Friends for a season

I posted about the difficulties of making adult friends a while ago, and it was received with great responses of many females echoing similar sentiments.  Since then I have been contemplating other types of friends besides a fridge friend.

Looking back on my different relationships, I have had several seasonal friends.  I would describe seasonal friends as really good friends that develop for a season of your life.  For example, I had a couple friends in college who fit this category.  One sweet girl stuck with my through all my Spanish classes, and it was such a relief to know someone well in my classes.  Another girl, who was also in the honors program and commuted, went to all the honor's functions with me.  Most of all the other honors students lived on campus together and knew each other quite well.

Both of these girls were great, and we talked and hung out often.  However, when that particular season, Spanish classes or honor's program, was done, our relationship fizzled.  No big dramatic blow up.  We just didn't see each other.  It is hard to make a relationship work when you don't talk with the other person.

Although I am not friends with these girls now, I am thankful that we were friends during that season of my life.

It is nice, though, to have those friends that stick through all seasons of life.

I can make you smarter in 5 minutes!

Last week, I shared with you my passion for helping change the way we speak and write.  Selfishly, I want you to support the learning of my students, so that they will do well on their test.   

If you are using your\you're incorrectly, it is like saying 2+2=3.  I mean, you would be upset if another teacher walked into your classroom and told your students that.








Like the above comic states, your shows possession.

• I want your sandwich.
• Your dog is pretty. 
• It is your turn.

To check if you need an apostrophe, plug in "you are".

• I want you are sandwich.  
• You are dog is pretty.
• It is you are turn.

Nope, it doesn't work.

Usually people err on the side of using your when you're is correct.  I guess that extra letter and an apostrophe are a killer to type.

You're is a contraction which stands for you are.

• You're stepping on my shoe.
• You better come inside, or you're going to be in trouble.
• You're running too fast.

Shabam!  Let's check to see if we need that apostrophe by plugging in the words "you are".

• You are stepping on my shoe.
• You better come inside, or you are going to be in trouble.
• You are running too fast.

Just like that, you are smarter..  Or at least you sound smarter,

What to do with that bag of potatoes in the pantry

Who loves good comfort food?  I mean, get real, Who DOESN'T love good comfort food???  I made this a while ago when I made this other yummy soup.  The way this weather year is going, you might need another easy recipe up your sleeve. 


Ingredients:
5 lb. potatoes (washed, not peeled), diced into 1\2 cubes
1 med onion, diced
10 garlic gloves (jarred=5t)
8 C chicken broth
16 oz cream cheese (softened)
1t seasoned salt
Garnishes-bacon, cheese, chives

Directions:
1. Add potatoes, onions, garlic, seasoning salt, and chicken stock to crock pot.
2. Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
3. Add softened cream cheese and puree soup until cheese is incorporated.  (Depending on how soupy you like your soup, add more or less broth to puree.)
4. Stir well--top with your choice of garnishes.  

Enjoy!

The hard parts of life

My sister is sick.  She has been sick for several years.  They don't know what is wrong with her.  Sometimes I feel like this:






And then I have to remind myself of this:



I am by no means an expert on helping someone who is chronically ill, but I have learned a few things:
1.  Be available.  Sometimes that means I have to be ready to take a phone call in the middle of the night.
2.  Listen.  Stop trying to tell her how to deal with the pain, just be available to listen to the frustrations.
3.  Hold her hand.  I am not always there when she gets really sick, but sometimes it's just nice to know that someone is there when you have weird things happening to your body.
4.  Keep praying and allow others to lift you and the the person who is ill up in prayer.  Sometimes I am so weak that all I can pray for is to have faith that God knows what is best. 

It is tough always being sick.  It is tough loving someone who is always in pain.  Pray for my sweet, strong sister.  Pray that I can be a sweet, strong sister for her.

xoxo,

This stuff makes my heart happy

It is the eve before school starts.  Yay!   Boo!  As I was telling my friend today, it is the beginning of the end (of the school year).  State testing starts in two weeks with 4th grade Writing.  The students are responsible for writing compositions and for revising and editing papers.  Usually the mistakes in the test follow common grammar concepts and spelling rules. 

I have noticed that a lot of adults, even teachers at my school, could benefit from a refresher course on these 4th grade concepts.  Unless I am really close to you, I will not point out your grammar mistakes; however, please know that I am desperately trying to teach children the correct way as other adults consistently show them the wrong way through their speech and written words.  (Disclaimer: I am not perfect, and I will make mistakes, but I just hope it is not concerning the rules that the state of Texas requires 4th grade students to know.)

I found this on pinterest and thought it appropriate.

Grammar matters.

As I tell my students, there is a big difference between

"Let's eat Grandma!"

and

"Let's eat, Grandma!"

Join me next week for a refresher of the usage of your and you're!

Keep your pinching hands to yourself!

I love decorating for the holidays, so I will take any excuse to decorate. 

I don't have a fireplace in the apartment, but this old shelf from my parents works perfectly.  I gathered some old candles and vases from the thrift store in different shades of green.  I knew I wanted a banner like my valentine's banner.  I had a DSW bag from a previous shopper spree and decided to make my own instead of just printing one.  I wanted it to to say BLEST instead of LUCKY, but those letters are a lot harder!  I added some green buttons with a glue gun and strung them up.  Easy peasy!  

I found some free printables here.  (Seriously, why would you ever buy them?)  I put them in some old frames and shabam, we are done!  I love it!  

Now to start thinking about my spring one...

My enounter with dead people

Nosy Neighbors.  No one likes them.  You just want them to mind their own business. 

As much as I don't like someone being all up in our biz-ness, hubs and I have no prob peering through the blinds at other people.  Especially if they are dead.

The other day the most morbid thing happened...twice!!  We were driving around garage saling, and we pulled up into a culdesac at the same time that they were wheeling out a dead person on a gurney.  It was all very surreal and movie-like.  Totally depressing considering the whole family was walking out with him.  (Ever sympathetic hubs and father-n-law both wondered if the house was going to be for sale since we are house hunting.)

I have never seen this happen before.

Later that night, hubs noticed a police car across the parking lot.  As we peered through the blinds, we saw an unmarked white van pull a gurney out and head into the apartment.  A while later, they came back out with the body.  Ya'll, I was literally running from window to window to get a better view of what was happening.  First, the police, then the medical examiner, then the coroner, then the clean-up people.  It was craz-ay!  We watched for like an hour!

Weirdest thing ever to happen and twice in one day.  Steer clear of me for a while, for real.

Today, some movers came and took a bunch of the person's belongings.  A bunch is at the dumpster, though.  I am all about finding treasures in the trash, but I may pass on this one. 

Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
2 C powdered sugar
15 oz pumpkin
1t cinnamon
1\2t ginger

Directions:
1.  Beat cream cheese and sugar
2.  Add other ingredients and beat well 
3.  Eat with ginger snaps or apples and bananas 

Clearly, I love pumpkin and not just in fall!   You can have it for breakfast too!


Yum, Yum!

Bigger is Better!

I love big hair! The bigger the hair, the closer to Jesus right?  haha:))  If you have struggled with getting your hair to have that poof, try these steps.  All you need is a comb and hairspray.

Let's get started!  Pull your hair forward over your eyes.  I usually start from the crown of my head and pull forward.  It kind of depends where you want your poof.  Just play around with it.

Spray the hair while laying flat.  Take a strand apart from the layer going over your face. 

Tease, tease, tease!  Take more strands and keep teasing.

This is what it looks like when I have teased most of the hair.  NOTICE that I did not tease all the hair pulled forward.  You will need to leave a layer of hair at the front.

Pull smooth hair over the teased section.

You can leave the hair down, pull it up, put a headband in, whatever.

For our special Valentine's date to Bass Hall, I decided to put it up.  Just remember, practice makes perfect!