my first You Capture! :)

So my friend Lindsey Collins told me about Beth's blog, I've been reading faithfully at every post. Lindsey originally told me so that I could start taking pictures for Beth's You Capture series. I have yet to participate. My last post was about my longing desires to participate...but alas, it was two weeks too late. 


So this week she did a You Capture- Sky "assignment". I was really pumped about this assignment...but as soon as I went to take pictures, I ended up being out of town and photographing a family party instead of the sky. Good thing, that day was drenching with downpours. 


Anyhow, yesterday I had the camera and realized that it was Wednesday and I could finally participate on a Thursday if I could get my blog post done! Lucky for me, we had a resource today at our normal time so I can blog to you!...not necessarily so lucky for you, sorry. :) 


Here are some pictures I took from the church parking lot last night of the sky! 

The clouds looked really amazing over the softball field last night. 

I couldn't resist taking this picture in my sunroof. I really like how it came out. And Greg was there supervising. 

 

The next ones are the sequence that I took as the clouds were turning pink. There were too many trees to see the really good views of the pink/purple/orange clouds, but the steeple looked really pretty. 

Now, at this point my favorite subject, the moon, came out. I was super pumped. One of these pictures may be too dark to see but if you can, it looks pretty cool. The laptop screen had to be tilted a bit, but I could still make it work if I tried really hard. 

That's all for my very first You Capture!

and you were all yellow

I'm about to tell you something shocking: yellow is my favorite color. I know. I know. Hold your surprise (at least those of you who know me on a regular basis). 

I wear yellow...a lot. Today, in fact, I have a yellow tank top under a gray shirt. Yesterday I wore a yellow button-down with white stripes...the day before I wore lime green with a yellow shirt...Monday I'm pretty sure I got covered...Sunday was yellow flip flops to church, you get the picture. Oh, and my new Tervis Tumbler that my boyfriend bought me for my half birthday? It has a yellow straw. It's a thing. I don't know why I started loving it so much, but I do.

Two weeks ago over on youcapture the assignment was "yellow". Well, I suck at buying things in a timely manner and I had no more batteries. (Thanks to the suggest at greenissexy I bought reusable ones.) So I took picture of *everything* I could find that was yellow to highlight my obsession. 

Even though I didn't get it all done in time to post on Beth's blog, I had all of these pictures of deliciously yellow things on my camera and I needed to share it. It's a beautiful day today, but they're calling for rain this week/weekend. So, once you've gotten out of bed from your gorgeous rain-nap this weekend (seriously, rain naps are the best ever)...or perhaps, once you've pulled your laptop in bed with you during your rainy napping, take a look at the yellow goodness in my life (and please pardon the messiness of my room). 

Have a SUNNY Thursday! 

I have to highlight these Jessica Simpson shoes I got for $8 at Plato's Closet. And also my cat trying to keep me from putting away the laundry.

 Love Love LOVE this purse from NY & Co. last year.

This is my bomb.com clock from Target that I got for $7 I think? It's going to be amazing in my kitchen once I repaint this summer...did I mention the kitchen will be yellow?

I've been known to like daisies from time to time, and this is the daisy basket my fabulous stepsister got me from Longaberger a few years ago. The buttery yellow center makes me wish it were summer all year long. 

This happens to be the trusty water bottle that I misplace on a regular basis in my classroom. My kids 100% associate me with this water bottle and also are *amazing* at finding it when I seem to have "lost" it...daily.

I know, I know...it's not oriented properly...but it's my favorite yellow t-shirt and it's all about being green...plus it has a panda bear on it. :) And...it benefited the WWF (World Widelife Foundation...not World Wrestling Federation) when I bought it. *cough* mom bought it *cough*.

 No seriously, how could I hate being in the kitchen with these guys keeping me company.

My kitchen is a fun place. Favorite cup w/ built-in straw and lemony-delicious hand soap. Seriously, nothing says kitchen soap like the scent of lemon. Also, magnets on the fridge...never been used...happen to say "love liquor awesome"...not denying it.

I love yellow trash cans. It's no secret. I also love yellow tulips. They were for Mother's Day from my stepdad...just to ensure that one day I would be a mother? Not really sure. Just loved having them in my room. :)

Conveniently this all took place while I was fruitlessly laboring to get my clothes put away...so I threw a few shoes on top (and apparently a cat) and displayed my yellow-loving wardrobe to the world. There are 2 robes, 3 dresses, 5 shirts, 4 pairs of shoes, a scarf, and a hoodie in that pile...maybe more.

What's your favorite color? :)

how is my favorite Diegos doing?

I have a student whose name is Diego.  He is the one who missed me all the way from his table about a month ago. Diego is adorable, very cute, and sometimes a little distracted from what's going on. For example, we'll be moving in line and he will be looking around at the pictures on the wall so I have to say, "Go Diego, Go!" I do apologize for my blatant misuse of his name. However, when he brings his lunchbox with the cartoon character Diego on it, I can't help but get caught up in the catchphrase!

Anyhow, Diego has a little brother who is in Kindergarten and I happen to adore some of the Kindergarteners in his class. I have a friend named Galileo, a friend named Alexandra, and a new friend named Ivan. Ivan constantly says to me, "Hey, you're Diego's teacher." So, today my Kindergarten friends were walking in from recess with their class. I looked at them and said, "Hi! How is my favorite Kindergarten class doing?!", to which Ivan replied, "How is my favorite Diegos doing?"

Excellent question, friend. I don't know what it means, but if I find some Diegos, I will most certainly tell you how is they doing.

long time, no see.

So, I haven't written in quite some time. To be honest, I've had a lot of struggles lately in my head. I've learned the following things:


1. I have a difficult time saying "no" if I feel like it might bother people.
2. I have a difficult time staying busy on weeknights and staying free on weekends.
3. I crave free weekends.
4. Despite my longing to keep people and not let them go and my distinct desire to be in touch with all parts of my past, people will not always stay connected. Facebook is deceitful when it says you will be "Friends" forever. It's not bad, it just is. And it's unfortunate for people like me who don't like letting go.
5. It's much harder for me to read books after I've seen movies, emotionally speaking.
6. Sometimes, no matter what you do, people will be upset with you. Either people think I'm too nice or too mean. It stresses me out and as much as I always loved being "apathetic", it really bothers me when people I care about disagree with things I do.
7. I don't make enough quality "me" time.
8. I really need to be more organized at my house...and at my job.
9. I miss the beach.
10. I am going to cry when my kids leave on June 17th.


Anyhow, I'm reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I saw the movie in August and cried my eyes out. Cried. My. Eyes. Out. I have never been so emotional at a movie (besides "The Shawshank Redemption") and I was completely blown away. So I knew friends that had read it and said it wasn't that different and the movie was still good. So I decided to read the book. It's great. It's longer than I anticipated. I'm loving it. However, because I saw the movie, I know what's coming. I see all of the foreshadowing and it's hard for me to read it quickly. Too emotional. I think I need to read some light, fun, ridiculousness for awhile after this book.


My kids have been awesome this week. I was reading them a poem this week about bears & lions. I asked my kids which animal they'd rather be: lion or bear. I had some kids say, "Lion, because they roar." or "Bear, because they have sharp claws." Then I call on one girl...sitting directly in front of me...who answers, "Both, because they can make babies." Sixteen and pregnant, anyone?


Also...reading testing. My children are reading word lists. This went as follows: "lesson-moment-worse-hurt-raper-needle..." The word was repair. Oh man. I shouldn't laugh about these things...but it's pretty freaking funny. I can't lie.


Oh yeah, I'm gonna cry like a tear-duct-disabled-chef with 30 pounds of onions to chop.

kristin hannah.

I was super obsessed with Kristin Hannah (and still kinda am) until I saw that she wrote a super trashy first-novel that was a romance loin-cloth-covered-type novel. Awkward. But that was at the used bookstore (a.k.a. Heaven)...so I just buy the ones that are newer.

My good friend Lindsey let me borrow Kristin Hannah's book The Things We Do For Love and I loooooved it. No trashy, romance, loin-cloth-covered-type novel. It was beautiful. It was, as her novels tend to be, primarily about the relationships between women that are intertwined...and the men in their lives. This one added in an orphan/pregnant teen/infertile "mom" story. Let me tell you, it warmed my heart. 

I stayed up until 3 a.m. reading it last night.

Also...I just need to immortalize (although many of you already saw on facebook) the moment that I got yesterday...

"Last time I checked this was not the set of 'Twilight' and you are not a vampire, so please stop biting him or you'll move a card."

It may be my favorite thing I've ever said. 

Also, one of my babies is leaving on Friday and moving and I'm *super* sad. I'm not ready to lose any of them yet. Silly military. 

31 days left.

aaaanother one.

I finished another book! This week I finished Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky. This is another hit by Delinsky. In fact, this is probably more my favorite than some of the earlier ones. So far, my favorites are Not My Daughter and Family Tree. These two have been about more complex family issues...not just secrets, but things people discover about themselves and have to work through.

This last book was, in my humble opinion, a good look at race and the repercussions of race on people's lives. It was about an upper-class white family that learns they have the skeleton of an affair hiding in their wood-paneled closet. Their skeleton happens to be an affair with a man who is half African-American. As a result, the mixed-race man's illegitimate son has a granddaughter that turns up with coppery skin. She's beautiful...but comes from two "lily white" parents. The way that they feel after learning that they have African-American heritage, not to mention the impact it has on their careers, is surprisingly real. I felt comforted by the fact that they had realistic feelings about the situation and its repercussions in their life.

You should check this chick out. Also...I have so much more to read. Every time I look at books online I find more authors and more amazing covers. Book covers suck me in EVERY TIME. 

Anyway, here goes! :)