorms...minus tornadoes of course!
* Walks with Barry and Sam at the park
* Working in the yard
* Green grass
* Knowing that summer vacation is right around the corner!!!!
* Chirping birds
* Baby animals
* Wind chimes
* Daylight savings
* Watching Barry work in the garden....he loves it!

I could go on and on, but these are the ones that come to mind quickly. What are your favorite things about spring?

It's Happening!

I've posted about Tricia and Nathan before. I don't know them personally, but found their blog through the blog of a friend. Tricia has Cystic Fibrosis and delivered Gwyneth more than 15 weeks prematurely back in January.
Their story is one of hope, faith in God and love! Tricia has been waiting for a double lung transplant and thought she was going to get her transplant earlier this week, it didn't happen that night, but it is tonight!!! Praise God! Please pray for this family, for Tricia's doctors and nurses and also for the family of the donor...someone had to die in order for this to happen for Tricia. Go on over and check out Nathan's site for more information and updates tonight. Leave them a message of encouragement if you so desire, but most of all....PRAY!!

http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/