Pretty Day

Everyone should have a pretty day
A day where all they can think of is 'pretty things'

On a pretty day all you can feel is happy and gay
Like cupcakes and flowers, friendly faces and fairy rings

On a day like a pretty day all you can do is smile
And act cheerful and comment on everything in a better light

Each person is required to have a good attitude and dress their own style
No one is allowed to argue, be rude or cause anyone to fight

Because on a pretty day everyone is the same
In their attitude, and in their individual loveliness

So please do not consider give any one any cause to be a shamed
Because on a day like today, every single person is ageless

I wish every other day, no, every day was a pretty day for you and me
Then maybe you too can see the beauty in you that I can see.

Chilly Lizzy

 

Brrr! Welcome to Fall!

Today I was anticipating that it was going to be a little bit chilly so I decided to wear all black, which one one hand was a bit drab and dreary (almost like funeral wear) but on the other hand it was very warm and cozy and comfortable! Who knew?

I bought this lovely jacket and pants at my favorite consignment store and are both VERY comfortable! Which is what I like, right?

The black shirt was inexpensive as it also came from my other favorite place to go... My Cousins Closet and the shoes, well you've seen those lovely things before!

In total this outfit cost me, maybe less than $15? I say less than because those shoes have since been used way past their due date... which started when I bought them in 2009!

Okay, so they're only three years old, but still...

For $30, $10 a year, less than $1 a month... yup, they've paid for themselves by now!

Oh and for jewelry (which I picked up at Claire's for $1 for 3 pairs (they were all hooked together) and $5 for 4 pieces of jewelry at an antique fair!), I wore pearls!

It all looked fairly expensive and gloomy, but I felt very pretty and very warm!

 

Hope you find something just as wonderful!

♥

My Husband

Alarm goes off, Roll out of bed, Brush teeth, Get Dressed, Ready for Work.
Except not today.
Today I don't want to go to work and do the same routine.
Today I don't want to force small talk with Cheryl during carpool about how our lives are going. About how her famimly is well behaved, getting straight A's and so far hasn't raised any suspicions with the local goverment. Except for her husband, as he is the goverment in the town. He is, you guessed it, the police chief. Who would have thought.
Today, we were going to do something different.
Today we were going to find that little black dress. Today we were going to buy it right off the rack and wear it that night. yes. We are going to do that tonight. No if, ands or buts about it.
Well, first things first. We kinda need the purse. And We kind of need the money. and we kind of need the will power to actually defy the odds and get out of the house  to do the impossible!
Lets do it, Lets do it, Lets do it, I can't say it enough, lets do it!
And I can't do it. I just freakin' can't.

Oh the Hell with It.

Yes. I Freakin Can!

First things first. I started with the basics. Red lips, Red Nail Polish on the fingers, on the toes and of course could not forget the red shirt. I was going to be a wild child, or at least a wild woman. I can do that. I can be a wild woman... after a quck stop to the bank then off to the mall!

I shopped for a while at the discount stores, then I felt a little daring, I really ought to just muster up the courage and go straight to the top most expensive store, open a credit card and BUY THAT LITTLE BLACK DRESS!

Well the search went on for an hour, then another hour, and three more hours and finally, I gave up. I wasn't going to find that  little black dress that fit me right, showed off my awkward bodice, gave me shapely hips and well, looked good. Everything I tried on fit the skinnie minnies that I still don't understand how they even exist thier so thin. so I headed home, a very boring story I know.

But then I had the bright idea of going to the discount store near my house. Well... I didn't find it again. Well, my neighbor was having a tag sale so I decided to visit her and wouldn't you believe it... I... had... no such luck. Rats.

Well one day wasted in the life of a middle aged woman who all she wants to do is impress her ever busy husband. Think I'd ever succeed? Well, I came home, ready to cook my fantastic a meal that only his mother could rival and what did I open my door to?

Not my husband, no. But my MOTHER. "What are you doing being all dressed up like that? Your nails don't match your shirt, why do you have that color of lipstick on? Are you cheating on your husband? Why aren't you at work today?"

"Hi, Mom." I forgot. She was supposed to visit today. No wonder I wanted to get out of the house for the day, I didn't want to run into her. Logical. Well, although my mother is still trying to figure out that I like privacy during the week, she still some how knows exactly what I'm looking for! And there, hanging on the kitchen door is that little black dress that i had been searching for all day! Well, now how do you tell your mother that you want to get dressed up in it to impress the hubby?

Well, she doesn't quite get that much, so I guess I'll just have to put the red nail polish, the red lipstick and the little black dress on another day and gussy up for the hubby.

By the way, the husband is so very supportive and is so very wonderful and is always there for me. If you haven't guessed already, my husband is a back supporter that I lean against when I ready my smutty novels. My husband gets more attention than any other man in my life. And I am quite grateful because I highly doubt that there will be any other man that is more supportive!

End of Summer Anyone?

 

Well, today I didn't really have the best start. I woke up late, made breakfast wrong, found a rip up my tights, forgot to pack lunch, almost forgot my glasses, broke my glasses, was late to school, students were absent, drew on my shirt, and picked a fight with anyone that rubbed me wrong. Fortunetly I cooled off after a while and was able to come out of my room without crying. Yayy.

But today I thought I had a fabulous outfit that only had one problem, it was a tad bit too cold for that particular day. But that was easily fixed as I used my wide black scarf as a shawl (vocabulary word: draped or cloaked or something like that) and I was a bit warmer! From the top down, I used the big black scarf, that is quite lovely when up and when down (there is 500 ways to wear a scarf, so foar I've found four or five) and it was nice when a breeze went by. Then I wore a button down striped shirt (grey and white) which matched the black scarf. I then wore my gorgeous black a-line skirt (that I'm still looking to replicate because its that pretty) and that was held up with my big brown braided belt with the gold buckle. Such a lovely belt, I'm happy that I didn't give it away! Lastly, I wore nude tights and my black, I call them granny shoes, to complete the outfit! Oh and for jewelry I wore my black earrings with the black chrystals on the end which looked quite lovely.

I did recieve a few compliments on the outfit, and from my little ones they are still trying to find my outfits in the stores! I still haven't told them that most of my outfits were from parts and pieces from my favorite place to shop... My Cousins Closet!

Whales on Stilts

 

Doesn't the book itself intrigue you? First off, it's written by M.T. Anderson who I've hard is an excellent science fiction writer!

Anyways this lovely girl named Lilly finds herself in the middle of a mystery, who does her dad really work for and why does he act so strange? Turns out (the first mystery at least) is solved when Lily talks to her best friends Katie and Jonas who appear to be adventure magnets! They're all underage so when the car chase starts it becomes a little difficult to evade capture after they figure out whats going on, but is it enough to get them away?

As you can tell from the picture, there are whales on stilts with lazer beams shooting out of thier eyes and they look a bit bad tempered. Well, that actually doesn't happen. I'm kidding, that does take place in this hilarious novel, and they trample through the only town that is introduced in the book. Well, there are two more, but if I give those up then I'll give away the rest of the story.

So:

Characters: Lilly (a very plain person), Katie (an adventure magnet), Jonas (a geeky adventure magnet) and Mr. Larry who is quite sinister and has a terrible history. Poor thing.
Setting: A little town in the middle of nowhere, where if you go 5 miles over the speed limit then you're busted. Sounds like a lovely place, right next to a bay and a floating restaurant!
Plot: Three friends try to foil a plot to take over the world with lazer beam welding stilt walking whales! How are they going to get throught this muddle of a mystery?

Happy Reading!

Importance

The Important Thing about Cameras is,
They capture Irreplaceable Moments.

Cameras can be used as photo takers
And can also be used as movie makers.

Famous stars got their start from homemade creations from a camera
And are still the main focus to this very moment.

Some people are caught in the middle of a scandal because of a camera
Which captures the moment of seduction, revenge or plain stupidity.

Cameras take the very first glimpse of life and show it to the world,
Bringing Joy to Every one that Cares.

However, Cameras can also be used to destroy the last glimpse of life,
Dehumanize someone when they are taking their last breath of freedom.

Laughter can be caught using a camera, Vacations, Sadness, Friendship,
Loyalty, Victory, Despair, and many other emotion in one picture.

A camera can be used to capture beauty
And can also be used for harm.

But the Important Thing about a Camera is,
They can be used to capture Irreplaceable Moments.

Open House Night

 

Aren't a pretty thing? I saw this actually on another person, an well, I thought I'd try it out!

 

So what I tried was this:

First I took my tired and true black pants

(that I just found to be slightly too big, but thats okay... right?)

Second I took my off white shirt and put a brown flat tank underneath to give a layered look.

Third, I took my greyish no button shirt and placed on top!

This didn't look all put together until I put the lovely grey tank top on top to make it pretty!

For shoes, I wore my black shoes with the silver buckle...

(I know they're not pictured, I changed my mind when I wore the outfit!)

And for jewelry? I wore my big brown earrings, so pretty!

 

I hope you can find something similar in your closet and are just as successful!

And let me know if you are! I love new ideas as much as you!

I Can't Because

I can't write a poem because...

My roommate is watching TV
My Internet isn't working
My Cellphone keeps going off
The Lightbulbs keep flickering
The Air Conditioning keeps being faulty
and my Laptops battery is dying

I can't write a poem because...

I've got too much homework
There are too many Thank You letters to write
I've got too many papers to fill out
Too many Half Finished Essays to write
and I fear the Emails that are piling up

I can't write a poem because...

The Macaroni is still cooking
The Chicken salad needs to be made
The Dishes a piling up in the kitchen
I need to make Jello for dessert
and the girls are now asking for Cookies

Oh wait, I just did!

Let's Read!

Well Hello SkippyJon Jones!

So, I think I may have a few teachers in on this site, but I can't really tell sometimes. At the moment however, I can say that my teacher likes SkippyJon Jones! So for my going away present I found her a SkippyJon Jones book that she doesn't own yet!

This is the perfect gift because I know that she doesn't own the book yet and that I know she enjoys the series. So, when you pick out a book for a friend, make sure that that person likes that genre! Or, like me, make sure that the book you are getting for your friend is the next one in the series!

SkippyJon Jones is a curious cat that wishes that he was a chihuahua! He's got really big ears and an even bigger imaginiation that takes him from space, to the egyptian tombs and back again! After every adventure he returns home to his momma cat and his little kitten sisters, and are ready to go on another one!

SkippyJon Jones is definelty a character that should be in your classroom, big ears and all!

http://www.skippyjonjones.com/

No One Knows!

So, you've heard my little bits about haveing clever little fashion tricks, but have you ever used all in succession?

Earrings:
Imagine, you're wearing your favorite earrings and all of a sudden *pop* you've lost the backing! Well, this particular pair of earrings just will NOT do if sitting in your purse all day, worse comes to worse... you could lose more than just the backing!
Solution! Pop out the eraser from a pencil (wooden or mechanical, *I recommend mechanical*) and stick it in the back of your earring. Tada! Problem solved!
Don't forget, when you get home, or to a jewelry store to look for a new backing, those suckers get lost so easily!

Torn Tights:
Imagine, you're sitting in class and *RIIIP!* you're tights decide to start a new fad. Wha? This simply will not do. You are supposed to start the fads, not your clothes! Clothes don't make the man! Wait, that doesn't fit here...
Solution: Use a nail polish. I know, sounds kind of weird. When you use the clear nail polish it stops the run from continuing up (or down) your leg for the time being!
Don't forget, when you get home, throw out these tights! And please buy new ones, this is a temperary fix, like everything else listed.

Long Pants:
Imagine, you're on the run and you forgot to wear the high heels and instead you're wearing the flats. That's not too much of a problem, until you realize that you're also wearing long pants!
Solution: Tape. Yes, tape. Roll up the pant leg until they are over your shoes (no matter the size) comfortably and tape them up.
Don't forget, make sure your pant legs match! Also, don't forget to take out the tape before you wash the pants!

Bra Straps:
Imagine, you're wearing that really chic shirt with the razer back and well, you're bra straps aren't. Bummer. What to do?
Solution: Tie your straps together with a twist tie x2. With the bra on (grab a friend) and tie on one twisty, but loose enough that there is still space between the straps. A few inches down tie another one. Or, if you want to spend a little bit of money look for the giant X hooks that might be found in the bra island at the store.
Don't forget to remove the strap when you wash your bra!

How is that for tips? If you have any more I'd love to hear them!

Fantastic Mr. Fox

 

In my classroom this year, we're doing something a little different, instead of just doing a full out report on the book, we're doing three main sections. Ideally: Title, Characters and Plot. And so follows:

Title: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Characters: Mr. Fox; Farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean; the underground creatures
Plot: The Fantastic Mr. Fox has done it again. For years he has been stealing from Farmer Boggis, Farmer Bunce and Farmer Bean who each sells different wares to various customers. Namely, ducks, cider and chickens. One day, all three farmers have finally had it and decide to go after Mr. Fox and his family of little fox cubs. In turn the entire underground animal kingdom is affected and everyone blames Fox. What will happen next? Who will win out in the end?

Underground

Good glory, where the hell was I? When I came to the second time, I realized that I wasn't alone. I was in a chair tied to two women and another man, whose head was bleeding just above the temple. He looked like he went from hell and back, but maybe I looked the same. There were no mirrors so who could say? Turned out they were waiting for me to come to myself and started asking me questions about the 'outside.' They had been trapped down here for over a week, fed soup and bread, but they were surviving. I knew the stakes, they wouldn't last much longer since most poisons that could be found in our little of Nodnol were best used in poison. I didn't dare tell the new folks that.

The two kids that I was with, after closer inspection they really weren't any more than kids, were named Wendy and John. In the weak light that was coming from somewhere I could make out thier shapes. Wendy was a short brunette that was beginning to look a little gaunt from the loss of nutrients that were not found in soup. Or it could be the poison taking effect, autopsy would tell us that eventually I feared. John, ironically that was his name, was a bit overweight, his chair creaked every time he moved slightly. His hair was beginning to thin, like it would for an older man, but it must run in his family. The third girl that was tied to our little group was named Sheryll, but like she said 'Everyone calls me 'Tinkerbell' cause I wear green too often." It was too much out of a storybook to be true.

To fool the ladies into thinking that I was taken (I do enjoy the single life) I wear a wedding ring. Funny thing about my wedding ring is that if I hit the right nic on the edge, a small sharp surface will appear. Not much to set off when I'm in the shower, but good in emergencies. Lately it has been, admittedly, used to clean the gunk out of my fingernails. It sure came in handy though to cut Tinkerbell out of her ropes. In turn she untied me, I bet she could wriggle out of anything, and we untied the other two. With our band of four we decided to explore where we were. By and by we found the basement where there was a sewer drain, but as luck as would have it, we ran out of it.

John pulled the grate out of the crumbling wall and the girls jumped through, which was a shitty idea seeing what came next. John was shot three times using the grate as protection, the idiot, and I knew that he was lost as the third one went straight between his eyes. I dove into the sewer after the girls screaming "GET DOWN!" Girls have the more sense than boys, so I let them decide which way to go, either left or right from our place in the sewer. Somehow in his death, John was able to save us still. When he fell (and after I jumped through the hole) he fell over the enterence. And as the man was well over 300 pounds, one would wonder how he was even captured in the first place, he covered our escape marveously. I'll have to send his family more than condolences.

I didn't land very gracefully, so when I finally did stand up, I tried not to think about what I was covered in. I called for the girls: "Tinkerbell? Wendy!" To my left I heard a scream, and I really hoped that it wasn't just from the literal shit that we were in. I ran on ahead to find the girls and found Wendy, but no Tinkerbell. "Behind you..." I turned around and found Tink sitting in the muck completely covered. "Tinkerbell, I know that we're literaly in, well, shit, but we've got to keep moving."
"That's not why I'm on the ground sir, it's what's around the corner."
"What?"
"See for yourself, sir." She had a perticular way of getting on ones nerves when she said 'sir.'

I moved around the bend to see for myself what the hell was freaking her out so much. And I was not expecting to see this. Lined up against the walls were decomposing bodies of men and women of similar height and weight from my observation. The most shocking part was they were all blond. Blond. I didn't have much light to look at the corpses, but from what I could see using my skills as a police officer, I could see that almost all of the mens' throats were killed and the womens' faces were frozen in a position that if they were to say something it would have been an exhale. The eeriest part was, each corpse had his or her eyes wide open. Dead eyed, wild look and decomposing in time. Frightening.

I heard a scream and ran awkwardly back towards the corner where I left the girls, it's kind of hard to run through, well, you know what. You would think with all the water that also runs through the sewers from the various er, locations, but this area was a lot sludgier than you would think. Oh - kay away from the graphics... And when I got around the corner I was greeted with another corpse, Wendy's. And I watched in horror as Tinkerbell was slain in front of my eyes. A hulky but trim 6'4 caucasion male with a spider tattoo extending like a 3D image off of his middle finger made a swift motion across her throat. A ribbon of red turned into a dripping paint... and I passed out.

I was never one for open wounds.

'Poisoned' Apple Pie

Now doesn't that just look DELICIOUS?? I picked this recipe up in Lyon, France and it turned out so good that there wasn't a single piece left! Now that's a good pie!

Need:
- 6 Yellow Apples
- 1 Pie Crust
- Cinnamon
- Butter
- Brown Sugar

Prepare:
1. Place the pie crust into the pie pan and smooth out.
2. Slice the apples into six slices each, the cut the slices into smaller slices ... smaller than bite size!
3. Place all the apple slices into the pie dish
4. Mix in the butter, Cinnamon and brown sugar (no actual measured amounts, use your best judgement!)
5. Bake for an hour BUT after about 10-15 minutes turn the pie ... and the best part is there is no need for a top!

Do Enjoy! (We sure did!)

Walls

If I could talk, there is so much that I would say
I would discuss with you perhaps the time of Day
But there are better things that I would like to utter
Such as the meaning of life or watching a butterfly wings flutter
I'm sure that you would rather hear what went on in here
What love was said and done, who was afraid and feared

I could start off with the day that I was built
When I could see sky and grass, moving water and still silt
I could witness the trees growing from where I waited
Until the day that into the floor my sides were grated
Oh how that hurt when my edges were sanded
But how happy I was that I finally landed

Over looking the gardens is where I once stood
I could see the whole world! Well, at least I thought I could
My little roommates played between my four borders
It tickles me now that at the time I thought they all had speech disorders!
Oh, how they all laughed and giggled and fretted and played
In the winter and kept them warm,  in the summer I provided shade

I felt so old when the eldest left and had gone away
For a few days I did not feel so happy and gay
Then one by one the nest emptied of the rest of children who were old now
All that was left in here was an old cradle, a blanket, a stuffed cow
The parents came and cleaned me out, it was time to go on and be sold
My family was leaving me, I was no longer useful, and like the children I was old

A new family moved in, well, the beginnings of a young one
They tried every night to have a baby, during the day they had some fun
I was decorated and refurnished, painted and scraped along
He was a poet, though he really didn't know it, and she always liked to sing a song
One night I was shocked to hear
Something that I most feared

Someone broke in through my downstairs friend
And ruined the family, the house, and me, in ways that time will not mend
After years of neglect I was sold once more
To a man that had once served in the Core
He needed a place to spend the last of his years
But most importantly, a place to hide his tears

He wasn't the last to have lived within my boundaries
I've had many men, women, children and animals full of talent and abilities
That have played within my walls, made love within and slept behind
I've seen so much hurt, anger, laughter, tears but my favorite is when they are kind
I heard today the wrecking ball come my way
So I'm afraid that this is the last thing I will every say

With each second I try to recall my glory days when I was new once more
Those days my corners reached from the ceiling to the floor
The mice and the bees that have been tearing apart my home
Will soon need another save haven to roam
I pretend to think that the noise of the machines is the same as the day I found myself complete
But now I'm afraid that at last I must admit defeat

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

By Kate Douglas Wiggin (a New England Native)

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is a delighful tale about a charming little girl who grows up in a very dull house with two aunts that take her in after her mother has her nth child. Rebecca is an intelligent child who wins the heart of anyone that she meets, except for her Aunt Miranda. Aunt Miranda is a spiteful old goat who clearly does not like children, or her brother in law, who is Rebecca's father. While Rebecca stayed in the Aunts house she endures her aunts meanness and SCHOOL. Back in her hometown of what Rebecca likes to call Sunnybrook, school is only open two months out of the year, and for a smart girl like Rebecca, that is not enough time to read, write and learn 'rithmitic.

In Riverboro, where Rebecca is staying, Rebecca finds friends in classmates and have a marvelous time helping each other in classes and with selling enough soap to buy a lamp for friend. She meets a strong character Adam Ladd, who invests in Rebecca's education and strives to keep Rebecca at the top of her game. Then there is Mr. Cobb who is the first person to introduce Rebecca to the life at Riverboro, and again helps her when she needs advice about running away from her aunts watchful eye. Spunky and heroic, she has caught my eye as a up coming teacher.

Over the years Rebecca has recieved a harsh word or two from Aunt Miranda, comforting words from Aunt Jane, help from her mother back on the farm and support from friends and more family. She also learned about friendship, trust and earning rewards through hard work in education.  Graduating from the top of her class Rebecca moved her way up to help her family by hopefully reciving a better job than she and her friends could dream of, and more. Unfortunetly we don't know what happens to Rebecca in the end, but we can hope that is the best.