Saturday, April 30, 2011

Friend Service Announcement {for Morgan!!!}

And anyone else who likes to make cakes....
pretty cakes. :)

The issue of Real Simple for this month has the best cake making article!
It has the chocolate and yellow cake recipes, and then it has
four or five icings and some filling recipes.

Then it has really pretty/simple ways to decorate cakes...

Morgan, you basically have to have this magazine!!
I bought this issue b/c I had a coupon!! {Andy laughed his butt off about that!}
But--it is a cool magazine.
I always thought that title was such a turn off...
But the magazine is cool, and this issue was made for Morgan.

So if you are Morgan, {or someone who loves her ;)  }
and you read my blog...get ye to the store.
This issue has a big yellow flower on the front.

I am off  to the Farmer's market to buy some strawberries, and then to a t-ball game.

Friday, April 29, 2011

And I know....

You wore that dress before kate Middleton did!
So there you go...

--Andy--just now, trying to make me feel happy! :)
{and it worked}
And it's true!
I got it at my CAbi party last fall...
Whenever I wear it, my mama calls me Kate Middleton!
HA!
you know, though, the picture is not on my computer, or else I would post fotographic proof, like
Andy says I should.

una foto

Here are the Spaniards.
Now:  you all know
1.I did not take this foto.
2.I am not making money here--so please do not sue me person who took it. :)
I got this foto on Abcnews.com--just in case you want to
a. see who did take it
or
b.see some other royal people.
Actually, the queen of Spain is Greek.
So, that is her son, the Prince (handsome,no?)
and the Princess--the Prince's wife, not his sister.

And in not so royal news...
I am contemplating getting a job:
at the Food Lion Deli...
I worked at the one in Carrboro one time for about two years.
This AM in was in F.Lion with Elena and I was telling her
that I used to work in the deli at Food Lion.
The manager said, aloud, "well, if you want to work here again, go and talk to that lady, we need some help."
well, this got me thinking.
Maybe that would be the perfect money maker for me.
Mindless..
Not stressful...
Just some extra loot--not the main source.
I am going to sleep on it, and go back in the AM to ask about an application.
20 more hours of work a week never hurt anyone.

Ay que boda!

Pues,
We have an official wedding watcher at our house, and her name is
hambone, a.k.a. Eva Lou.
She watched the tail end of the wedding this AM with all of the family,
and she was the only one that was completely enthralled!
I tried to take a picture of her face watching the computer screen.
Later on, I will post it, but right now I don't fee like it. :)
She was saying, "Princess! Princess!"

Then, being the realist, I explained to my children, as
I {lovingly} made their lunch, and begged them to please
just drink out of the cups I gave them...
That ACTUALLY when the princess has children she will not raise them...
She will have people who make all the sandwiches for her children, change
all of their diapers, wipe their faces...the children
of the princess will not even get to see their mother that much.
I let them know all of this...
B/C I LIKE TO KEEP IT REAL.
Lest they imagine themselves as anything royal...
And you know, Elena said to me,
Well, Mama, I am glad we are not children of a princess, then.

Joy Behar is a buddy of mine--in pessimistic spirit at least...
And she was quick to remind everyone...now
this is sweet and exciting, but we are all just the commoners,
then she picked on the queen's yellow dress...which
I also thought was awful...Granny should go with some mild color,
esp. when she comes from very Royally Inbred pasty white stock.
Pasty white and yellow just clash in my book...eek!
But, you know, no one from the palace asked me. :)

And lastly, I thought that K. Middleton's dress, no, excuse me
the Duchess of Cambridge's dress was
ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!
She was stunning.
The Duke of Cambridge was making his Princess Diana faces...
(which I freakin love!!)

Oh, one more thing..I was looking for the Spaniards in the crew on the pews...
But I did not see them...
Sure they were there...
Sure they are cousins...
Aren't they all???

Ta Ta for now, I am enjoying my last day of official vacay!!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

No more Facebook {updated}

it is too much for me...
Andy and I have talked about this before.
Sometimes we have had fun facebook spying.
Other times, I am just on there wasting time.
Wasting time.
Then I find out things that I really did not even want to know.
Then I might obsess about those things, when if I were not on
there looking at everyone's business each day, I would never
have even known that little tidbit of information, and therefore
would not have even been upset (or whatever the emotion is).
Sort of like deciding that you are not going to watch the news
anymore.
I am not there {yet}.

But then I have just realized that some people use
F-book on their phones, and that is the way
they stay in touch with the world.
So, for example, when I wanted to ask my friends
if we were still going to G-ville tonight, I had no choice but
to use f-book b/c that is the only way I knew to reach them.
So, I will have to still use it for that purpose.
This means that I will have to use self control...and not read that wall thing that much and just
not care what is up there...

At the beach...






We were at the beach
from Saturday until this week on Wed.
It was SO MUCH FUN.
Sometimes Andy and I dread all of the work that is involved in a change of scenery {formerly known
as a vacation}.
But, you know, once we get there we realize that the change of scenery is good for everyone!
All of our kiddies had the best time playing.
They played on the porch.
In the beds,
On the beach, in the sand, and in the surf.
They played in the sandbox, and in the teeny shower that is at the
end of the boardwalk.
It was sunny, and it was breezy....
Just perfect!

Elena's T-shirt in that picture says, goodbye homework, Hello summer!
That is exactly what this has been.  A late Easter Vacation gives us a hint of all things to come...
on the big vacay called Summer!
One of the milestones on this trip was that Elena rode her bicycle to the Stop N Shop!
Two wheels, stopping at stops signs...looking both ways.
When she got to the last intersection, she stopped, looked both ways, crossed the road by herself!!!
and then she went to the shop, parked her bike and went on in....all while Andy was about two blocks behind her!!!!  He was about to have a heart attack, but she knew what she was doing and she felt very confident about her trip.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Haz Click

on the link below
para ver donde estaremos mi hermana y yo
July 21-24th....
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/SanJuan/Default.htm

Yippie!!
AND--{thanks to mama}
I get to go with my Sister!!!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

As I sit here...

The newest member of our family...
is chasing my feet.
My feet are his chew toy of choice.
When my feet are on the floor, when I am at the computer...
He is chasing them.
Then, he lays on his back and he nibbles.
If I move my feet, he chases them...
Gradually Spot has come to realize that
these feet are a part of me (when I gently kick him away)
So, when he chews, he does so gently...
Unless he gets carried away after about 20 seconds, and then
I move my feet again, and he chases them...
So cute!

Teacher's {pet}

On Monday night Elena's teacher did not have anyone to take the chicks home.

The chicks were being chicksat by the assistant down the hall, however this lady
was not at work that day.
So, Mrs. G. asked Elena if she would like to take them home!
Boy was E excited!!

Here are some pictures...

Monday, April 18, 2011

savings

Okay, so now i see how people get into this.
It is gratifying, when you are broke--or I guess even if you are not...
to {save} money.
Tonight I spent 106.00 at the grocery store.
I would have spent 131.00at the grocery store without the coupons.
So, that is pretty good.

Now, these groceries went on the credit card b/c by the 15th of the month I have no
pay check left...so I guess that actually means that I am 25.00 (plus the interest it would accrue)
less in debt than I would have been without the coupons...

And more on the debt topic...
You know I had the travel dilemma..well, it is a dilemma no more.
My stipulation for going was that if the school system would give me even some of the money
and if I could get free airfare--FF miles--
I would go.
Got the miles covered...
BCS would not give me a dime for professional development.
I did not want the full amnt.
I was just looking for a sign...some backup to the argument that I should
spend three days at the Ritz Carlton in San Juan PR learning more about being
a bi-lingual Spanish speaking speech therapist....
Nope! nothing doing....
As the psychologist working with me pointed out...the bosses {probably} do
not even get it...why this skill should be nourished..and how {rare} a bird I am...
As Andy pointed out, many people around here would love to hate me just b/c I
do speak a Farghn tongue (no lie/sad but true)
So there is my truth for tonight...
It had me bummed out all last week.
Especially when I read the sports page (have a real beef against athletics...go figure)
but anyway..I was reading all about how Tiger is in China now, and how they are getting into
golf big-time over there, and it was just a slap in the face to me...
What good does it even do to be smart?...better to be better with balls...


I guess I will get over it now...maybe another year!
There's always Paris--{right, Lara?} ;).

Friday, April 15, 2011

Coupon Updates!!! :) {Yippie}

So, {Morgan}
I went to one of the sites that you have as a link...thanks for that btw.
I loved it.
You chose the coupons you want to use.
So, if you are brand picky--like me...you just
print the brands you want to use.
I like, for example Tide detergent and Huggies...so those
are the coupons I printed...
I saved five dollars on diapers today!! oh yeah!...and some money on aleve..
The girl at food lion was so nice and patient too, she tore them apart for me
there were some other coupons that i printed that i did not use today.
One thing, this site said they were going to send me emails...
I thought daily...but i have not gotten the emails yet.
I had a good idea today in food lion too.
You find a coupon buddy who likes the other brand so when F. Lion prints out the
competitor's coupon with your receipt--you switch with that person.
So, for example, Sissy could take my Pampers ones, and I could get the Huggies
one that she probably gets when she checks out...
So, yes...i am liking the coupons when I pick the coupons I want.
:)

This took my breath away!

When I came
home the other day Camelia had put Eva's hair in these gorgeous little braids!
The title of this post is so true!
So, after I called Camelia and thanked her, Eva and I did a grand tour to see Nana
and to see Grandma, then we went to see friends....
She was just beaming. :)
So, I can braid...but not like this..not on a not even two year old, and not when they are
wriggling all around!
Camelia acted like it was just no big deal. :)

Thursday, April 14, 2011

On the soapbox....Part {?}

I am breaking out the old soap box again tonight.
This time when I am up here I will be talking about public education.
Public Education has been taking gigantic cuts...and when there is no money, one should
not be surprised.
The thing that bothers me in all of the press coverage, is that
when these cuts are discussed and announced by politicians, they (the politicians)
seem so proud of themselves...like they have just punched the bully in the gut
or something...
Public Education seems to take a licking quite often.
In the news...it is constantly criticized...teachers, principals are portrayed as these
incompetent, lazy, non-caring, ignorant, overpaid, good for nothings...that is how the news
portrays schools--unless it's a {feel good} piece about the hard A$$ who came
in and {fixed} some terrible schools....so cliche.
For someone who does not know any better, the whole system just seems awful.
The truth is, however, that the system is not awful.
A public school system has its inherent pitfalls...
It serves the whole public--that means we take what shows up...
all the children who never get baths, who wake themselves up and put on pants that
are four sizes too big, the ones who watched their parents beat each other up last night,
their cousins smoking on the porch, who do not have bed times, whose
parents cannot read....the list goes on.
We take all of the children and try to move them on....to the best that each child can be.
Who is the (we) here, you might say...Susan, while you are up there fill in the pronouns please.
Well, we is all of the people in the school...the teachers, who have been educated in
four year universities so that they know how to educate a child (some parents do not
realize this).
We are the special education teachers who, for the most part, have gone to six years of school to learn
how to educate children...
Librarians--not for much longer...
Cafeteria workers--who have to be financial managers and health and safety experts.
Custodians--who also have to be sweet all day to children who are wild and just dirty. :)
That is what the public school is...
Does the public have a right to expect certain levels of achievement...well, yes!
The public pays for the schools.
If the public thinks a particular school is terrible and sucky...well, I have a newsflash...
the school is made up of the people from right there around you...you can run out of the building if you want
but usually the building is not what makes the school sucky.

So, on this whole rant..one of my least favorite types of schools is charter schools.
This is a school which can be started up by any who ever who thinks they can do it better
--Educate the public--
than the ones who are already in charge.
The ones who are in charge have been teachers for a long time, have PhDs in education etc...
This person could be the manager at Food Lion one day, and write a school charter the next.
and then Boo yah!  our tax dollars go to fund it.

That is sort of like --the dentist does a crappy job filling a tooth--so I get mad and I decide that
I am going to be a dentist and open a dentist office, never mind that my training is
to be a Speech Pathologist...and then
I apply for a license and b/c that other dentist messed up a filling--
the board gives me one---oh yeah, b/c getting mad means I can now do dental work...
Don't you want to come to my clinic????

Does that seem even real to y'all.... it happens ...every day...
The NC legislature wants it to happen even more--and have very high limits of
funding..they want lots of charters to be written..??? !!!
Not the dentist example--the schools one..
Other professions do not get beaten up on the way the profession of
being an educator does...so interesting to me.

So when I was writing this post in my head this afternoon I was driving in my car--on the soap
box in the car--talk about multi-tasking...I was also singing Taylor Swift at the same time.
The whole thing boiled down to values...
Our society does not value education.  It simply does not.
That is fine...we should just be honest with ourselves about it.
Someone might say, but oh yes! I do, I value education...I send my children to the best
school, or i read to my children each night...etc etc...
But that does not constitute valuing education from where I stand (on my soap box).
Valuing education means wanting the population, as a whole, to be as educated as it
can be.....Trusting the people have have invested their time, money, and passion
into a career of educating children....uplifting these people and regarding them respectfully.
Public education means not just your own children--sino--all of the children.
That is why our founding fathers did things like start up public libraries...
PUBLIC.

Okay..this has been long and rambly enough...
So good night bloggy buddies..

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

catching....

i am probably late to the game...
but this coupon thing might catch on with me some.

the only coupon experience i ever had took me one and one half hours to buy my stuff on my list b/c i had to keep checking all of the sizes and rules...the i just gave up.

that was the one and only coupon trip.  i was at the food lion in Carrboro.
Spent 1.5 hrs., got a bunch of crap i do not like, and left after i {saved} a bunch of money.

well, i am taking morgan's advice and i am giving the another try.
surely with the internet catering to my every whim i can find coupons for stuff i actually use!
:)

I just visited one of the sites...and printed off coupons.
now, it's off to the store.

thanks morgan!
i am not going to the store tonight btw..

Dilemnas

Chances to escape the bo.Co. for Andy and me are pretty few and far between.
Last summer we went to the mountains b/c there was a wedding...
I planned a trip on the internet to go to Paris with my sister.  That trip never happened b/c
I got cold feet about leaving the bebe.
So within the past four days Andy and I have gotten two opportunities/obligations which will
allow us to travel a bit.  Obligations make it easier to take a trip...it's not a {want}sino, it's a {need}.
Right?
Right.
So the first one is to a Wedding reception in Yankeelandia.
Yippie!!
We are flying into New Jersey, and then one of the days we will get to spend in NYC doing
some exploring.  Considering I have not been there since I was 12, and Andy has never been there, I think
this will be fun exploring...
What to do?
What to see???
The other obligation/opportunity will come in July.
There is a professional symposium in a Spanish speaking part of the world...
y bueno, es que tengo muchas ganas de ir.
Right now I am busy making arrangements to see how much I can whittle down the price.
You see a big obstacle to travel is not having money.
We don't have any.
;).
In years past this conference has always happened during a time when we could not attend b/c of life
circumstances...nursing a baby, moving house, about to have a baby, nursing a baby....etc...
This year...well, I could go...
So yesterday the A.Airlines sweet lady told me that I am all set.  The airfare is free.
Now, I am just waiting a bit more to decide what to do and make the final call...
We will see. :)
Cross your fingers.
The destination will remain a secret...I might decide to have a giveaway or something with that part.
Never had one.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Elena's teacher came to our house! :)

I had a little party, on a Saturday.
Elena's teacher and I are friends.
Elena's teacher came to the party. :)

When Andy brought the children home
the party was wrapping up....
Elena was DELIGHTED to find her
Mrs. Gregory at her very own house!! :)

Friday, April 8, 2011

Smells like team spirit....

Has anyone else seen the news article about the man who wore {his} team's jersey to
a game when the {home} team was the opposing team?
Did I even say that right?
Anyway, the guy left the stadium and he got the crap beaten out of him.
I mean the kind where the person is unconscious and the mean guys keep on
kicking and beating...
ugly...
When we saw that on the news last night I asked Andy {halfway}
rhetorically--So is that team spirit???

Then on the big bang theory Leornard's new Indian Girlfriend (from India)
let him know that she had some Dodger's tickets and that they could go to a game.
"But first," she said, "you will have to explain the game a bit to me."
Leonard said, "oh, that's easy, get chosen last, get hit with the ball, cry, and call
your mom to pick you up"
LOVED IT!!!
That has always been my sentiment about {ball} activities--Thank you Elena for that
label..

This morning V-man came in --His T-Ball Jerthey already on--just after breakfast...
"mama?"  he asked..."When I have my game tomorrow..which team will you root for?"
me: "oh the blue team of course Victor!"
Him, {with a twinkle in his eye}--"why mama?"
me:  "Well, b/c that is the team you are on, sweetheart"
There we sat beaming at one another on the sofa, while Meredith Viera
{blabbed} in the background.

That is the only reason {so far} that I can come up with for team spirit....
We'll see how it goes. :)
V-Man got a dose of team spirit from somewhere--maybe it's a male thing??
But then lots of ladies have it too...{sigmons}

The team spirit continues to baffle me....

(More on T-Ball later)  Our first game is tomorrow!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Sisters!

This post does not involve pictures, so I can write it now.
This past weekend my sister came to STN with me.
I had a CAbi party on Saturday and she STN. {spent the night}

The past several times that I have been around my sister, and over
the past few phone chats I have noticed something.
After 32 years...our relationship is becoming well seasoned.
I guess it could be kind of like cooking a pork roast--at least according to my
mama--you have to cook it a loooonnnnggg time, and then booyah!--it is the best
roast ever.

Lara and I are only two years apart, so many years of our sisterhood were
--hmm...{turbulent}.
Then we both got married and had all kinds of tots running around...{chaotic}
Now, when we get together, and at least some of our children can leave us alone,
we can really have fun together.
We both relate to eachother so well...
I mean who else has known me THAT long???

Another sign of this seasoning..our phone chats.
each night i talk on the phone to at least one friend
and most nights my mama or daddy.
For the past several weeks I notice that
lara and i have THE MOST FUN laughing
together on the phone.
She is the friend I laugh with.

There is something to be said for this, b/c there have been moments
(A LONG TIME AGO, LARA)
when I wondered if I would ever think of my sister as
a friend.

Now I know the answer!
and I LOVE IT! :)

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Reminder to myself

Two posts that I will write as soon as I get a chance...
My sister's visit
Elena's teacher came to our house!!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

The look in the eyes

Andy and I are watching the Civil War..the documentary by Ken Burns.
It is very interesting.  In case you have not noticed yet, almost everything is very
interesting to me. :)
Well, we were just discussing the fotos on the documentary of the people.
We were saying how you could tell so much about the people by
the look in their eyes.
If you are also watching this, notice it.

Abraham Lincoln has a very deep {good guy} look in his eyes.
Sherman has a deranged crazy brat look in his...

There were others.
This is a good documentary.
Andy's daddy's family was not even in the United States when the Civil War happened.
People in my family fought in this war, in the South, on both sides of my family, one of
them--as listed in the US Census data--was in illiterate mulatto.
All of this is fun to watch to me.
It makes me want to do research. :)
I really don't have to, though.
I have already done it, or others have...

OKay..now I am off to bed.
Nighty Night..

Updates....!!!!!

"I want a beebee gun to shoot that fUck!n6 bird Andy"

That was me, just now, making a protest against the agressor(s).
They are sparrows...and they are PISSING me OFF!!

Andy...
Sweetie...when they fight hard for that house it is a good thing...that means they will be there..

hmpf...
bee bee gun...that is what I need..
even if I don't know how to spell it...ha!

Change of Heart

These pictures are of this AM--the blue bird house is in the background.
Daisies, Puppies, and kids...who could ask for more?


This was last year:

http://spilgree.blogspot.com/2010/04/bluebirds.html

Well, it seems as if the blue birds have had one!
This morning, my sister and I were enjoying our {multiple} cups of coffee looking out the window and
shopping for watches...and ....drumroll please...

I saw the bluebirds --in our blue bird house!!! Yippie!!
That was all it took to make my day!! :)

We might have a blue bird family to watch--if Mother Nature could just
be half-way decent to me--in this one instance of bird watching.

fingers are crossed, folks! :)

Spot on!

Spot is our family's chihuahua.  He is what we call, "an evil dictator/stuffed animal come to life".  Sometimes, after he has ...