It's About Time...

...I post something on my good ol' blog. Thank you to Valerie for missing the silliness I so openly share with the world and in a roundabout way kindly reminding me to post something... anything. Lol. :-)

I think I mentioned before about having a long-term sub assignment and working with first graders. Well, all I have to say is, teachers are overworked and underpaid. Most of the stress doesn't come from working with the kids on a daily basis, it comes from Admin. Frustrating (with the exception of a coworker whose situation is the opposite at the moment).
Thank goodness it's coming to an end soon.

Anywho... I thought I would share a couple of things that have kept me afloat during this stressful period.

The first item is this delicious instant coffee...let me tell you it does wonders for my personality and stamina. Hallelujah!
All I can say, it's downright transforming, just ask the kids. :-)

Next up... Two brand spanking new knitting books courtesy of Groupon.com and Barnes & Noble. Groupon was offering a discounted coupon for B&N. I had a couple of knitting books in mind and decided to join. A friend referred me to them, she got ten bucks and I got two knitting books for almost half the price. Not too bad of a deal. I've already placed a gazillion tabs on my 101 Designer book and plan on knitting a little bit more in the near future. Crossing fingers. If you want to find out more about Groupon just click on the link. :-)

Last, but not least... Sweet treats (pictured below).
These are the yummiest snacks...EVER. Hershey's minis, it goes without saying......YUM! There's no question they satisfy any sweet tooth and best of all, the protein from the peanuts fulfills a bit of the recommended daily allowance or something like it. Can't argue with that now, can ya?
The other sweet treat is the Pulparindo. They're worth GOLD in class. Kids will turn in all their homework and jump through hoops for them. Made of tamarind and chili, the yellow packaged candy is hot enough to numb your tongue for about a minute. The candy in the red package (not pictured) is spicier and with a label warning of it being extra-picante! HOT! Let's just say they're flaming good and you'll lose all sensation in your tongue for good while.
Honestly, this only happens to me. I'm such a wimp when it comes to spicy foods.

I'm off to grade papers. Wishing everybody a sweet spring.

Have a great weekend!

Spring Splash

This sub assignment is kicking my arse. The only consolation is happy first grade footwear and happy first graders.

I joined Knitterella's AdventsKalendar (blog info) KAL on Ravelry (group info), but haven't had the energy or time to start on my pieces. Spring break is around the corner and I'm hoping to catch up soon.
Started on a new cardi and will post some deets soon.
Time to relax after a crazy Friday and crazier week.
Have a great weekend!!

Footwear and some Loot

Just thought I'd share something sparkly...

and something sweet. :-)

I feel loved.

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day

Photo credit weheartit.com

My Crush

I think I've blogged about my celebrity crushes in the past, James Scott and Donny Osmond. I heart them. Tonight I need to add one more to my ever growing list of hunks and that would be Patrick Dempsey aka Dr. Derek McDreamy. Over the years he has definitely grown into his good looks. Remember him in Can't Buy Me Love? He had a face only a mother could love.

The reason I bring it up is because I'm taking part in a Secret Pal gift exchange for Valentine's Day week at work. Since I'll be working at this particular school for a while, I've gotten to know the staff pretty well and was lucky enough to be paired up with a fun teacher. It turns out we have many things in common; we like Reality Trash TV, we like some of the same foods, music and some of the same TV hunks.
On Tuesdays, during recess break or after school, we compare notes on Monday night's epi of The Bachelor. We both think Michelle is nuts, but then so does the whole world.
Trying to think of fun and unique things to give her for Valentine's Day and seeing that Prince Charming hasn't come a knockin', I thought I would give her a pic of McDreamy (her celebrity crush) offering her a rose. Hey, a girl can dream, right?

Excuse the glare in the picture,
but if you're not able to read it, it says,
"Christina, will you accept this rose?"

What do you think? I know she'll get a kick out of this one. She has a great sense of humor and is such a beautiful young lady. A man would be lucky to be by her side. Let's hope her McDreamy pays her a visit soon.

If anyone has any ideas for three more days of small and fun gifts, would you be so kind to share them with me? :-)
xoxo

Trends

I am so happy to finally see Friday. TGIF! This crazy weather and work has done me in. I lost my voice again, which is a hoot when you're trying to administer tests to a group of first graders.
In the middle of a one-on-one test my voice just faded away. What could I do? Nothing. Feeling helpless, I just laughed it off. The students were especially sweet to me. They huddled around, trying to help by giving me advice on how to clear my throat to get my voice back. Of course, that wasn't the case, but I tried it anyway. It didn't work, but nevertheless they didn't give up trying.

You can tell a lot about a person in first grade. This group has a heart of gold, always wanting to help each other and lend a hand. Sometimes I feel life outside of the classroom will have a greater impact on them than the few hours they spend at school.
Case in point, a student was letting me know the world is going to end in 2012 because his teenage cousin told him so. I told him otherwise... he didn't believe me.
We are all doomed in his eyes. :-/

There's one thing I've noticed at school among the elementary school girl fashionistas and that is ~~~> trendy fancy footwear.

Here is Little Z rockin' her sneakers. I love them! Notice the faux fur vest she's wearing? Ka-yoot, right?! Okay, back to the shoes... Now, why didn't they have snazzy shoes like this when I was young? Oh yea, because it was the age of aquarius :-) Am I that old? When I was young, wallabies were my favorite pair of shoes, until my mother sold them at a garage sale. I miss my wallabies. Such is life. This might explain why I tend to hold on to my things for very long periods of time. Some would consider this as a hoarder in the making. Oh dear.

Not much knitting going on right now, but many knitted pieces being worn. It's freeeeeeezing in California! What's up with that?

Anywho, I'm sending out warm thoughts to anyone and everyone buried under a pile of snow, especially to my friend, D in Chicago. :-) Have a great weekend!