Starting From Scratch

You know you haven't blogged for quite some time when you log in and find that everything about creating a post has changed! Eeek! This thing, this blog, this "beast" is something I started over 4 years ago for fun. It has served different purposes for me along the way. There's been bursts of posts,
and then long periods of silence. A friend recently encouraged me to start up again, and so here I am making the pledge to take a go at it and really try to stick with it. Here's to starting from scratch again!

Beach In A Bottle

I'm a person who tends to over think things, so I'm usually not one to impulse buy. It happened though, last fall, while shopping with my oldest niece. Teenagers pretty much operate on impulse from day to day, so I fell victim to her influence! I was chasing her around Nordstrom's as she sniffed every bottle of perfume available when she suddenly shrieked, "You HAVE to have this!! It's you! Your name is all over it, you ARE buying it!" In her hands was this...

Now clearly my name is NOT on it, but I took a sniff anyway. Sweet moses, it literally smelled like the beach in a bottle....and yes, that IS me! I suddenly lost all control and found myself taking out my credit card without even assessing. Before I knew it, we were walking out of the store with a bag that contained a bottle of highly priced liquid Coppertone! But on this blustery day in February, I have no regrets. I can open that bottle and immediately I'm thinking of warm sunshine, the sea breezes and yes... the sand beneath my toes!

Simple Things That Make Me Smile

It's a bunch of pure randomness, but it's all stuff that I simply adore....

* moments of silence

* yummy scents

* hugs

* snowflakes falling through the night sky

* good memories

* music that makes me move

* gratitude

* accents

* the sound of waves crashing

* holiday lights

* humbleness

* that first gulp of oj in the morning

* the feeling I get when the ferry docks on my island

* getting fun mail

Redbox Etiquette

With the closing of most video rental stores, Redbox is now the way to go. I've been using it for several years and think it's quite a bargain! As with everything else though, there is an accepted code of usage. I personally like to have my movie picked out before I even get to the Redbox. I will often go online to watch previews and then reserve it. It just makes the whole process faster when you get to the machine. Now I know that can't happen all the time, so maybe have something in mind before getting there. At the very least, remember that there is a reason why that poster is on the side of the machine. It's to help you decide what you want BEFORE it is your turn! Let's also remember personal space. If I can feel your breath on the back of my neck, you are much too close for my liking! I guarantee you it will not make me move faster and you will most likely hear some unpleasant words!

The Perfect Hutch

I bought my condo just about 9 years ago. I moved in and instantly began doing what most homeowners do...filled it with furniture. One thing I desperately wanted was a hutch. I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like...beachy, distressed white color, lots of cabinets and drawers. The problem was I couldn't find it in any store; and I searched for years across many states! Several years back a crafty friend of mine refurbished a hutch she had inherited from her husband's great aunt. She couldn't wait to show it to me. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it for the first time. It was MY hutch, but it was sitting in my friend's dining room! I would ohhh and ahhh over it every time I went to visit. I would often joke and say, "You know, someday/somehow this will be sitting in my dining room!" And now ~ it is!! My friend's mom recently downgraded to a smaller home and in the process my friend inherited her mother's dining room set...forcing her to part with the perfect hutch! And so now, it does indeed sit in my dining room!

Lost Treasure Found Thirty Something Years Later!

My dad handed me a small blue gift bag with tissue paper sticking out of the top. He said inside was something special, something he had found for me and he figured I'd been missing it for a real long time. He had "unearthed" it in the front yard of the house I grew up in while digging out some shrubbery for a new renovation project. Inside, delicately wrapped, was this:

"It's your Fisher Price baby carriage," he said beaming from ear to ear. You would think the man had found gold! I guess in a way he did, because they just don't make Fisher Price toys like they used to! He sat and told me about how I loved to sit out on the front lawn and play for hours with my Fisher Price dollhouse, and believe it or not I do remember that thing. He figures I must have at one point flung the carriage into the bushes and with all the gardening projects over the years it ended up being buried. He cleaned it up for me, although the axles are so corroded the wheels no longer move. It IS a lost treasure...one that brings back memories of when life was a lot simpler!

A Promise To Myself

I'm making a promise right here and now. I will no longer allow myself to read comments posted on any of the local media websites for any article involving education and the particular school department I work for. I'm so tired of feeling incredibly demoralized in regards to my chosen profession. It makes me sick that people continue to make uneccessary and snap comments celebrating the dismissal of nearly 2,000 teachers that happened in February...all fired without due process or just cause. It saddens me to see such a lack of respect for educators and education in general. There's a saying, "Before you criticize someone you should walk a mile in their shoes." I dare anyone to spend just 10 minutes in my inner-city classsroom. Then let's see what you have to say!