Friday, March 30, 2012

So Egg-citing

To be back in Colorado Springs for Spring Break. This morning Luke made me eggs and spare guts (asparagus.) I just had to take a picture of my fork and his pitchfork.



I became a victim of pinterest when I saw some eggs dyed sort of batik style with the use of flowers and nylons. So I tried it today. Isn't everything better in color?



I swiped some shoe trying on "socks" with permission of course.



I experimented with artificial plants and real ones. The real ones work best for the record. I also used a couple blown out eggs as well as hard boiled. In the future Id just as soon use hard boiled as I didn't feel like these eggs were SO special I wanted to keep them all.











Hot water, color, a bit of vinegar.



On some of the eggs that didn't ten out with a strong pattern I re-dyed with a different color and more plants. The effect was pretty cool.







Tomorrow I aim to try making eggs that imitate some of Luke's golf shirts re my post around the women's open.



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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Draw Something

Val tricked me into playing this fun pictionary esque app game called "Draw Something" with her I have since started playing with others as well. It's a game that humors doodle loving people like myself. These are a couple drawings I find to have been most entertaining.







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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

That's the Spirit

Whew. Quite the last post eh? I just woke up in a sort of panic. Everything was on my brain and I needed to send it off and get rid of it. I needed to feel heard. Somehow after i posted that blog the weight was off my shoulders. It was still there, just not bearing down on me. Interestingly I started to think about that and about lifting things up to God and how we do that with prayer. I've been wrestling with (and still not dogmatically answering) the question as to whether or not blogging disables my instinct to pray and hand things over to God. Also with the fact that I HATEd writing as a youngun and never kept a journal of any sorts until blogging. I like blogging it gives me a sense of being heard. Is this my method for vocalizing praises, stressors etc and letting them go? It also puts my prayer requests out there (and thank you so much to those of you who have been praying and sending kind words.) Then again is it a crutch for real life social networking and real life interactions and communications about all of this? Or would I still feel fairly separate with all that's going on in my program?
Interestingly, on Sunday Pastor James, North Fresno Church, spoke (available on iTunes)in regards to Ephesians 6:18-20 "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." (Ephesians 6:18-20 NIV)
Hmmmm there's that "p" word again. What does it mean for me?
Is my non traditional method of sending messages out watered down by the fact that I send the messages to my readers/family/friends and the whole rest of the Internet as well? Can a conversation be a prayer? Maybe if it concludes with a ceremonious verbal offering of the things previously discussed? Am I now trying to qualify what is and what isn't? Does this come down to "the spirit of the law" idea? Hmmmmm. That is all. Just thinking.
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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Give Me Oil

Here I am. It's three in the morning. I have yet another major test at 8am, and I'm awake. My brain is busy thinking about 36 young people who count on me to give them knowledge in at least 5 different subjects along with character development. They count on me to offer them support to help them maximize their learning, to teach them how be responsible when the natural consequences don't seem to be enough to motivate them. I'm thinking about how the return for my expended energy is feeling awfully low and yet I am still not reaching everyone who needs reaching.

Here's the thing, my brain is also busy thinking about:
The grown ups that belong to them.
The grownups that administrate the learning and supervise me.
PE testing, and Open House
Observations and interviews I am expected to conduct in other classrooms and on top of everything else.
Major project assignments that involve paperwork I don't have the patience for.

My natural consequences for letting things slide are greater than theirs and yet I still feel like they come first.

A need to take moments to recharge and yet not feeling recharged after taking more moments than I can afford to take.

Oh yah, and

An irritated digestive system that seems to refuse to reset regardless of initiating removal of dairy from my diet.

My husband is in another state. According to Google he is 99+ miles away.

Missing my biggest cheerleader and mentor and role model, my Mom. Because we were two peas in a pod. And she would know what to say, and how to help me balance it all.

Education is not for the weak. I will be among the first to know and announce that. Tonight I'm feeling exceptionally weak. Maybe weak minded? Swamped. Overwhelmed. Stressed that I feel the need to re charge yet too behind to get on top of anything long enough to do so.

There are really people out there who do it all. We read about them, see them on the news and in forums. I am acquainted with people who have more on their plate than I and yet they seem to be managing the very same program with the efficiency of a well oiled machine.

I need oil! I need a machine!

Oh yes and my test tomorrow is very much in relation to going the extra mile to meet the needs of every single student.
I'm feeling selfish....but what about my needs?

Not to self: I should probably not have children.

It's now just about 4am. Here I thought I was an 8 hr minimum sleep kid.


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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Hitchhiking

The closest I ever hope to get to doing so is making this Hitchhiker scarf.

It was a great project for these times as it is a fairly mindless pattern. Once I figured out the increase to decrease ratio.
It's great for multitasking. Tan took these picks of me this morning before my gig. I couldn't decide between sleepy squinty with a real smile or slightly crazed eyes open. Either way you get to see the scarf! I love it!

Gary L. compared it to a saw. I liked that. Now how to turn it into a title for Ravelry.
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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Turned Heads

I got to se my Luke for just over 4 days!! He flew to Fresno. I went to pick him up. He said he was wearing blue pants. He didn't tell me they were baby blue linen pants. I know the guy is fashion conscious and trendy and all that jazz but as someone who got a LOT of grief for my purple corduroy pants, I have room to judge just a wee bit.
Anyway it had been a ROUGH week. The stress had led me to bite my fingernails to nubs.



So Luke and I stopped by JoAnnes for therapy (ok really I needed silver pins for a bulletin board display that would be REALLY cool.) They happened to have GirlScouts waiting to prey on unsuspecting women at JoAnns for therapy and poor Luke. He got suckered into buying me 2 boxes.



See how blue those pants are?
Also we went to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner. My straw wrapper turned into table soccer. I lost.



Friday I changed up the Lego watch in honor of St Patrick's day. See the band I wore with my Batman shirt just to the right?



Saturday we celebrated Luke's birthday at my Dad and Cheri's. We had a DELICIOUS meal. They even had a cake with candles and presents.



I'm a slacker.
Only sort of though because when we got home there was MORE food. At this point we were a wee bit stuffed. But it smelled so good! We ha corned beef, cabbage farmers market potatoes, onion, and whole baby carrots, and soda bread (admittedly not made from scratch but kindly procured by Tanya!)



Sooooo good!



For dessert? Butter babies and green cinnamon chip bread from Great Harvest.



And a neck range of motion contest. Is he really beating me? I like our judges reflections in the window!



Also, for Luke's birthday I get him his favorite. March Madness. He loves it do much he totally zones and even veges a bit. To make sure he can appreciate his gift in full I'm sure to be busy with a knitting project. See my hitchhiker scarf in progress.



I was super sad to see him go, but I'm headed to CO in like a week and a half!!
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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Never Mess With A Girls Sleep Schedule

Dear Daylight Savings,
We are not friends this time of year. It was cool that you gave me an hour last time... But to call take backs? Rude. I plan on holding a grudge for at least another week.
I mean, I was waking up before my alarm even went off. I was on a schedule. It was a rare and beautiful thing. Yesterday I woke up an hr late. Like when I was supposed to leave. So tonight I only took one benedryl and woke up at4:30 am with Al-er-gies! Now I'm congested and feel a need for sleep. Like a weeks worth.
So yes. I am mad at you Daylight Savings time. You don't mess with a girls sleep schedule.
Sincerely,
Just Tired Jessica

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Sunday, March 11, 2012

Big Bang, and Clicks

Sooooo my test was a beast. I'm not feeling particularly optimistic BUT we'll find out around April 10. In the meantime, I'll be brushing up on World War I.
Also on the matter of the test, I was soooo ready to use my teacher voice on the proctor. She had her phone and iPad out. The typing click setting was not on silent and neither was her message alert. She got up twice to plug in her phone in the back of the room and left twice to make phone calls with the door open. Seriously?! Ugh. Needless to say, I definitely went to the main room to issue a complaint. Do I take it further?

After my test I worked on a thank you for sharing Big Bang Theory project for Kyle and Lucas. If you've seen it, you'll know that everything has a connection:







Muddy Buddies went in the ziplock bag. They say not for Howard and go with the peanut reaction episode.
Not pictured are a mini coke and a lime in connection with "The Grasshopper Experiment" episode. Good times.
At this rate I might have to sign up for a swap.

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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Nervousness and Man Grunting

First: Please pray for me. I'm taking two single subject tests tomorrow. They're not in my field of study and are beasts. Studying has reminded me just how vast the subject is and how little I know. I have chewed my fingernails to nubs. Also pray I wake up on time pleeeeeaaaaase. My track record is not so good.

On a lighter note I recently finished changing out 5 electrical sockets.



Insert ToolTime man grunt here. It's a skill I'm proud to have, right up there with driving a manual car.
Also I know this kid who creates his own origami. This one is from Harry Potter.



Mad skills right?
Also, check out the latest addition to my Lego collection. It's the classic Lego watch on the left. Jay got me the one on the right and I LOVE it!



I'm trying to grow my possible color combinations! All the pieces can separate and be rearranged. Right up my alley. Black and yellow will go nicely with my new batman shirt!!
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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Try and Stop Me.

Argh. These days. Spring is coming which means the stinky white trees are in full bloom. At night I take two benadryl, one claritin and one ibuprofen for my headache.
I almost fell asleep today...twice...at a time I shouldn't have. Also. I wore a cotton skirt. On one of the windiest days Fresno has seen. On a day I was responsible for escorting individuals to and from the restroom. Not a good decision.
I went to Jamba Juice for a pick me up lunch of Aloha Pineapple, no bananas, sub strawberries. On my way back it flipped over and spilled all over the floor of my car. I was rather upset. When I got to school the floor mat wasn't coming out easily (I wanted to shake all the smoothie out of my car) as I was bracing the door open against the wind. Then it snapped off and splattered the Jamba mess all over my front. (And they say Jamba means to celebrate.) I may have said a bad word in the parking lot. I also cried. I also wanted to call my mom. You know those moments where kids work themselves into a dizzy and the only thing that can console them in mom. Just kind of plug me into that image, snot included thanks to the allergies. Then I went in and watched a Big Bang Theory episode and stapled lots of things to the wall with my UH-Mazing stapler. I felt better and my eyes weren't so puffy.



Tomorrow I'm wearing pants. And a Sheldon-esque shirt. (Sheldon is my FAV-orite character from The Big Bang Theory.) I'm thinking Star Wars. Try and stop me.



Ps. My day was much improved with waffles for dinner and crafting with my cousins. They helped me make samples for an x y coordinate graphingu project that looks REAL pretty!