Looking forward to the weekend!

T.G.I.F.

It was such a long week at school!  After testing Tuesday and Wednesday, I really felt like yesterday should have been Friday, but it wasn't!  I'm just so tired... So I'm glad it's the weekend.

And I feel good about this weekend... even with my dentist appointment tomorrow :)  I am going to see the Rangers this Saturday kick some booty!  They are giving away bobble heads!  I don't remember who it is of (maybe Beltre?), but it will look good in my Rangers memorabilia collection (which has a Nelson Cruz? bobblehead, a Elvis Andrus? figurine, a good-looking Texas Rangers hat that I will never wear, the replica ring from when they went to the World Series the first time, the replica trophy from when they went to the World Series the second time, an autographed miniature bat signed by Derek Holland, and a couple of t-shirts... not to mention my Derek Holland jersey!)!  

Laura is out of town, which makes Chris nervous about where we will get our food... but I reminded him that we used to take care of ourselves when we didn't live with her, so I think we should be able to get along fine for 3 days!  I even cooked dinner last night!  Well, kind of.  I made some taco soup that we ate with the leftovers from the night before.

But, I plan on surprising her  by doing a couple of things around the house!  I would spell out my plan, but I think it would be better to blog about what I actually end up doing, not EVERYTHING I would like to do!  I'll get back on Sunday to mention everything I did!  Hope she doesn't read my blog before then. :)  

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

Promised Pictures

Not sure why it took me so long to upload these... but here are a couple pics from my Spring Break of Sewing week.

This is the robe I made.  I wish I had a picture of the one I made for my grandma so you could see how much progress I made from my first to my 3rd!  

I had started this over Spring Break, but didn't finish it for another week or so.  It is called a baby bunting.  I have probably made about 8 of them by now.  I get better each time!  I made this one for a teacher at school for her first grandbaby.  I made one just like a week later that was SO MUCH cuter (just because of the material I chose), but for some reason I didn't take a picture!


Anyway, I hope to start sewing something new soon, just have A LOT going on!  Have a great day... I have to finish getting ready!

Back to School :(

It is sometimes hard for me to be excited about going back to school after a long weekend... and this is one of those times!  I had a FOUR DAY WEEKEND! Because of last year's awful winter where we missed over a week of school because of ice and cold temperatures, they decided to build in some extra weather days.  That way, if we ended up getting an extra long Christmas break again, we would have some extra days built into the Spring to make up for it.  Well, mother nature was much kinder this winter... actually we didn't have much of one, and I got both of my weather days to do as I wished this weekend!  

I created a to do list and wanted to get as much of it done over the weekend as possible... but that was wishful thinking :)  Chris and I had tickets to the Ranger games on Saturday and Sunday.  They were fun... good times, good people!  And, I actually did more of my to do list than I thought I would.  Laura and I did yard work on Saturday during the day (not done but the front yard looks good!), I did some cleaning upstairs (I hope to do more this week), and I got caught up on my coupons again.  It seems like every time I turn around, there are stacks and stacks!  Coupons didn't come in the paper this week, so I get a week off!  Or at least, a week to stay caught up!

But... yesterday, I had a surprise.  And not a good one.  Chris and I decided to go eat lunch, and GUESS WHAT?!?!  The dang check engine light came back on in my car!  I had picked it up from the shop (for the 2nd time in the 3 weeks I had it) last Thursday and they seemed to be sure the problem was fixed.  Well... the "Engine Power is Reduced", "Check Engine" light, "Service Stabilitrak", and "Service Traction Control" lights all came back on, so I went straight back to the dealership.  They couldn't believe it happened again.  But, the good news is I dropped it off around 1 and they called me around 4 saying it was already ready!  Apparently, a wire in the new part they had ordered was bent and not getting a signal to where it needed to go.  Speaking of my car.. here is a pic.  It's not a great one... I can't seem to stand back far enough in my garage to do it justice... but I love her.  

Well, I guess it's time to finish getting ready for the day.  I didn't sleep well AT ALL and I have been up since 3:15.  But the good news is I was able to get some stuff done!  My goal for the week is to cross off 3-4 items on my to do list every night.  I'll let you know how it goes... keep your fingers crossed for me!

So Disappointing... :(

Man, I had a busy day!  I took Chris to work this morning because I had to run errands.  It started with putting gas in the rental car... that's right, I said rental car.  We ended up having the same issue with our NEW car again and took it back to the dealership.  This time, we went closer to home... Classic Chevrolet, who seem to know what they are doing, and we are currently in a loaner car :(  So, after putting gas in the rental car, I went to Walmart and bought some new tupperware.  Long story short... We had to buy ALL NEW tupperware because ours was bad.  I bought some a couple weeks ago, to cover the basic needs, but I went back today to get the rest of what I needed.  After Walmart, I headed to Tom Thumb to get my sisters car registered (she was at a Mary Kay event and it was the last day she could do her registration without being late), and I realized I was in Dallas County... which is a problem because we live in Tarrant County.  So, after that, I ran a few errands (like 5) then went and had lunch with Chris :)  Then, I went to the Tom Thumb in Tarrant County and got Laura's registration before I went home to cut some coupons.  Yes... I am behind AGAIN!  I'm not too far behind, but I am behind.  Anyway, I cut coupons until I had to go to my hair appointment.  I get there... and she was double booked.  SO DISAPPOINTING!  I was really planning on getting my hair recolored and cut! Oh well, I was able to set an appointment for tomorrow!  


On the brighter side, yesterday at school the kids took a quiz and were allowed to draw on the back until everyone was done with their quizzes.  Here is one of my favorite pics!

Allergy Sufferers Unite!

That's what I heard the news reporter say this morning... AND I FEEL IT!  This past weekend, my throat was sore, but I got some rest hoping it would feel better.  And it did.  But this week has been BLAH.  My nose won't stop running, sometimes I feel feverish (I just keep going back and forth between hot and cold), my head sometimes feels congested, I'm coughing gross things up, my eyes are watery, and I'm just tired!

With all that complaining aside, I'm having a nice week at school so far.  With it being the STAAR test this week, the kids are required to be silent.  It's kind of nice to have quiet classes.  I wouldn't want it all the time, but every once in a while is calming.  For now, the echoing in my head is at a minimum!

My Bad...

I HAVE TO WARN YOU... This is a long post!


So, I didn't do a very good job of blogging over the rest of my Spring Break because... well... IT FLEW BY!  I ended up being a little busier than I thought I would due to some unexpected wedding planning :)

I knew I was going to look at a couple of places last Wednesday, and I really thought I would end up picking one of them as my venue.  My mom and Melanie went with me.  It was really helpful to have both of them there.  Melanie asks really good questions, and I don't get to see my mom as often as I would like to.  The first place was a nice venue, but it was too far away and the drive there was a little unpleasant.  And by a little... I mean a lot.  The second place was SO BEAUTIFUL!  Looking at it, I was pleased with almost everything... until I found out the price.  It would have cost us WAY too much money.  So, I was a little disappointed because I really thought I was going to find the perfect place that day!  I looked online Wednesday night and ended up finding two more places to look at on Thursday.  My mom and Mel were able to go again, and this time we ended up with my niece and nephew, Madilyn and Braylon, and Madilyn's cousin, Madison.  The first place we went to was a little rustic for my taste.  Melanie really liked it, and it probably would have worked if I couldn't come up with anywhere else... but it just didn't feel quite right.  The second place we went to took my breath away!  It was GORGEOUS!  It is on Lake Grapevine in Southlake which isn't too far away, and the drive there is amazing!  It is surrounded by beautiful mansions... and Madison told my mom she knows they are mansions because they don't have parking lots (too cute!)  So, after discussing it with Chris, I emailed the lady who works there and told her we are in!  She emailed me the contract that we will be turning in soon, so that means .... WE HAVE OUR VENUE PICKED OUT!!!

Needless to say, with both of those days gone, I did not finish sewing all the pieces I wanted to.  I did finish my robe.  I have made it twice before.  The first time was a Christmas gift for my grandma.  I was sort of proud of it, but it was pretty bad.  I mean, you could tell it was a robe, but my Grandma asked my mom if she was supposed to finish it... (I didn't realize it was that bad).  Then, I made it a second time for my sister, Laura.  It looked a lot better, but I still had room for improvement.  I am proud to say that this time was my best so far.  I guess the 3rd time really is the charm!  I'll put some pictures up later.  I also started the baby bunting that I was planning on making for a fellow teacher at school who is a new grandmother, but I didn't have the binding to go around the outside.  I will finish it... maybe this weekend!  

So now, I am back in school.  It's already Friday!  This week flew by... but it was difficult!  Every single day was just SO busy!  We were finishing up a unit over the rock cycle so they would be ready for the test they are taking today (which is why I am able to type this right now), and we just had a lot to cover this week!  I also had a meeting Monday morning (7:30) to update testing accommodations for the upcoming STAAR test, I had a staff meeting on Wednesday morning (7:30) to go over training for the STAAR test, I had an off-campus meeting Wednesday (10:30) for a student at another school, I had another testing update meeting on Thursday (3:50), and I had a parent conference Friday morning (7:30) for one of my little ones who has a bad attitude. And on top of ALL of that... I saw The Hunger Games last night!  I more than LOVED the books, but I didn't love the movie.  I didn't not like it, I just didn't love it as much as the book.


*Side note:  The parent meeting on Thursday after school was a hoot.  We were waiting on the parent to get there.  Well, the counselor walked in with a woman and introduced us all.  There wasn't a lot of conversation exchanged because we were waiting on a translator, but we were able to say hi and small talk of the like.  Well, our other counselor got there so she could translate.  She started talking to the parent, who looked very confused at this point.  Turns out, she wasn't the parent.  She was... wait for it.... a custodian!  The first counselor who brought her back to the conference room saw the woman, asked her if she was "Maria", the woman said yes, so she brought her back.  It was hilarious!!!  She was a new custodian, which is why we didn't recognize her!  She laughed too... I was glad she saw the humor in it too!


Anyway...I ended up getting a new car over the weekend.  It is super cute.  I traded in my SUV for a gas-friendly car that also has a lower payment!  (Have to save for that wedding!)  I got it Saturday, and on Sunday, my check engine came on!  I COULDN'T believe it.  I seriously thought I had gotten a lemon!  But, Chris took it to the dealership for me on Monday, and it turned out that they hadn't tightened the accelerator pedal enough.  I'll show a picture soon!


I will be sure to blog more often so my posts aren't this long every time!  He he.  HAVE AN AMAZING weekend.

Ready For This Day to Start!

Alright, so like I said... I want to sew an AVERAGE of one thing per day.  Yesterday, I worked on my robe.  I didn't finish it, but I definitely made good progress.  I mean, if you look at it, you can tell it is a robe!  I probably could've gotten more done, but I still want to relax this week.  So, I plan on finishing it later this evening and then posting pictures!  Then, I will start on my next item... a baby bunting!

Today, I am doing some WEDDING PLANNING!  Well, kind of.  I have been engaged for a few weeks now to a great guy named Chris.  I haven't done a whole lot in terms of planning, but I have been told that one of the most important things to do is find a venue.  So today, my mom, my oldest sister Melanie, and I are going to check out two!  One is in Azle, TX.  The other is in Colleyville.  They both look AMAZING online, so I will get to see what they look like in person today!  Hopefully if I like one of them enough, I will end up taking Chris to see it, and maybe we can make a final decision!  Pretty much, the only other "planning" I have done for the wedding so far is picking out my bridal party.  I got a great idea from one of my BFF's, Erin.  She is so crappy!  She is probably one of my crappiest friends of all!  (We were in Mrs. Almand's class in 3rd grade together, and on the 1st day of school she was explaining how she does a lot of crafts... and was a very crafty person.... and she hoped we liked crafts too!  Put the word "crap" in every time I used "craft" and that's what Erin had heard that day!  Still HILARIOUS!)  Anyway, I got this super cute idea from her when she got married a few years ago... wow, I can't believe it's been so long! 

I made one of these for everyone in the bridal party: bridesmaids, jr. bridesmaids, maid of honor, groomsmen, best man, flower girl, and ring bearer.  Here are a couple to show you!

My sister, Laura, is going to be my maid of honor!  She had no idea I was asking her and was so surprised, but how could I not?!  She has been my best friend since the day I was born... couldn't think of anyone better to have by my side.  The only problem is that us Holland girls... we cry a lot!  I don't think she will be able to do the whole speech thing at the reception!

Chris chose his friend Rezwan to be his best man.  They have known each other since high school.  I have met him a few times and really like him and his wife, Heidi. 


I guess what I am most excited of all is getting to spend the day with my mom!  I used to work with her, but this past year I had to go to a different school.  It ended up working out great, but I still miss seeing her everyday!  So today is going to be so much fun!  I'll let you know how it goes later!