I want to submit this picture to peopleofwalmart.com. I liked his New Kids on the Block t-shirt.

My Stray Cat Tribe Lives On.

I have had stray kitties hanging around my backyard since last November. These kittens have grown into cats and have continued the circle of life by having kittens of their own. I like to see them in my yard. They make me happy. I believe they like to hang around my house because my flower beds in the back are so full of weeds that it is almost jungle-like. I think they like to pretend that they're jungle cats. What other reason do they have to hang around? I don't feed them. Plus I have a dog. Well, like having Daisy marking her territory in my backyard scares these wild jungle cats away. They are scrappy. One reminds me of Heathcliff. He charged after Daisy the other day. I was scared for Daisy's life. Not really, but it could have gotten intense if I wasn't there to intervene.

Here are some pictures of my little felines in November:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4076557&l=8c

c7ab55aa&id=713

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Here they are all grown up:

Goodness! I feel like I'm finally having a chance to catch my breath. It has been a CRAZY BUSY week. I think I have gone crazy. After putting in 12+ hour days all week at school, my classroom is ready. Well, it's never fully ready. Maybe I should say it looks presentable enough to show off to new students and their parents. There is still much to be done, but for the moment...it is ready.

Today I had orientations for the majority of my students. I met 16 shy little kids. 7 more to meet. I liked my new students and think I'm in for a good year. That makes me happy. Several kids didn't want to leave once they got in the room and got a good look at all the goods my classroom had to offer. The "goods" being the Home Living center. One parent told his boy it was time to go and the boy shouted, "But I want to live here forever!". That made me laugh because well, it was funny and he was so dramatic about it. It was really funny to me though because I feel like I have taken up residence in my classroom. I do live there forever. At least during the last week of July and first two weeks of August.

I'm super sad to see summer go. It's been a great one. I've been the epitome of lazy. I need some routine back in my life though, so back to school needs to happen. After meeting these little ones, I'm ready. Bring it.

This is my sister, Sarah.

While we were on vacation in Florida, Emily decided to introduce me to one of my Dad's business partners. The man and my Dad have been friends for years, so we already knew each other before Emily's introduction took place. Emily tends to enjoy introducing me to people. She usually introduces me to people that I already know. Every time I'm around my Granny D, Emily says, "Granny, I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Sarah." Pretty sure Granny met me 27 years ago and knows me pretty well, but it's cool.

Back to the introduction between me and the business partner man. Emily really decides to up the ante with this one. She said, "This is my sister Sarah and she's pregnant." The man and I just looked at each other. He just nodded his head, swallowed, and politely walked away. I guess he didn't want to stick around any longer than he had to in that awkward situation. Just to clear things up, I am not pregnant. Emily was being a little prankster.

My Classroom is Famous in Blog Land

My little classroom was featured on a blog:

http://blog.nickels-n-dimes.com/2010/07/13/i-am-going-to-kindergarten-this-week/

Please note that I am not "one of the top rated Kindergarten teachers in the country" as mentioned in the above blog link. No, no, no. That is not me, as I was not the kindergarten teacher involved. I only prepared my classroom to be used as the setting.

Here is another blog link: http://lovethatmax.blogspot.com/2010/07/fun-trip-school-prep-tips-and-kleenex.html

People are Weird

I think that I fall into the "weird" category. I like some weird things. I say some pretty weird things. I think of myself as a little quirky. But some people are just plain weird in a way that's different than MY weird.

Here are some examples of weirdness that I have encountered lately:

1. I have to get blood drawn once a month to check my liver for the medication that I am currently on. After getting my blood drawn, I went to Wal-Mart to get a few things. I still had the bandage on around my arm. The lady in the check out lane says to me, "I see you had some blood work done." I respond with an, "Um, yeah..." She continues on, "Well, I hope every thing's okay. Is everything okay? You're not sick are you?" WHAT!?! Who asks that? Even if I was sick I'm certainly not going to share it with my check out person at Wal-Mart. Maybe she thought she was being nice and considerate, but I just found it weird and nosy.

2. I was at the grocery and overheard a woman telling another woman that an assortment of bread was "cute". Many things are cute in this world. I can think of hundreds. But bread? That's weird.

3. I'm in Florida right now with my family on vacation. Mom and Dad were down at the beach and Emily (my sister) and I were hanging out in the condo having lunch. There's a knock on the door followed by, "Housekeeping". Grrr. I didn't even think condos were supposed to have daily housekeeping. I go to the door and am greeted by two ladies. They ask if anything needed to be cleaned or if we need more towels. I tell them we're fine, but that I'd take a few more towels. Less we have to wash ourselves, was my thinking. The lady hands me the towels and notices that our kitchen trash can was full. She volunteers to take it out for us. Why sure, kind lady! Also less that we have to do. She looks past me into the living room and sees Emily sitting on the couch. Emily is sitting in her pajamas (think glorified muumuu) with her straw purse clutched around her arm (think Sophia Patrillo from the Golden Girls) while eating a plateful of chips (I think you can picture this on your own). The cleaning lady looks at me and says, "Is that your Mom?" Again, I had one of those WHAT!?! moments. I had to try really hard not to laugh in the poor woman's face. I kindly said, "No. She's my sister. Thank you for the towels."

Bahamas, Here I Come!

In just a few short days, I will be enjoying a little bit of this...

Doesn't this look like a wrapped up tasty sandwich? Well, it's not. It's my first REAL (not off the sidewalk in NYC) Coach purchase. Not a big purchase, but a purchase none the less. I guess I should take a picture of it out of the wrapper so that you can actually see it. That would be a smart idea.

Is Proud to Announce...

I didn't pee my pants this 4th of July! Success! I guess it could be a disappointment in the eyes of some.

In case you forgot or if you're new to my blog, look back to last year's 4th of July story. I couldn't get it to link right, or else I would've helped you out a bit by putting the link conveniently here. Sorry kids.