What's that you say? It's not Thursday?
Well, it still is for me!
1. The life cycle of a plant -- it reminds you that something MUST die and be buried before new life springs forth.
2. My science fair project. Specifically, the midnight revelation I had as I typed up the experiment's results, "The plant found its way through the maze, around all obstructions, on its way toward the light."
3. The curvy Toyota emblem on my steering wheel. I like to trace the ovals as I'm sitting in traffic.
4. An AMAZING teachers aide who not only went back to work to pick up the camera I forgot since I was doing a million things for a million people (I couldn't go back because it would have taken up nearly 2 hours since I live so far out), she also dropped it off for developing. And when it wasn't ready when I went this morning she went to get it for me. AND when it wasn't ready when she went to get it, she stayed and waited 30 minutes until it finally was! Hmm . . . Mental note to self, stay away from the CVS on Beechnut . . .
5. A roll of film being developed for FREE since 1-hour photo turned into 13-hour photo!
6. Grace to find EVERYTHING I googled last night in minimal time!
7. A brief artistic outlet; even if it was just a science fair poster.
8. Book of a Thousand Days -- The latest retold Grimm fairytale I'm reading by Shannon Hale. So far so good!
9. Coming home and not having to cook. Although I love cooking, I've been exhausted lately.
10. Jumping on the trampoline prior to a naughty midnight snack. Even though I spent most of the time rolling around laughing rather than jumping since I couldn't pull it together to get upright. Until Bird, my brother NOT an actual feathered beast, fell on me. Then I just laid sprawled out on the verge of consciousness while he and Brandi continued jumping and laughing.
11. Going to bed at 10:00 on a Friday night. Lame? Probably. But I don't care. I'm excited!
12. A new season that brings new life: The wildflowers that have suddenly popped up on the banks of the ravine along the neighborhood walking trail. Dozen of butterflies fluttering amongst them. The smell of the lemon tree blossoms. Flowers coming back to life in the garden. No more fall allergies that somehow creep up in the winter from time to time!
My beloved spoke and said to me, "Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.
See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me."
~Song of Solomon 2:10-11
Friday, March 28, 2008
12 a.m. & still awake
But I'm doing something I love, so I don't mind.
Being creative to put together my class's science fair project. It doesn't look like much so far:
but give me another hour at least.
I work best under pressure.
These are keeping me awake:
The coffee in the mug provides constant caffeine, of course. And the water in the tumbler induces constant visits to the bathroom. Hmm . . . that's probably TMI but it's past midnight - what do you expect???
************
UPDATE: Need to get ready for work but here's a pic of the almost final product, as promised:
I'll take proper pictures w/ my digital camera when I have the whole display up. Lord only knows when I'll actually get around to uploading the pics . . .
Oh, and this is basically the experiment we did.
Being creative to put together my class's science fair project. It doesn't look like much so far:
but give me another hour at least.
I work best under pressure.
These are keeping me awake:
The coffee in the mug provides constant caffeine, of course. And the water in the tumbler induces constant visits to the bathroom. Hmm . . . that's probably TMI but it's past midnight - what do you expect???
************
UPDATE: Need to get ready for work but here's a pic of the almost final product, as promised:
I'll take proper pictures w/ my digital camera when I have the whole display up. Lord only knows when I'll actually get around to uploading the pics . . .
Oh, and this is basically the experiment we did.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
2 Prayer Requests
1. My "Aunt Dani" is just about ready to have her baby. She and Thinkling Blo should be going to the hospital tonight (if they're not there already). So if you can, please say a prayer for them. Sounds like he may need it more than her, though; she's rather chill. ;o) And my grandma could use a prayer or two as she takes care of the FOUR kids left at home.
***UPDATE: As of this morning (03.27) they haven't made it to the hospital; still playing the waiting game.
2. Our music teacher, Mr. Moses, lost his parents a few weekends ago. It's very sad. They owned a neighborhood store and his father was robbed and beaten to death. The next morning his wife passed as well; she had been sick for awhile. Please pray for him and his family. Even though a few weeks have passed I'm sure the pain's still raw. I saw him yesterday for the first time and as I hugged him and gave him my condolences I nearly lost it and he was rather emotional as well.
There have been a lot of deaths so far this year. It's very sobering.
***UPDATE: As of this morning (03.27) they haven't made it to the hospital; still playing the waiting game.
2. Our music teacher, Mr. Moses, lost his parents a few weekends ago. It's very sad. They owned a neighborhood store and his father was robbed and beaten to death. The next morning his wife passed as well; she had been sick for awhile. Please pray for him and his family. Even though a few weeks have passed I'm sure the pain's still raw. I saw him yesterday for the first time and as I hugged him and gave him my condolences I nearly lost it and he was rather emotional as well.
There have been a lot of deaths so far this year. It's very sobering.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Quote of the Week
"I miss my teacher.
But sometimes you've just gotta move on."
-6 year-old Kaiya after saying a quick hello to her Kindergarten teacher
How wise is THAT?!
More than I can say when thinking of everything I've grow to miss!
But sometimes you've just gotta move on."
-6 year-old Kaiya after saying a quick hello to her Kindergarten teacher
How wise is THAT?!
More than I can say when thinking of everything I've grow to miss!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Dancing
While I'm working on Report Cards at one table and my mom is working on her grade book at another, my dad is sitting in the living room, working on his computer, with Dancing with the Stars on t.v. Hmm . . .
He's free to change the station, put in a movie, play some music. But he said he'll leave it on for us, even though HE was the one booing the judges when they gave Steve Guttenberg low scores.
He never ceases to amaze me!
I enjoyed the season premiere last week, esp since I had plenty of time to watch it. In the past sometimes I voted, sometimes I didn't. And I don't know how I'd vote this year. There are some dancers I really like who are with duds. Then there are some awesome "stars" with dancers I'm meh about. But how sad is it that I know the dancers by now and was even bummed when one or two weren't cast this season? Silly, I know.
Ok, enough procrastination!
He's free to change the station, put in a movie, play some music. But he said he'll leave it on for us, even though HE was the one booing the judges when they gave Steve Guttenberg low scores.
He never ceases to amaze me!
I enjoyed the season premiere last week, esp since I had plenty of time to watch it. In the past sometimes I voted, sometimes I didn't. And I don't know how I'd vote this year. There are some dancers I really like who are with duds. Then there are some awesome "stars" with dancers I'm meh about. But how sad is it that I know the dancers by now and was even bummed when one or two weren't cast this season? Silly, I know.
Ok, enough procrastination!
Mounting Pressure
I've thoroughly enjoyed Spring Break -- I've lost myself in a couple of Shannon Hale's books, which I love Love LOVED! I may have to do a review of Princess Academy one of these days since it's fresh on my mind. I love her writing style and genre. If ever I become a writer it's the genre that I'd want to write - suspended somewhere between childhood and adulthood. Hmm, that would be Teen, wouldn't it . . . interesting . . .
Anywho, the week has passed way too quickly and as much as I would love to continue reading out by the pool, it's time to return to reality. Yet I can't help but realize that I may have left reality, but reality didn't leave me. It's an ever-present creature crouching in the back of my mind. I can lose myself in a well-told story but as soon as the book closes or the t.v. is silenced or my prayer is prayed, I feel the eyes of that creature bore into my brain. And boy does it hurt!
I don't know what I'm saying anymore.
It's not that I don't want to go back to work tomorrow. I do. I miss my friends and students. It's the stress at work that I don't want to go back to. Report Cards. Black History program revisited. Science Fair. Returned Test Scores. Graduation Prep. Awards Ceremony. Speech Competition. Next Year's Plans.
No wonder I feel more and more ill with each minute that passes.
And instead of finishing my Report Cards I'm blogging. 'Cause blogging always helps, right?
Anywho, the week has passed way too quickly and as much as I would love to continue reading out by the pool, it's time to return to reality. Yet I can't help but realize that I may have left reality, but reality didn't leave me. It's an ever-present creature crouching in the back of my mind. I can lose myself in a well-told story but as soon as the book closes or the t.v. is silenced or my prayer is prayed, I feel the eyes of that creature bore into my brain. And boy does it hurt!
I don't know what I'm saying anymore.
It's not that I don't want to go back to work tomorrow. I do. I miss my friends and students. It's the stress at work that I don't want to go back to. Report Cards. Black History program revisited. Science Fair. Returned Test Scores. Graduation Prep. Awards Ceremony. Speech Competition. Next Year's Plans.
No wonder I feel more and more ill with each minute that passes.
And instead of finishing my Report Cards I'm blogging. 'Cause blogging always helps, right?
Technology soapbox
As a kid who grew up with a non-wireless VCR remote control (that had 4 buttons on it), I have to ask this question. Now that technology has more than exploded and we seemed to have fine-tuned the information superhighway of the internet, what's with all this recent mass migration? In terms of keeping in touch with friends, the metaphorical watering hole keeps moving around at a mind-boggling rate.
First, email was the thing, so I learned how to reply and mass-forward. Then IM was in, so I learned how to LOL and ROFL, BTW. :"> :D 8-) Then this thing called blogs came along, so people flocked to Blogger, but only until they discovered myspace. Either way, I've blogged and waited for Comments and gotten random messages from people -- some very nice and others not so nice.
Now the tumbleweeds seem to be blowing through myspace and I discover that it's because the herd has migrated to Facebook -- which, quite frankly, is very nice because I see even more friends there whose real faces I haven't seen in ages.
Yet I still use my myspace and Blogger blogs, sometimes log in to IM, and have 4 email addresses. But there are usually trickles of communication at these spots, I'm guessing because they aren't the latest thing anymore.
It is nice, however, to have as many options as possible to keep in touch with people. But must we only utilize just one all the time?
I have a DVD player and a few DVDs (even though I've heard that's not the latest home entertainment thing anymore), but most of my favorite movies are on VHS tapes, so I usually just watch those. And I've got lots of CDs but even more audio tapes, and yes (because there's a tape player in my car), I usually listen to music this way because, well, I enjoy setting my driving to music. But I'm not going to buy a CD changer for my car just so I can keep up with the latest thing, and I'm not gonna toss my dozens of videotapes out my apartment window. In general, as long as the tapes play movies and music without any problems, I am content with what I've got.
But sometimes life just gets so noisy, and I like to either read a book in the evening or sing out loud while I'm driving alone. Either way, I'm content and entertained (without adding to my electric bill or depleting my car battery).
My point is that I think the purpose of technology is to provide us with a range of options to get things done efficiently, whether it's talking to a friend or enjoying a movie. So, this weary web traveler has one request: can we please just settle down in one spot? :) whether on Blogger, myspace, or Facebook?
In the meantime, there are a couple of friends that I'd like to sit down and write to -- and send it via good, old-fashioned snail mail. :D LOL!
First, email was the thing, so I learned how to reply and mass-forward. Then IM was in, so I learned how to LOL and ROFL, BTW. :"> :D 8-) Then this thing called blogs came along, so people flocked to Blogger, but only until they discovered myspace. Either way, I've blogged and waited for Comments and gotten random messages from people -- some very nice and others not so nice.
Now the tumbleweeds seem to be blowing through myspace and I discover that it's because the herd has migrated to Facebook -- which, quite frankly, is very nice because I see even more friends there whose real faces I haven't seen in ages.
Yet I still use my myspace and Blogger blogs, sometimes log in to IM, and have 4 email addresses. But there are usually trickles of communication at these spots, I'm guessing because they aren't the latest thing anymore.
It is nice, however, to have as many options as possible to keep in touch with people. But must we only utilize just one all the time?
I have a DVD player and a few DVDs (even though I've heard that's not the latest home entertainment thing anymore), but most of my favorite movies are on VHS tapes, so I usually just watch those. And I've got lots of CDs but even more audio tapes, and yes (because there's a tape player in my car), I usually listen to music this way because, well, I enjoy setting my driving to music. But I'm not going to buy a CD changer for my car just so I can keep up with the latest thing, and I'm not gonna toss my dozens of videotapes out my apartment window. In general, as long as the tapes play movies and music without any problems, I am content with what I've got.
But sometimes life just gets so noisy, and I like to either read a book in the evening or sing out loud while I'm driving alone. Either way, I'm content and entertained (without adding to my electric bill or depleting my car battery).
My point is that I think the purpose of technology is to provide us with a range of options to get things done efficiently, whether it's talking to a friend or enjoying a movie. So, this weary web traveler has one request: can we please just settle down in one spot? :) whether on Blogger, myspace, or Facebook?
In the meantime, there are a couple of friends that I'd like to sit down and write to -- and send it via good, old-fashioned snail mail. :D LOL!
Blog apologies and consumer update
My apologies for taking so long to post another blog entry. I recently got the internet hooked up here at home after 6 months without it. (And high-speed internet is much easier to work with than dial-up, by the way.)
June will mark the 3rd year of my Wal-Mart boycott, which has now become a complete boycott (since I allowed my Sam's Club membership to expire and I doubt I'll ever download anymore music from Walmart.com). I am happy to report that I still haven't gone broke or hungry and that, at this point, I plan to coninue the boycott indefinitely.
And yes, I do realize that most of America still shops there. I sat aghast from the other side of the street around the Christmas holidays at the line of vehicles who were no doubt waiting to turn into Wal-Mart in Irving. When I went to visit my parents in South Texas at Thanksgiving, my dad said that he went to their Wal-Mart around 5:30 AM that Friday to buy a laptop, but the brand he wanted was already sold out.
I think a lot of the crappy customer service might have something to do with the actual Wal-Mart you visit. The store in South Texas that I described above, according to my mom, has excellent, speedy customer service. My friend Holly suggested that I visit a Wal-Mart store near the North Dallas Tollway and said it was a nice one. And my friend Lydia told me about an insurance nightmare she went through when her vehicle had a run-in with a Wal-Mart shopping cart. But unfortunately, she couldn't leave a Comment as usual because a couple of spammers (on my blog at another website) took over my last Wal-Mart blog post there with a browser-hijacker thing or something. Frankly, I think that just goes to show how low in the population that Wal-Mart caters to.
But really, Wal-Mart, enough with the TV ads. People are gonna keep frequenting your stores. I, however -- along with an ever-growing number of folks -- will not.
Thanks again for reading. :)
June will mark the 3rd year of my Wal-Mart boycott, which has now become a complete boycott (since I allowed my Sam's Club membership to expire and I doubt I'll ever download anymore music from Walmart.com). I am happy to report that I still haven't gone broke or hungry and that, at this point, I plan to coninue the boycott indefinitely.
And yes, I do realize that most of America still shops there. I sat aghast from the other side of the street around the Christmas holidays at the line of vehicles who were no doubt waiting to turn into Wal-Mart in Irving. When I went to visit my parents in South Texas at Thanksgiving, my dad said that he went to their Wal-Mart around 5:30 AM that Friday to buy a laptop, but the brand he wanted was already sold out.
I think a lot of the crappy customer service might have something to do with the actual Wal-Mart you visit. The store in South Texas that I described above, according to my mom, has excellent, speedy customer service. My friend Holly suggested that I visit a Wal-Mart store near the North Dallas Tollway and said it was a nice one. And my friend Lydia told me about an insurance nightmare she went through when her vehicle had a run-in with a Wal-Mart shopping cart. But unfortunately, she couldn't leave a Comment as usual because a couple of spammers (on my blog at another website) took over my last Wal-Mart blog post there with a browser-hijacker thing or something. Frankly, I think that just goes to show how low in the population that Wal-Mart caters to.
But really, Wal-Mart, enough with the TV ads. People are gonna keep frequenting your stores. I, however -- along with an ever-growing number of folks -- will not.
Thanks again for reading. :)
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Easter
by George Herbert
Rise, heart, thy lord is risen. Sing his praise
Without delays,
Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise
With him may'st rise:
That, as his death calcinèd thee to dust,
His life may make thee gold, and, much more, just.
Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy part
With all thy art,
The cross taught all wood to resound his name
Who bore the same.
His stretchèd sinews taught all strings what key
Is best to celebrate this most high day.
Consort, both heart and lute, and twist a song
Pleasant and long;
Or, since all music is but three parts vied
And multiplied
Oh let thy blessèd Spirit bear a part,
And make up our defects with his sweet art.
Rise, heart, thy lord is risen. Sing his praise
Without delays,
Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise
With him may'st rise:
That, as his death calcinèd thee to dust,
His life may make thee gold, and, much more, just.
Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy part
With all thy art,
The cross taught all wood to resound his name
Who bore the same.
His stretchèd sinews taught all strings what key
Is best to celebrate this most high day.
Consort, both heart and lute, and twist a song
Pleasant and long;
Or, since all music is but three parts vied
And multiplied
Oh let thy blessèd Spirit bear a part,
And make up our defects with his sweet art.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Good Friday
Good Friday
by George Herbert
O my chief good,
How shall I measure out thy blood?
How shall I count what thee befell,
And each grief tell?
Shall I thy woes
Number according to thy foes?
Or, since one star show'd thy first breath,
Shall all thy death?
Or shall each leaf,
Which falls in Autumn, score a grief?
Or cannot leaves, but fruit be sign
Of the true vine?
Then let each hour
Of my whole life one grief devour:
That thy distress through all may run,
And be my sun.
Or rather let
My several sins their sorrows get;
That as each beast his cure doth know,
Each sin may so.
Since blood is fittest, Lord to write
Thy sorrows in, and bloody fight;
My heart hath store, write there, where in
One box doth lie both ink and sin:
That when sin spies so many foes,
Thy whips, thy nails, thy wounds, thy woes
All come to lodge there, sin may say,
'No room for me', and fly away.
Sin being gone, oh fill the place,
And keep possession with thy grace;
Lest sin take courage and return,
And all the writings blot or burn.
*********************************************
In this new season, I have no lofty words to share; no wisdom to impart.
My heart grieves for it's sad state: Apathy. Indecision. Restlessness. Selfishness.
Over the past 40 days I've done very little to reflect, to intercede, to cultivate.
The small sacrifice I have made seems meager and inadequate.
What can come from such an act? From sacrifice with no great follow through?
My finite mind thinks, "Very little."
But my spirit must look beyond and trust.
Trust that those prayers prayed in secret were heard.
Trust that the grace I've always experienced does not run dry.
Trust that this is the Year of Restoration.
For me, for my family, for my friends.
by George Herbert
O my chief good,
How shall I measure out thy blood?
How shall I count what thee befell,
And each grief tell?
Shall I thy woes
Number according to thy foes?
Or, since one star show'd thy first breath,
Shall all thy death?
Or shall each leaf,
Which falls in Autumn, score a grief?
Or cannot leaves, but fruit be sign
Of the true vine?
Then let each hour
Of my whole life one grief devour:
That thy distress through all may run,
And be my sun.
Or rather let
My several sins their sorrows get;
That as each beast his cure doth know,
Each sin may so.
Since blood is fittest, Lord to write
Thy sorrows in, and bloody fight;
My heart hath store, write there, where in
One box doth lie both ink and sin:
That when sin spies so many foes,
Thy whips, thy nails, thy wounds, thy woes
All come to lodge there, sin may say,
'No room for me', and fly away.
Sin being gone, oh fill the place,
And keep possession with thy grace;
Lest sin take courage and return,
And all the writings blot or burn.
*********************************************
In this new season, I have no lofty words to share; no wisdom to impart.
My heart grieves for it's sad state: Apathy. Indecision. Restlessness. Selfishness.
Over the past 40 days I've done very little to reflect, to intercede, to cultivate.
The small sacrifice I have made seems meager and inadequate.
What can come from such an act? From sacrifice with no great follow through?
My finite mind thinks, "Very little."
But my spirit must look beyond and trust.
Trust that those prayers prayed in secret were heard.
Trust that the grace I've always experienced does not run dry.
Trust that this is the Year of Restoration.
For me, for my family, for my friends.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Thankful Thursday!
1. A beautifully restful Spring Break! Soooooo not ready for it to be over. :o(
2. Not being picked for Jury Duty! And being able to read a WHOLE BOOK while I waited!
3. Knocking off lots from my To Do List this week.
4. Getting to stay home on a rainy day and read and laze on the couch.
5. Green Smoothies
6. Paying off debt.
7. Fun at Dave & Busters and winning prizes!
8. Another trip to Waco this weekend.
9. Easter & Surveying the Wondrous Cross.
10. Repentance and Redemption
11. The beginning of a new season - a season of renewal and rebirth
2. Not being picked for Jury Duty! And being able to read a WHOLE BOOK while I waited!
3. Knocking off lots from my To Do List this week.
4. Getting to stay home on a rainy day and read and laze on the couch.
5. Green Smoothies
6. Paying off debt.
7. Fun at Dave & Busters and winning prizes!
8. Another trip to Waco this weekend.
9. Easter & Surveying the Wondrous Cross.
10. Repentance and Redemption
11. The beginning of a new season - a season of renewal and rebirth
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
I need to stop being lazy!
But I can't help it!!!
I should actually be going to bed, but after 5 days off from work I've reverted back to my night owl ways -- up half the night, sleep half the day. Which is not bueno when I have JURY DUTY at 8 a.m. AND it's DOWNTOWN. That's over 23 miles from my house, people! And TRAFFIC. And PARKING. And PAYING for parking. Oi!
I'm praying I don't get picked and get to go home early. I have way too much to do still! I've been so lazy I haven't done any school work. That's what I need to finish before we go to Waco Friday night 'cause I don't want to rush back to finish late Monday. Oi!
Great, now I'm getting a stress headache . . . it's time for bed!
I should actually be going to bed, but after 5 days off from work I've reverted back to my night owl ways -- up half the night, sleep half the day. Which is not bueno when I have JURY DUTY at 8 a.m. AND it's DOWNTOWN. That's over 23 miles from my house, people! And TRAFFIC. And PARKING. And PAYING for parking. Oi!
I'm praying I don't get picked and get to go home early. I have way too much to do still! I've been so lazy I haven't done any school work. That's what I need to finish before we go to Waco Friday night 'cause I don't want to rush back to finish late Monday. Oi!
Great, now I'm getting a stress headache . . . it's time for bed!
I've Gone Green!
Green smoothies, that is...
Pictured in the blender, from top to bottom:
5 ice cubes (I'll add a couple more next time)
1 1/2 cups of water
1 medium-sized Gala apple, cored but not peeled
1 cup of grapes
2 Bananas
2 handfuls of . . . . SPINACH
Yup, that's right. Fresh spinach in a fruit smoothie! And I wouldn't lie to you folks when I say it was YUMMY!
That is if you could get past the green color . . .
I'd highly recommend this to anyone -- even you veggie haters! -- as a way to get more much needed veggies and nutrients in your diet.
A BIG THANKS to Leann for showing me the green!
I just invented the above recipe; clickie the linkie for Leann's authentic recipes if you don't want to experiment like I did. Yesterday I used a cup of frozen fruit, a Dannon Light & Fit yogurt smoothie, a banana and 2 handfuls of spinach. It wasn't as green as the one today, but still delish and less intimidating.
Enjoy!
Pictured in the blender, from top to bottom:
5 ice cubes (I'll add a couple more next time)
1 1/2 cups of water
1 medium-sized Gala apple, cored but not peeled
1 cup of grapes
2 Bananas
2 handfuls of . . . . SPINACH
Yup, that's right. Fresh spinach in a fruit smoothie! And I wouldn't lie to you folks when I say it was YUMMY!
That is if you could get past the green color . . .
I'd highly recommend this to anyone -- even you veggie haters! -- as a way to get more much needed veggies and nutrients in your diet.
A BIG THANKS to Leann for showing me the green!
I just invented the above recipe; clickie the linkie for Leann's authentic recipes if you don't want to experiment like I did. Yesterday I used a cup of frozen fruit, a Dannon Light & Fit yogurt smoothie, a banana and 2 handfuls of spinach. It wasn't as green as the one today, but still delish and less intimidating.
Enjoy!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Lemon Tree, Variegated
Here's not a great pic of our unidentified citrus tree:
A bee buzzed up just as I was trying to take a shot with my MacBook; you can barely see it on the flower to the far left. Therefore, I decided not to interfere with the pollination process and hurried back inside. Hence the poor picture.
Hmm...there was a lot of alliteration in that paragraph...but I digress...
I was baffled by all my internet searches in discovering the tree's identity. I knew it had to be a type of lemon or lime; I leaned more to the lime because the fruit we had last summer looked more like a lime. But the blossoms matched the lemon tree, like these you see:
But the leaves aren't dark green like all the lemon tree leaves I came across. They were light green with yellow edges. And it wasn't a diseased yellow, as far as my VERY untrained eyes can see. So I eventually decided to google "lemon tree" ('cause I'm sure it's lemon at this point) and "light green leaves." Finally a match!!!
It way more lush than the tree I have, but it's a match! The mystery is solved! Yay for me!!!
And if the pic didn't convince me, the description did:
It's the striped fruit that made me think lime because it was more green than yellow. Anywho, I can scratch one thing off my To Do List! Although, I still do need to plant my grapefruit seeds and work in the garden . . .
A bee buzzed up just as I was trying to take a shot with my MacBook; you can barely see it on the flower to the far left. Therefore, I decided not to interfere with the pollination process and hurried back inside. Hence the poor picture.
Hmm...there was a lot of alliteration in that paragraph...but I digress...
I was baffled by all my internet searches in discovering the tree's identity. I knew it had to be a type of lemon or lime; I leaned more to the lime because the fruit we had last summer looked more like a lime. But the blossoms matched the lemon tree, like these you see:
But the leaves aren't dark green like all the lemon tree leaves I came across. They were light green with yellow edges. And it wasn't a diseased yellow, as far as my VERY untrained eyes can see. So I eventually decided to google "lemon tree" ('cause I'm sure it's lemon at this point) and "light green leaves." Finally a match!!!
It way more lush than the tree I have, but it's a match! The mystery is solved! Yay for me!!!
And if the pic didn't convince me, the description did:
Young leaves emerge with pink tints among the green. The pink matures to a rich cream. Flowers are numerous, extremely fragrant and are followed by striped fruits that are very flavorful.
It's the striped fruit that made me think lime because it was more green than yellow. Anywho, I can scratch one thing off my To Do List! Although, I still do need to plant my grapefruit seeds and work in the garden . . .
What Your Latte Says About You |
 You don't treat yourself very often. You find that indulging doesn't jibe with your very disciplined life. You can be quite silly at times, but you know when to buckle down and be serious. You have a good deal of energy, but you pace yourself. You never burn out too fast. You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it. You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult. You're occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree. You are deep and thoughtful, but you are never withdrawn. |
I don't know about the "very disciplined life" bit, OR that I'm "truly an adult." I just thought this looked fun!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Mental Note To Self
Give yourself a few minutes for your food to digest before running off to play Skee Ball at Dave & Busters.
There was much fun to be had, but my tummy felt a bit funny after chowing down on one of their GINORMOUS salads. And the Mario Kart II arcade game was soooo much better than the Game Cube version! Then I hit the jackpot at that claw game that no one ever wins. You know, the one where you give your money in hopes that the flimsy claw will grab that cute stuffed dog that's actually weighted down so no one can ever claim it for him/herself?
Anywho, one of the bins was full of Houston sports paraphernalia and I thought I'd try for a plush Astros baseball . . . I ended up with a Texans football instead! So I tried again . . . up came TWO more things -- an Astros ball (not the one I was aiming for the first time) and an unexpected plastic Rockets pennant that was under the baseball; it's suction cup got hooked by the claw! I played a few more times (ok, maybe way more than "a few more times;" I can see now how gambling addictions develop) and I ended up with TWO MORE prizes; which included the original Astros baseball I was going for the first time! They're all official sports merchandise, so worth a pretty penny, and well worth the multiple swipes of my game card!
After my success Becca gave it a go and won a few prizes herself. Around that time some of the employers/bouncers started congregating around an employees door just to our left. Then I REALLY felt like a gambler who was being suspected of counting cards because the winning streak was too good to be true! Shortly thereafter we decided to stop being greedy and move on while we were ahead.
If I were a good auntie I would pass some of it along to my nephews. OR I could save it for birthdays and/or stocking stuffers. We'll see . . .
There was much fun to be had, but my tummy felt a bit funny after chowing down on one of their GINORMOUS salads. And the Mario Kart II arcade game was soooo much better than the Game Cube version! Then I hit the jackpot at that claw game that no one ever wins. You know, the one where you give your money in hopes that the flimsy claw will grab that cute stuffed dog that's actually weighted down so no one can ever claim it for him/herself?
Anywho, one of the bins was full of Houston sports paraphernalia and I thought I'd try for a plush Astros baseball . . . I ended up with a Texans football instead! So I tried again . . . up came TWO more things -- an Astros ball (not the one I was aiming for the first time) and an unexpected plastic Rockets pennant that was under the baseball; it's suction cup got hooked by the claw! I played a few more times (ok, maybe way more than "a few more times;" I can see now how gambling addictions develop) and I ended up with TWO MORE prizes; which included the original Astros baseball I was going for the first time! They're all official sports merchandise, so worth a pretty penny, and well worth the multiple swipes of my game card!
After my success Becca gave it a go and won a few prizes herself. Around that time some of the employers/bouncers started congregating around an employees door just to our left. Then I REALLY felt like a gambler who was being suspected of counting cards because the winning streak was too good to be true! Shortly thereafter we decided to stop being greedy and move on while we were ahead.
If I were a good auntie I would pass some of it along to my nephews. OR I could save it for birthdays and/or stocking stuffers. We'll see . . .
Friday, March 14, 2008
Flabulous Friday!
Why is it so fabulous, you ask?
Well, first of all, I didn't wake up until 11:30. And that was ok because WE DIDN'T HAVE TO WORK TODAY!
As soon as I came downstairs the coffee was already made and waiting.
The episode of Lost my brother was watching was from last week, not this week, so I didn't have to yell at him for watching without me. And I mentally forgave him for leaving the toilet seat up in both bathrooms.
We watched Lost and it was rather emotional, not like the Desmond episode mind you, but emotional nonetheless. Although the end was bittersweet, yet I hope. (I intentionally left that vague for some of you who haven't watched yet.)
As I type I'm lounging on a lounge chair beside the pool, which is temptingly calling my name, however I'm not deceived -- despite the 80+ degree weather and sunshine the water is still frigid!
I have a book sitting next to me just waiting to be read.
I was reminded that we're all failures, that we'll never live up to the world's standards, and that it's by God's grace that we are not overwhelmed by those failures and He gives us the strength to get back up and go on. That's fabulous news for me since I was feeling like such a failure last night; now I realize that I'm not alone!
My mom and I singlehandedly fixed the blender while my dad and brother sat on their keesters watching 3:10 to Yuma. My poor dad is being forced to do much of the cleaning and some of the cooking these days, so the blender got put in the dish washer w/o being taken apart. Apparently, even a Kitchen Aid blender can rust if left in standing water. Thankfully I was just making a shake and not something big, like salsa. I just poured it all out into a bowl and we figured out the prob and banged and turned and sprayed WD-40 until we got it loosened. Now it's just soaking in hot soapy water to get the gunk out. Can't wait to try the smoothie I was just inventing . . .
There's much to be done this Spring Break, so here's my To Do List so you can keep me accountable (I'm mostly talking to you, Debs):
1. Report Cards. Blah!
2. Science Fair project. Double blah!
3. Jury Duty Wednesday. I actually need to find my original jury summons; no idea where to look . . .
4. Figure out what kind of citrus tree the previous owners left us and how to tend to it. And other gardening for that matter -- the flowerbed out back looks horrendous and a plant I salvaged from my grandma last year seems sick. I also want to plant some grapefruit seeds I picked from my friend's last batch of homegrown grapefruit.
5. Catch up on the Philippians bible study going on over at OWOA.
I know there's more but I can't think anymore and this is long enough. I would apologize for my mundane post, but it's my blog so you'll just have to get over it! :o)
Well, first of all, I didn't wake up until 11:30. And that was ok because WE DIDN'T HAVE TO WORK TODAY!
As soon as I came downstairs the coffee was already made and waiting.
The episode of Lost my brother was watching was from last week, not this week, so I didn't have to yell at him for watching without me. And I mentally forgave him for leaving the toilet seat up in both bathrooms.
We watched Lost and it was rather emotional, not like the Desmond episode mind you, but emotional nonetheless. Although the end was bittersweet, yet I hope. (I intentionally left that vague for some of you who haven't watched yet.)
As I type I'm lounging on a lounge chair beside the pool, which is temptingly calling my name, however I'm not deceived -- despite the 80+ degree weather and sunshine the water is still frigid!
I have a book sitting next to me just waiting to be read.
I was reminded that we're all failures, that we'll never live up to the world's standards, and that it's by God's grace that we are not overwhelmed by those failures and He gives us the strength to get back up and go on. That's fabulous news for me since I was feeling like such a failure last night; now I realize that I'm not alone!
My mom and I singlehandedly fixed the blender while my dad and brother sat on their keesters watching 3:10 to Yuma. My poor dad is being forced to do much of the cleaning and some of the cooking these days, so the blender got put in the dish washer w/o being taken apart. Apparently, even a Kitchen Aid blender can rust if left in standing water. Thankfully I was just making a shake and not something big, like salsa. I just poured it all out into a bowl and we figured out the prob and banged and turned and sprayed WD-40 until we got it loosened. Now it's just soaking in hot soapy water to get the gunk out. Can't wait to try the smoothie I was just inventing . . .
There's much to be done this Spring Break, so here's my To Do List so you can keep me accountable (I'm mostly talking to you, Debs):
1. Report Cards. Blah!
2. Science Fair project. Double blah!
3. Jury Duty Wednesday. I actually need to find my original jury summons; no idea where to look . . .
4. Figure out what kind of citrus tree the previous owners left us and how to tend to it. And other gardening for that matter -- the flowerbed out back looks horrendous and a plant I salvaged from my grandma last year seems sick. I also want to plant some grapefruit seeds I picked from my friend's last batch of homegrown grapefruit.
5. Catch up on the Philippians bible study going on over at OWOA.
I know there's more but I can't think anymore and this is long enough. I would apologize for my mundane post, but it's my blog so you'll just have to get over it! :o)
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Thankful Thursdays!
1. Spring Break is so close I can TASTE IT!
2. 80 degree weather and a delicious looking pool in the backyard!
3. A stack of books that MUST be read!
4. A fuel-efficient car . . . esp when I had to pay $3.25 for gas this morning!!!
5. Insurance for the above mentioned fuel-efficient car.
6. DARK chocolate
7. Re-introducing carbs in a week. I'm actually scared abt that one . . .
8. Plantain chips, although they're evil 'cause you forget how much you've eaten if you're not careful!
9. Unexpected Easter presents!
10. Having the freedom to teaching 88 kids the lyric and a dance to Shackles, and hearing them praise God with all their hearts . . . in a PUBLIC school. Oh, the beauty of charter schools . . .
What are you thankful for this fine day???
2. 80 degree weather and a delicious looking pool in the backyard!
3. A stack of books that MUST be read!
4. A fuel-efficient car . . . esp when I had to pay $3.25 for gas this morning!!!
5. Insurance for the above mentioned fuel-efficient car.
6. DARK chocolate
7. Re-introducing carbs in a week. I'm actually scared abt that one . . .
8. Plantain chips, although they're evil 'cause you forget how much you've eaten if you're not careful!
9. Unexpected Easter presents!
10. Having the freedom to teaching 88 kids the lyric and a dance to Shackles, and hearing them praise God with all their hearts . . . in a PUBLIC school. Oh, the beauty of charter schools . . .
What are you thankful for this fine day???
Friday, March 07, 2008
Morbid and a bit disturbing...
My thoughts, as they came to me while I read, are included in italics...
Via Debs and Blest and The Thinklings!
Ten Top Trivia Tips about Debbie!
- It takes a lobster approximately 7 years to grow to be Debbie.
- If every star in the Milky Way was a grain of salt they would fill Debbie.
- Debbie can remain conscious for fifteen to twenty seconds after being decapitated. (Um, not something I hope will EVER be tested!)
- Debbie can use only about ten percent of her brain. (Should I be offended?)
- A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find Debbie. (Ok, this is the VERY disturbing part.)
- You should always store Debbie in an airtight container in the fridge. (I assume that would come AFTER the decapitation . . .)
- Pacman was originally called Debbieman.
- The porpoise is second to Debbie as the most intelligent animal on the planet.
- If you toss Debbie 10000 times, she will not land heads 5000 times, but more like 4950, because her head weighs more and thus ends up on the bottom! (Sounds painful. And again, should I be offended? They're basically saying I have a big, fat head!)
- About 100 people choke to death on Debbie each year. (I'm left speechless . . .)
Via Debs and Blest and The Thinklings!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Thankful Thursdays!
1. Testing went relatively well yesterday. Thanks for praying! I know someone was because I made it the whole SIX HOURS without needing to go to the bathroom!
2. Tihiti is back at work and her father is on the mends. God is good!
3. Even though I didn't get to vote on Tuesday I'll be able to vote in November!
4. CBS has full episodes of Jericho online for those days that the Primary causes it to be preempted and rescheduled for 2 a.m., but even then they're running late and you only get to see the first 20 minutes.
5. The custom header for my igoogle page -- it's white with a close up portrait pic of a beanie baby doggy off to the far right. It makes me smile every time.
6. I'm a Nancy Leigh De Moss convert now, thanks to Brandi. (Hey! You still need to send those pics, too, Brandi!)
7. We're going to Waco Saturday to celebrate Daniel's 7th birthday! How is that possible??? It'll be a fun international event! (Too bad you won't be there to represent the UK, Debs!)
8. Spring Break is only a week away!!!! And there's only 51 days of school left!
9. Texas rocks!
10. I received my stipend for two of the three new teachers I'm "mentoring." AND they didn't have to take taxes out!!! Hopefully it's enough to last a couple of months in England...
11. Speaking of England, I finally completed my King's Arms application and sent it off AND I heard back from them the very next day. Now it's on to the visa application process. Scary. I practically have to learn a whole new language to understand it. Go take a looksie if you're interested . . . they lost me at concessionary . . .
12. Watching last week's episode of Lost again before this week's premiered. I heart Desmond. However, 8 years is a heck of a long time to wait for a phone call! But what a wonderful phone call it was!
2. Tihiti is back at work and her father is on the mends. God is good!
3. Even though I didn't get to vote on Tuesday I'll be able to vote in November!
4. CBS has full episodes of Jericho online for those days that the Primary causes it to be preempted and rescheduled for 2 a.m., but even then they're running late and you only get to see the first 20 minutes.
5. The custom header for my igoogle page -- it's white with a close up portrait pic of a beanie baby doggy off to the far right. It makes me smile every time.
6. I'm a Nancy Leigh De Moss convert now, thanks to Brandi. (Hey! You still need to send those pics, too, Brandi!)
7. We're going to Waco Saturday to celebrate Daniel's 7th birthday! How is that possible??? It'll be a fun international event! (Too bad you won't be there to represent the UK, Debs!)
8. Spring Break is only a week away!!!! And there's only 51 days of school left!
9. Texas rocks!
10. I received my stipend for two of the three new teachers I'm "mentoring." AND they didn't have to take taxes out!!! Hopefully it's enough to last a couple of months in England...
11. Speaking of England, I finally completed my King's Arms application and sent it off AND I heard back from them the very next day. Now it's on to the visa application process. Scary. I practically have to learn a whole new language to understand it. Go take a looksie if you're interested . . . they lost me at concessionary . . .
12. Watching last week's episode of Lost again before this week's premiered. I heart Desmond. However, 8 years is a heck of a long time to wait for a phone call! But what a wonderful phone call it was!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Prayers, please!
1. Tomorrow is the TAKS test and I was chosen to help administer it to a third grade class. Please pray for the kids -- that they would be at peace and not anxious, esp having a crazy teacher in the room that they've never met! And please pray the same for me! I've never done this before so pray I would have wisdom. And that I wouldn't be bitter about being discriminated against and being chosen to help give the test since I'm one of the few with clear diction and no accent.
Pray we will all be rested, alert and focused.
2. On a much more serious note, please pray for my friend Tihiti. When she arrived at work yesterday she received a phone call from her family. Her dad was being taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. The bullet didn't penetrate the skull, so they had surgery to see how much damage was done. They successfully removed all bone and bullet fragments and are now waiting to see how he recovers. From what I understand he's conscious and and even communicating, but still in critical condition.
Please pray for her and her family. She's a strong believer and when I was with her Monday morning, just minutes after she learned the news, she was declaring the goodness of the Lord through her tears.
We were all shell-shocked most of Monday. If you remember, the Monday before was when we found out one of our PK-4 students accidentally drowned over the weekend. So, my whole team needs your prayers. The whole school, actually. Even those that don't have eyes to see are growing weary of this war that's raging around us.
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Pray we will all be rested, alert and focused.
2. On a much more serious note, please pray for my friend Tihiti. When she arrived at work yesterday she received a phone call from her family. Her dad was being taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. The bullet didn't penetrate the skull, so they had surgery to see how much damage was done. They successfully removed all bone and bullet fragments and are now waiting to see how he recovers. From what I understand he's conscious and and even communicating, but still in critical condition.
Please pray for her and her family. She's a strong believer and when I was with her Monday morning, just minutes after she learned the news, she was declaring the goodness of the Lord through her tears.
We were all shell-shocked most of Monday. If you remember, the Monday before was when we found out one of our PK-4 students accidentally drowned over the weekend. So, my whole team needs your prayers. The whole school, actually. Even those that don't have eyes to see are growing weary of this war that's raging around us.
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Meet Felicity?
Felicity is the one on the left; Abby is on the right.
Although I haven't completely decided "Felicity" is her name. My mom doesn't even think she should be a she, but I don't know if you can just change the sex of your car like that. It feels . . . wrong . . .
Here's Daniel showing off his hard work:
He earned $2, but I may give him $3. However, he was more successful in getting everyone wet than washing off the dirt. Abby was successful in slapping everyone with her soap-soaked rag. Nathan was a big help too but got busy drawing inside when it came time to taking pics.
So, you finally get to meet my new car. I need to take pics of the inside so you can meet my guard tiger and doggy who sit on the front console. I've bonded with them more than I've bonded with my car. I miss Earl, though. Poor guy. I gave him a wash, too.
Anywho, feel free to submit any name suggestions!
I need to go pay my little workers now. Daniel will have $8 now. I asked him how much money he wants. He said, "Enough to go to London." Both he and Nathan are determined to go to England to visit Ms. Debs! She should feel loved!
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