What do you want for Christmas?

Snow Day!! Snow Day!! Just got the call and am very excited. Maybe I'll get my tree up tomorrow and my Christmas cards done. Or perhaps I'll sleep a lot like all of you guys :-)

So here is the challenge this week. Please give me an answer to the following gift questions:

1. What one gift do you really want this year and know you will NOT get?
2. What one gift do you really want this year and you know you WILL get?
3. What one gift do you not want this year and you know you will be getting?
4. What one gift would you give and to whom if you had all the money in the world?
5. How many gifts do you actually buy with your own money?

I am a bit old for expectations of gifts and truly just want to have my family together. I know...old, old, old! But I am very excited that my daughter is coming home from Florida and for a few days we will be together as a family. I love family.

So, enjoy your day off and don't do too much. I probably will be a hermit as I have been today. I have only been outside once today to walk the dog for about two minutes. Tomorrow will be the same, I am sure. Have a great snow day and I will see you all on Tuesday.

Love those days off!

So, it is true...I forgot to blog yesterday. I am not sure why because I remembered earlier in the day. Oh well, good thing we had a day off so that I could get this blog completed. I truly love days off!!! I do get a bit lazy though. That is Ok, right?

So, what did you do on your day off? I slept in (9:30!). I know that isn't very late for you guys, but very late for me. I got my Christmas decorations up in the house. Not the tree, but everything else. It is true...two weeks to Christmas and I don't have a tree up. This is usually the case. I like Christmas, just not all the "stuff" you have to do. Plus my tree sits in the middle of the room (well almost) and takes up so much room it is hard to watch TV. I wanted to get a smaller tree this year, but my daughter had a fit. She is 23!! She loves Christmas and doesn't like to change traditions. So, I got the rest of the stuff up and my house kind of looks like Christmastime now. The Christmas music is helping me get into the Christmas mode.

Well, besides laundry that is what I did on my day off. What about you? Oh, I also have to run concessions tonight at the basketball game that is on for some odd reason. Guess the roads are better now. I am not too excited to venture out, but duty calls. Maybe I'll be able to see part of the game tonight just for Brad!!

Have a terrific week!!

What kind of weather is this?!?!?

So...for all of you that did blog last week...Black Friday is called that because it is the day that stores feel they are "in the black." Meaning that they have sold enough to make a profit (no longer in the red). You know big sales!!

I must commend those individuals that worked hard and got our projects finished on time. Kudos to you all! I have graded all but the posters and they look pretty good. Lots of hard work going on around here. It makes a teacher excited and proud. So, for those that did not get finished, that is a very sad thing :-( Now let us move on to Photoshop. I love Photoshop. Hopefully, everyone will enjoy this.

So what is up with this weather. Last night it was FREEZING and blowing and sleeting and snowing and just crazy outside. Tonight it is much warmer and it is raining and has been most of the day. Plus, where did that fog go that I saw earlier. I could really use a fog delay, can't you? I don't think we will get a day off, but a delayed start sounds good to me. I want to know...who likes it cold and snowy and who likes it warm and sunny? I suspect most like it warm, but there are many that just love that snow. Let's take a vote. Here is one vote for warm and sunny (but not HOT).

Have a marvelous week and remember to keep blogging!! :-)

What do you put off until tomorrow?

Procrastination! Can you define that word? Do you always put off doing what needs to be done? Seems like I did that this weekend. I completely forgot to Blog yesterday. I knew I had to, but I didn't remember until I was in bed. I am not getting out of bed to blog, that is for sure!! I don't usually procratinate, unless it has to do with cleaning. I truly hate to clean and usually put it off for as long as I can. Do you procrastinate? What do you knowingly put off until another day. Something more than just your homework!

Sure hope all had a terrific Thanksgiving. Mine wasn't that exciting, but I did enjoy sleeping in all those days. Did any of you go shopping on Black Friday? Do you know why it is called that? I did shop on that day, but not at 4 a.m. Who is crazy enough to get up at that time? The mall in Toledo wasn't that bad, but Toys R Us was crazy. I hate that store and only go in there once a year.

So, here's to a week of NO procrastination and getting our project finished. Have a great one!

Be Thankful!!

Wow! What a crazy two weeks coming up. This week we have two half days, which are very hard to plan for if you are a teacher. In your case, I suspect you are planning on going out to eat and having two relaxing afternoons. Then next week we only have two and a half days of school. Me too this time! Who is looking forward to Thanksgiving break?!? ME!!

But truly, this is a serious time of the year. I know we love football and eating turkey on Thanksgiving, but we are suppose to take a look at our lives and be thankful. So, I challenge you this week...I want to know five things that you are SERIOUSLY thankful for. Try for once to act your age and give me intelligent answers. Here are my thankfuls:

1. My husband
2. My kids
3. My faith
4. Having a job in Michigan that pays well and gives me insurance
5. A place to live and food on my table.

There are many more (like the rest of my family), but that is my five. Give me your top five "thankfuls." Have a great week and enjoy your afternoons (oh except for you Vo-Tech kids!!).

An Extra Hour

Well, I believe that winter is just around the corner (did they snow this week???) We have changed our clocks and now it is dark at 5:30 p.m.!! Speaking of changing our clocks...isn't this a curious thing. Why do we do that anyway? Does this keep us inline with the sun/moon? Is it done so that there is more light in the morning? I have to agree with Kevin in not really understanding this time changing ritual.

Exactly what did you do with your "extra" hour? I get tired of everyone telling me in the spring how tired they are because they "lost" an hour! Do these same people feel rejuvenated at this time of the year? I mean they got an "extra" hour of sleep. I did not use my "extra" time very wisely. I rented a very terrible movie and stayed up too late trying to see if it would get better. I won't even tell you the name of it because it isn't worth even stopping to look at. That is two weekends in a row where I have rented a movie and been less than thrilled (last week it was Evan Almighty). Perhaps next week we will just go and see a movie in the theater. Got any good suggestions? Has anyone seen Dan in Real Life? The Bee movie? (I LOVE animated movies.) Don't even suggest Saw "whatever!!" I DO NOT like scary movies.

Well, enough rambling. Have a Fabulous week...we are one more week closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas break. This is always a good thing :-) Remember to post to my blog and read others. I want to see more comments!!!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween Week! Yup, we are approaching the end of October. Has this year been flying by? Sometimes it creeps and then before I knew it, it is the end of October. But, back to Halloween. Do any of you celebrate this very strange event? It really isn't a holiday. I must admit that Halloween isn't all that special to me. I do not have fond memories of trick or treating which may be why I don't really enjoy Halloween. I don't even give out candy any more. I know most of you don't live in a neighborhood that can give out candy, but you ought to come to my house and see all the cars. It is VERY crazy. All those kids do not live in my neighborhood, where are they coming from???!! I can easily see over 100 kids in an hour and a half. I usually have to turn off the light before the deadline. Crazy!!

I stopped giving out candy when my kids went to college and couldn't do it for me. Oh, by the way, I really hate old kids trick or treating. My children had to stop once they were out of grade school (the fifth grade). But I also hate the babies. Do those parents really think that we believe their child is going to eat that candy!! So, what actually is Halloween. Dressing up? Candy? Parties? Does anyone really know what we are celebrating?

So, tell me your plans for Wednesday night. Mine are simple...leave my light off, enjoy dinner at home, probably grade some papers, watch a little TV, and go to bed. Very exciting! What do you have planned? You better not be trick or treating!! Leave that to the kids. Have a marvelous week...should I bring candy on Wednesday???

How would you "Make a Difference?"

This shall, to everyone's enjoyment, be a rather short blog. It is currently 11:19 p.m. and I should be in bed. My 5:30 a.m. alarm is sure to startle me in the morning. But I cannot skip my blog for the week. So here it is...

Next Saturday is Make a Difference Day. Did you know? I did, but am unsure how to make that difference. It is very uplifting to read about all those famous and not so famous individuals that will be "making a difference" next week. I somehow feel left out. How would you choose to make a difference?

My final thought for the evening is this...I sit here in my "den" while my husband watches football in the livingroom. What is up with all the "joy" over football? Many of you blog about football and I just can't seem to even watch it on TV. I did attend four years of football games at Adrian High School because my daughters played in the band. Clearly I was there for halftime and not the game!! So, is it a "guy" thing? Do you ladies enjoy football just as much? I was just wondering.

Remember to read each others' blogs and comment!! I am enjoying this blog thing, are you??

The Art of Communication

As I sit down tonight to come up with an interesting topic, I am taking a look back at my weekend. Which, I am sure, was very lame compared to everyone else's. Friday I went to the Adrian HS football game. I know!! But, my godchild plays and is a senior. I should say he sometimes plays. But on this particular night he attempted his first field goal and made it. I was very glad that I had attended. But, the announcer for the football game announced Sand Creek's score backwards and I went home thinking that we would be celebrating!!

Now on to the topic of this blog...communication. I purchased a new cell phone this weekend. It is rather cool: thin, plays music, video, and actually does answer phone calls. But here is my question, why do we feel that we must ALWAYS carry a phone with us? Must we at all times be connected to someone else? No one really calls me except for my children and I am grateful for the phone for that reason, but I do not carry it with me wherever I go and I truly don't know how to work all of the "extras." (and probably won't ever!!) Do you all have cell phones? Are they with you at this moment? How often do you actual use the phone? Is it of utmost importance that you have the cell phone with you? Who actually calls you? Could you live for five days without that phone?

Have a marvelous week and don't forget to blog, blog, blog!!!

Worrying!

Another week has passed and another blog has appeared. I am glad to see that after three weeks most of you are getting into this blog thingy. Truly "bloggerific!" So, what shall we blog about this week?!?! I seem to find it a bit difficult to come up with appropriate topics or even topics at all. But, never fear, I have a topic...worrying. Do you?? Worry that is? As an adult, I suspect that my worries are a bit different than yours, but it is human nature to worry about something. As you approach graduation (seniors that is) or just another day, what worries you the most? We could speak of big worries, like global warming (right Nicasio?) or the war in Iraq. But what about the small things, like that quiz you have this week or that research paper you have to do for that computer teacher :-)

I challenge you this week to take your worries and put them aside. FOCUS on the things that you can change and not those that you cannot. Less worry makes for a much happier person. I'll put my worries "away"...now you try it. Have a fabulous week and don't forget to blog at your site too!!

There are nine weeks in a marking period and four marking periods, adding up to 36 weeks of school. This means that I need approximately 30 topics (give or take for part weeks and that we started this after a couple weeks of school) to have you all address. That is very overwhelming and it is only Week 3 of this adventure.

Now as for last week's posting..."fitting in." All of you that responded said that you don't have to fit in, when in reality you all want to fit in and be accepted. Who doesn't want to be accepted? It is just a matter of "where" you fit in. It would be a sad place if we were all the same, but fitting into a group is human nature. "Loners," in my opinion, live very sad lives. One just has to pick their group to fit in with. I live a rather quiet life, but it is still important for me to "fit in" and not be an outcast. You can still "be yourself" and "fit in," don't you think?

Let's take a test...look at what you are wearing and then look at your neighbor. Are you both wearing blue jeans? T-shirt/trendy top? flip flops? tennis shoes? Are you both "fitting in?" Just something to think about.

Now, on to this week's topic...when do you feel frustrated. Don't tell me you feel frustrated blogging or answering my bogs!! Sit back and think for a minute. Use that brain!! I get frustrated driving behind individuals that drive just below the speed limit, or when people do stupid things like get in the 12 only line and have 20+ items!! Or those people that part in the handicap parking slots that are clearly not handicapped. Are these people better than me, I wonder.

Have a great week and keep on blogging. Remember you don't have to blog just once per week, daily is great too.

Week 2 of this adventure

So, apparently I do not have much to say, but it doesn't really seem to matter to anyone. I do find it annoying though when individuals point out your faults in a blog. Isn't this a time to express yourself? Does a typo really matter? I don't think so!!

So here is this week's question...Is it important to "fit in?" Boy, now that is a deep one, don't you think? I think one does have a tendency to feel that they must "fit it." But, it is always nice when people just be themselves. It shouldn't matter what anyone thinks about you, just be you. This is, of course, realizing that you must not break the rules and being nice is always a good thing.

So, I challenge all of you...be yourself this week. Don't "fit in." Although, Friday will be a little difficult to fit in when we are all wearing green and white. Have a great Spirit Week Sand Creek!!

In the beginning...

I have often wondered if my words are of any interest to anyone else but me. I, therefore, have wondered why bogging has become so popular. Do we all really have that much to say? So you probably wonder why I have set up an account, well...

I start this post as a beginning assignment for my students. I am sure that they are very thrilled with this new activity. We will see. I am also sure that they have LOTS to tell us all. Of course, they will be getting a grade on their ability to remember to post and comment, which means that many new thoughts coming from high school students will soon appear in cyber space. We must all be very excited!

So begin students...your first post must be comments on the popularity of using a blog. Do we really have that much to say and is anyone really listening??? Have lots of fun :-)